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Former top US food safety official says US mismanagement of cyclospora is approaching ‘a catastrophic level’
The Guardian • • business
Key Points:
- Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissioner for food policy at the FDA, criticized the federal government's handling of the cyclospora outbreak as near "catastrophic" and called for an independent review of the response.
- The outbreak, caused by the Cyclospora parasite on raw produce, has sickened over 4,000 people in the US, with thousands more potentially affected, amid public confusion and mixed federal messaging.
- The FDA initially linked the outbreak to lettuce from Taylor Farms, a Taco Bell supplier, but later backtracked, leading to disputes between the FDA and the company over the accuracy of this identification.
- Despite the controversy, the FDA maintains strong evidence connecting Taylor Farms to the outbreak, while the US health secretary claimed the situation is "under control" as investigations continue into thousands of cases across multiple states.
- Yiannas urged for congressional oversight or an independent inspector to review the FDA’s response to prevent future mismanagement, but the FDA has yet to respond to these calls.
