Concerns surrounding Cyclospora are changing the way some Oklahoma shoppers buy their produce, with one local market reporting a sharp increase in lettuce sales as customers look for locally sourced options.
Eric Miller, owner of Okie Family Market, said sales have “drastically increased” over the past month and a half as the parasite gained attention and concerns spread into Oklahoma.
“We were selling about 85 to about 105 heads of lettuce, and that increased to, gosh, 200, and sometimes 250 heads of lettuce,” Miller said.
Those numbers include sales between the market’s two locations. Miller said the business has used social media to let customers know it carries local produce, including locally sourced lettuce.
Miller said the market has been able to meet the increased demand through relationships it already had with local farmers and producers. The business also works with OKC Food Hub, an Oklahoma City organization that helps connect farmers and their produce with the market.
“They were a huge, huge bridge in helping us get more, more produce when we needed it,” Miller said.
For Miller, the increased attention surrounding Cyclospora has also highlighted the importance of knowing where food comes from.
“Transparency, transparency, honesty, integrity. And you’re able to track the food,” Miller said. “My wife and I, we personally go out to these farms. We vet our vendors, we put boots on the ground.”
Miller said those visits allow them to learn about vendors’ growing practices and ask questions that customers may not have an opportunity to ask themselves.
The market’s relationship with local producers extends beyond the current Cyclospora concerns. Miller said farmers, ranchers and other producers rely on the store to help sell their products during the months when traditional farmers markets are closed.
He said some producers have told him the business has helped them continue paying their bills and mortgages without having to find another job during the offseason.
“So it’s really — it’s cool,” Miller said. “It’s very rewarding.”
