Acting US FDA chief urges confidence in lettuce as agency updates produce safety guidance
FDA says Cyclospora is a foreseeable hazard in fresh-cut produce, but the agency also says no antimicrobial wash is known to stop it.
- Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas urged Americans to feel confident eating fresh produce on Tuesday, even as the agency's finalized guidance admitted no antimicrobial currently prevents Cyclospora contamination on fresh-cut produce.
- The largest Cyclospora outbreak in American history has sickened above 28,000 people, with at least 688 hospitalizations and two deaths in Michigan, creating pressure for federal action on food safety.
- Congress sent eleven letters to CDC, FDA and HHS since mid-July, with Senator Richard Blumenthal requesting FDA communications with the White House about the outbreak and Taylor Farms.
- Taylor Farms recalled prepared salsas and guacamoles on Sunday tied to a Salmonella Javiana outbreak sickening at least 345 people across 27 states, the same company involved in the lettuce crisis.
- The traceability rule needed to contain widespread contamination has been delayed until 2028, while CDC possesses targeted sequencing tools available since 2018 that could help manage the outbreak more effectively.
18 Articles
18 Articles
FDA Says Lettuce Linked to Cyclospora Outbreak Is Off Market
Federal food-safety officials say iceberg lettuce linked through epidemiological and traceback evidence to a major Cyclospora outbreak has been removed from the U.S. market. Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Kyle Diamantas is urging Americans to remain confident in fresh produce, while the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue investigating an outbreak that has sickened nearly 2,000 people. Diamantas said Tue…
FDA Chief Claims It’s Now Safe To Eat “Leafy Greens”
The Hill reports: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is assuring Americans that they should feel confident eating fresh produce again, seeking to ease concerns over the nation’s food supply after a cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce spread across more than a dozen states. “We have the safest food supply in the world,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said in a Tuesday interview with CNBC. “Americans should feel confident in …
FDA chief: Cyclospora ‘effectively removed from the market’
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is assuring Americans that they should feel confident eating fresh produce again, seeking to ease concerns over the nation’s food supply after a cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce spread across more than a dozen states. “We have the safest food supply in the world,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle…
Letters: Refocus public health priorities on current threats like food safety, measles
Recently, public discourse has been dominated by debates surrounding Dr. Anthony Fauci and COVID-19. While leadership in managing a pandemic is important, our focus should be on the critical dangers threatening our communities today — tainted lettuce risking food safety,…
The Epoch Times
The Constitution StudyActing FDA Chief Urges Americans to Have Confidence in Food Supply
The nation’s chief food regulator attempted to dispel public fears about the U.S. food supply on Aug. 11 after a series of foodborne illnesses emerged this summer. Increased border testing on fresh produce coming into the country and an intense investigation into the Cyclospora parasite contamination in July resulted in finding the origin of the latest outbreak “in record time,” acting U.S. FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said. “Americans should…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 81% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
