Cilantro
(IN PHOTO) A cook prepares food using ingredients that include coriander (front) at "Paxi", a coriander restaurant, in Tokyo February 26, 2008. Coriander, also known as cilantro and most commonly sold as phakchi in Japan, was first brought to the country more than 700 years ago, but many Japanese hate it because of its pungent flavour and smell. Now, a growing number of coriander fans are spreading their love for the herb by planting their own coriander, swapping coriander notes on the web, and congregating at Tokyo's first coriander restaurant. Picture taken on February 26, 2008. Reuters

A parasite traced to unsanitary conditions in Mexican farms that grow the herb cilantro has caused an outbreak of severe diarrhea in the US. Cilantro, also known as coriander, is an ingredient of a popular dish by Chipotle Mexican Grill, guacamole.

However, the fast-rising food chain – despite the restaurant’s name’s link to Mexico - assured customers that the cilantro it uses are raised in California, not in Mexico where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, traced the cilantro that causes the outbreaks of cyclospioriasis, a parasite. An investigation by the US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and Mexican regulatory authorities traced the disease-causing spice to Puebla.

The New York Post reports that a probe of 11 farms and packing houses in Puebla found human faeces and toilet paper scattered around eight growing fields and packing facilities. Toilets are inadequately maintained and lack supplies such as soap, toilet paper, running water and paper towels.

Some don’t have any toilets or hand-washing facilities, while some of the surfaces where the cilantro is cut and bundled are very dirty and unwashed, including plastic crates where the spice are transported. Due to the unsanitary conditions, water used for washing the cilantro is vulnerable to contamination from the sewage or septic systems, said FDA.

Following the findings, the FDA imposed a five-month ban on imports of cilantro from the Mexican state of Puebla. The ban is from April through August. FDA issued the ban on Monday. Cilantro from that state would require inspection and certification, while if it is from other Mexican states, exporters must provide documentation the spice isn’t from Puebla.

In 2014, 304 people in the US suffered from the parasitic ailment, according to the CDC.

Besides Chipotle, Taco Bell also used chipotle for its guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa and Latin rice. But Taco Bell spokeswoman Virginia Ferguson, in an email to Bloomberg, said it also sources its cilantro from California even if taco is also considered a Mexican delicacy. Guacamole is a dip or salad based on avocado. It was first created by the Aztecs before the land they were occupying became known as Mexico.

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