Biosecurity Report – June 2026

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Pathogens

Cyclospora cayetanensis

The most reported pathogen in the month of June, 2026 was a widespread outbreak of parasitic Cyclospora infections. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and state public health officials have reported over 2000 infections across at least 17 states in the US, a number which may continue to rise. While generally not life threatening, the parasite is also not likely to be killed by routine disinfection or sanitizing methods. To date, there have been no deaths reported.

Cyclospora is a unicellular (one cell) parasite that causes intestinal infection. Persons with the parasite in their intestine excrete its oocytes in their feces. Unlike E. coli and salmonella, which can also be spread by animal feces, Cyclospora can only be spread through human feces. Inadequate sanitary conditions pass these excreted cyclospora oocytes onto water or foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Individuals can become infected with cyclospora when they consume the contaminated water or food which then can be passed on to others given continuing inadequate sanitary conditions. Cyclospora infects the small intestine and typically causes watery diarrhea with frequent, sometimes explosive, bowel movements.

While, as of the end of June, the specific source(s) of the current infection have not been identified, fruits and vegetables with variegated surfaces, such as raspberries, blackberries, lettuce, cilantro, green onions, and basil are more likely to have cyclospora. These foods are also less likely to be cooked, which can kill the parasite.

E. coli

Frozen blueberries sold at Publix grocery stores have been recalled because of contamination with E. coli 0145:H28, a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). Twelve persons have been reported sick from the pathogen.

The blueberries were from a Chilean grower/packer that sells under the Comfrut brand which announced the recall of its 10-ounce GreenWise Organic IQF Blueberries after the berries tested positive.

These blueberries were distributed exclusively to Publix stores across eight states; Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Listeria

Additional patients have been identified in a deadly outbreak of Listeria traced to cheese made by Clover Hill Dairy LLC of Mechanicsville, MD. Ten patients have been hospitalized and one has died. The sick people lived in Maryland, New York, and Virginia.

Samples from sick people were collected from March 2026 to June, 2026 with genome sequencing showing that the patients were sickened by the same strain of Listeria monocytogenes, with the same strain detected in Clover Hill Dairy cheese. As a result, Clover Hill has recalled all of its cheese products.

Salmonella

The FDA has recalled over 900 cases of Alfredo sauce at its highest risk level (Class 1 Event) after a supplier recalled a dry milk powder ingredient used in the product due to a potential salmonella contamination. The Alfredo sauce is packaged in 3-pound, 7-ounce sealed poly bags with 12 bags per case. The Coffee Connexion Co., Inc. based in Lebanon, Tennessee, voluntarily initiated the recall in May and the recall remains ongoing.

USA. An outbreak of Salmonella Enteritis involving 70 persons was reported by the FDA beginning on 10 June. The FDA has begun traceback efforts but has not revealed the food it is tracing. Information on location of the outbreak was also not reported.

Europe. More than 100 people were sickened in 11 countries as part of a Salmonella outbreak linked to alfalfa sprouted seeds from India. Other suspected sources are alfalfa seeds, clover seeds, broccoli seeds and radish seeds from Italy, which may have been shipped to Italy from India. The outbreaks, beginning in January, confirmed Salmonella Bovismorbificans infections in 10 European countries with 2 deaths and 18 others requiring hospitalization.

Botulism

The FDA inspected two foreign plants that manufactured Nara Organics infant formula tied to an outbreak of botulism. The FDA found deficiencies at both plants. The FDA did not name the businesses involved nor the country.

However, other reporting noted that a German company, Milchwerke Mittelelbe GmbH, brand name Elb-Milch, a subsidiary of the Kruger Group, is the maker of infant formula linked to the outbreak of infant botulism. The formula was manufactured for Nara Organics. The whole milk powder used in the production of the Nara infant formula was made with milk supplied by Organic West Milk and spray dried by Dairy Farmers of America. Organic Milk West was also associated with the November 2025 outbreak of botulism that sickened 48 babies across 17 US states. A second foreign plant was not identified.

