New Hampshire farmers markets are experiencing increased sales following this summer’s nationwide cyclospora outbreak and farming advocates said now is the time for policymakers to start backing regional food producers.

Investigators traced the outbreaks to Taylor Farms of Mexico, which supplied lettuce to fast food chains, other restaurants and grocery stores.

Joe Maxwell, cofounder of the advocacy group Farm Action, said even though consumers have different choices in stores and restaurants, one supplier often provides many of the products.

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"Forty percent of the mixed salad kits in the country are Taylor Farms," Maxwell emphasized. "Regardless of where you walk into, the likelihood is that you could be dealing with Taylor Farms. The restaurants and the others need to be asking more questions."

Taylor Farms is a $7 billion company with more than 25,000 employees, which Maxwell argued creates too much consolidation and a lack of choice in the marketplace.

New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services has reported 94 cyclospora cases this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported nearly 11,000 cases nationwide since the outbreaks began in mid-June.

While a large portion of the lettuce sold in the U.S. is grown and produced by Taylor Farms of Mexico, Maxwell stressed the company did not create the consolidation problem alone. Maxwell believes policymakers are the ones who need to solve the issue.

"Our government is the largest food purchaser in the United States, and it needs to focus its purchasing power on helping secure local and regional food systems and stop going to the one-stop shop of the Taylor Farms and the other big concentrated companies," Maxwell urged.

The CDC said the best-by dates for Taylor Farms products have passed and infected products should not be available in restaurants or grocery stores anymore. Taco Bell's shredded lettuce got most of the attention during the outbreak and the fast food brand has said it is no longer using lettuce from Taylor Farms.

The University of New Hampshire Extension is highlighting the practices many regional farmers use to protect their crops from contaminants to encourage people not to give up on fresh produce but rather get to know their local farmers and get to know their food.