Former top US food safety official says Trump’s handling of cyclospora is ‘catastrophic’ | Trump administration
Donald Trump’s former top food safety official accused the administration of near “catastrophic” mishandling of the cyclospora outbreak that sickened thousands of people in the United States.
The federal government’s response to disease outbreaks caused by the spread of a parasite found in raw produce should be independently reviewed, according to Frank Yiannas, deputy commissioner for food policy at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during the presidencies of both Trump and Joe Biden from 2018 to 2023.
“This deserves a lot of questions and is starting to approach catastrophic levels given how mismanaged it has been on so many fronts,” Yiannas said. he told Politico.
Yiannas said there is widespread public confusion about cyclosporiasis, an intestinal disease caused by a microscopic parasite. Cyclospora cayetanensisAlso known as Cyclospora, it is a bacteria that can cause explosive diarrhea. This is compounded by a “lack of strong federal leadership” and mixed messages from federal agencies, the official added.
The chaotic response to cyclosporia, which has sickened more than 4,000 people in the United States and is thought to affect thousands more, has been highlighted by attempts to identify the source of the outbreak and stop it.
The FDA found that lettuce from Taylor Farms, a supplier to Taco Bell, was linked to the outbreak but later backtracked. Taylor Farms said the FDA apologized to the company for this, but the FDA rejected that claim.
The federal food regulator still maintains there is strong evidence linking Taylor Farms, which recalled its romaine, to the outbreak. U.S. Surgeon General Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said last week that the outbreak was “under control” even as the FDA expanded its investigation to include 7,400 potential cases in nine states.
“They went too fast and made a mistake,” Yiannas said of the FDA. “They should share more information about how and why this happened and what they will do to prevent it in the future.”
Yiannas said the review of the government’s response should be under congressional oversight or through an independent investigator. The FDA did not immediately respond to this call for an investigation of its actions.
