Alaska tells school kitchens cooking produce is safest Cyclospora step

School kitchens across Alaska are being told that washing alone cannot guarantee removal of the Cyclospora parasite. For produce that can be cooked, heating it to at least 158 degrees Fahrenheit is the safest option. The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development passed along that federal guidance to school nutrition staff in its August School Meals Program bulletin.

The bulletin says current federal guidance, including recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, calls for washing all raw produce, including items labeled pre-washed. Washing is not the kill step. "Cyclospora is resistant to routine chemical disinfection, and washing alone cannot guarantee removal," the bulletin says. The Food and Drug Administration's produce guidance says the parasite cannot survive elevated temperatures.

The advice follows a national surge in cases. The Alaska Department of Health reported July 16 that the CDC had confirmed 1,645 domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases in 34 states since May 1, compared with 249 cases by the same date in 2025. Of those cases, 141, or 9%, required hospitalization, though no deaths were reported. Health officials have not confirmed a single food item or supplier as the source.

Alaska has reported five cases this year, none hospitalized, consistent with the state's typical annual count. The state's advisory says all five were adults, with illness onsets in May, June and July. Three of them reported international travel shortly before falling ill, one reported out-of-state travel and exposure to fast-food restaurants, and one reported no out-of-state travel.

DEED directs districts to the Institute of Child Nutrition's produce safety resources and tells staff to monitor FDA recall alerts and the CDC's outbreak page.