Three infants contracted infant botulism after consuming Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula. No deaths have been reported.

Campylobacteriosis and Cryptosporidiosis

The Louisiana Department of Health is investigating the source of raw milk responsible for 11 cases of infection, two of which tested positive for campylobacteriosis and cryptosporidiosis and were hospitalized.

Closed Cases

Cronobacter in Infant Formula. The US DOJ ended its investigation into the Abbott Laboratories manufacture of infant formula tied to the 2021-22 outbreak of cronobacker infections.

Other BioSecurity Threat

Parasites and Insects

New World Screwworm (NWS): Cochliomyia hominivorax

The US government and tens of thousands of Texas ranchers are now waging a campaign against the parasitic Screwworm. Drones are being used to monitor unusual behavior in herds and insecticides are being deployed. Additionally, sterilized screwworm males are being grown to suppress the population with the USDA stating it needs about 500 sterile male flies a week to eliminate the screwworm pest.

The Screwworm is a fly that lays hundreds of eggs in the open wounds of warm-blooded animals, even wounds as small as a tick bite. The larvae in the wound use their screwlike spines to burrow into and feed on tissue, often resulting in an infection that can kill an animal in weeks.

The Trump Administration has stated that it is moving quickly to surge sterile screwworm production, expand surveillance and trapping efforts, strengthen coordination across federal agencies, and recently deployed every available tool to protect American agriculture, ranchers, wildlife, pets and food security. The Administration has also stated that, in addition to failed border security policies and a broader breakdown in enforcement, transnational criminal organizations and unchecked smuggling networks created conditions that allowed the screwworm threat to move north.

Additional Screwworm Issues

  • The FDA announced an Emergency Use Authorization for the drug nitenpyram to treat screwworm infestations in dogs and cats, making it the first generic drug approved for use against the screwworm.
  • The early termination of USAID funds for a United Nations screwworm monitoring program last year was blamed by some for the resurgence. The amount of that foreign aid was likely not significant in that the USDA’s spending on screwworm eradication has topped $1 billion.
  • Critics of the current sterile fly approach are stating that this approach should be combined with the Screwworm Adult Suppression System (SWASS), which kills fertile adult flies. The combination of the two programs would have the best chance of screwworm elimination.
  • Many cases of screwworm myiasis have been documented in humans.

Colorado Potato Beetle

Vermont researchers and farmers are testing new strategies to combat the Colorado potato beetle, a pest that has developed resistance to more than 200 chemical compounds and devastates potato, eggplant, and tomato crops. Researchers believe that decades of pesticide use have caused evolutionary pressure on the beetle, essentially creating a new insect or an “evolutionary super soldier”.

Strategies being considered include RNA interference, delayed planting so that emerging beetles find no host crops, and decoy planting.

Spotted Lanternfly

Georgia is monitoring the spread of the spotted lanternfly after the invasive insect was first detected in Atlanta in 2024. The spotted lanternfly has not yet been found in Georgia outside of the Atlanta area. The fly was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014 and has since been spreading across the East Coast. The lanternfly feeds primarily on grapes but also feeds on peaches and plums.

Chemicals/Toxins

Cereulide

The toxin Cereulide was discovered in infant formula sold by several European companies and was responsible for 140 cases of food poisoning across 10 countries this year. The European Commission is considering tighter regulation of baby formula and special infant foods.

Inorganic Arsenic and Lead

Inorganic arsenic and lead topped the list of foodborne chemicals threatening the world food supply, according to the World Health Organization’s latest foodborne illness estimates. Cardiovascular diseases related to the two chemicals caused almost 90% of foodborne chemical deaths.

Lawsuits and Agreements

Monsanto Company v. Durnell

The US Supreme Court ruled in mid-June that federal law preempts lawsuits at the state level over labeling of potentially carcinogenic pesticides. The decision in Monsanto Company v. Durnell overturns a Missouri jury decision in favor of man who sued the maker of Roundup after he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer. The Supreme Court decision could result in the dismissal of thousands of similar lawsuits against Bayer (which acquired Roundup manufacturer Monsanto) which are currently pending in state courts.

