Former FDA Official Calls for Independent Review of Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Response

A former food-safety commissioner from the Trump administration has asked for an independent review of the federal response to a cyclosporiasis outbreak that has affected thousands across the United States. The parasite, which causes severe gastrointestinal symptoms, was traced by the Food and Drug Administration to lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms and sold at several Taco Bell locations. Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of the product, and the FDA has continued to consider the lettuce a likely source despite a disputed test result.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 4,000 confirmed cases and is investigating an additional 7,400 possible infections in at least nine states. The former commissioner, Frank Yiannas, who also served as an FDA deputy commissioner under Biden, said the agency should be transparent about its investigative process and explain how a single “false positive” test may have affected the response. > "They went too fast and they made a mistake. They should share more about how and why it happened, and what they’ll do to prevent it in the future," Yiannas said.

Criticism has also come from Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, who blamed the health department’s leadership and funding cuts for weakening public-health defenses. > "Your foolish and self-indulgent demolition of critical public health programs puts Americans at risk," Ossoff wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The dispute over the outbreak response occurs amid reports that Taylor Farms donated to a political super PAC supporting President Donald Trump and that company officials met with White House staff during the investigation, raising additional concerns about potential conflicts of interest.