USMCA

The US decided not to renew the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in its current form. The decision introduces new uncertainty for US farmers who rely on the USMCA integrated supply chains which the agreement underpins. One of the issues to be discussed concerns disputes of Canada’s protection of its dairy industry. The next round of talks is scheduled for July 20 in Mexico City.

Proposed Reforms to H-2A Farm Worker Bill

The proposed Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA) seeks to update the program through changes related to worker eligibility, wage calculations, and administrative procedures. The following are some of the Bill’s proposed reforms:

  • Removing the requirement that agricultural work be both seasonal and temporary. Visas would apply to agricultural labor or services of a temporary nature only, with job contracts allowed for up to 350 days.
  • Authority for defining agricultural labor and services would be transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture and extend eligibility to activities including controlled environment agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and livestock harvesting.
  • Provide an opportunity for existing unauthorized agricultural workers to access the H-2A program if they meet eligibility requirements, including background checks and in-person interviews. This does not include a pathway to citizenship.
  • The bill addresses labor costs. Annual wage adjustments would be limited to a maximum increase of 3.5% or maximum decrease of 1.5%. Housing would be calculated as a daily rate charge rather than an hourly rate.
  • Administration of the program would be streamlined with a single online platform for interactions between employers, workers, and government agencies, with a clarification of agency responsibilities and the introduction of multi-year labor certifications and housing inspection.

U.S Farmer’s Plight

The Wall Street Journal interviewed Beth Ford, the CEO of Land O’Lakes on the plight of US Farmers. The following bullets highlights some of her concerns.

  • Bankruptcies have doubled in the past year in American agriculture.
    • This perhaps is a significant reason farming has such a high suicide rate.
  • Median farm income is trending downward.
  • Roughly 90% of family-owned farms and ranches rely on alternative sources of income to survive.
  • Fewer than 5% of farms are profitable.
  • 70% of the counties in rural America are food insecure.
  • Roughly two-thirds of US agricultural workers are noncitizen immigrants.
    • This is why immigrants are essential for the growth of the American economy.
    • There is a universal understanding that most of the time American citizens don’t want these jobs.
  • Ms. Ford stated that “I think Americans don’t really understand the fragility of the food system, the amount of work that goes into it, or the geopolitical instability.”

BioSecurity Issues in Foreign Countries

Australia

Between 30,000 to 40,000 mango trees have been bulldozed in Australia’s Northern Territory as growers deal with mango twig tip dieback (MTTD), a fungal disease affecting orchards across the Greater Darwin region.

Brazil

Akorn Technology announced the commercial launch of Akorn Natural Guard, a new class of multifunctional post-harvest solutions developed to eliminate or significantly reduce reliance on conventional chemical fungicides and double shelf life. All formulations are 100% natural, plant-derived, and designed for compatibility with global export markets.

Akorn Natural Guard for Mangoes was validated through trials conducted in Brazil’s Sao Francisco Valley, one of the world’s premier mango growing regions. The product demonstrated full control of anthracnose, the most important post-harvest disease of mango, affecting 30-60% of production in many growing regions.

Columbia

A new packing facility in Columbia enhances avocado traceability to major markets.

Spain

The Yellow Vein Chlorosis Virus has been detected on at least 12 farms in Alicante and 5 in Murcia, posing a threat to the agricultural sector by causing the uprooting of thousands of lemon trees across both regions.

United Kingdom

The UK Cold Chain Federation (CCF) has called on the UK government to make potential disruptions to the country’s food system an immediate priority, citing risks including fuel shortages, cyber-attacks, extreme weather, border delays, and international conflicts. The chief of CCF stated that these risks are becoming increasingly dangerous to food supply in the country.

Ukraine

Ukraine adopted a new law on 30 June 2026 regulating the production, circulation and labelling of organic products, with the aim of bringing the country’s organic sector in line with current European Union standards and making the market more transparent for consumers, producers, and traders.