FDA chief claims diarrhea parasite source has been ‘removed from market’ and produce is safe… but still has not confirmed culprit
A top Food and Drug Administration official has claimed the source of the outbreak causing thousands to be plagued by explosive diarrhea has been ‘effectively removed from the market.’
However, confusion among the American public remains as a source of the pathogen, cyclospora, has never been definitively confirmed through a positive pathogen test.
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said this week that the US has ‘the safest food supply in the world,’ adding that people ‘should feel confident in eating fresh produce, including leafy greens at this point.’
The outbreak of cyclospora, which causes cyclosporiasis, was first identified in July and linked to shredded lettuce served at certain Taco Bell locations.
Taco Bell then stopped using lettuce in its menu items.
Shortly after, produce supplier Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled iceberg lettuce grown in Mexico that the CDC and FDA said was linked to the outbreak.
However, it was then revealed that the positive test result for cyclospora in a sample of Taylor Farms lettuce was a false-positive.
A Taylor Farms facility in Salinas, California, is pictured above last month. While samples of the company’s lettuce initially tested positive for the cyclospora pathogen, subsequent testing revealed this was a false-positive result
Lettuce was first named as a possible source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak, but confusion remains as a source has never been definitively confirmed through a positive pathogen test (stock image)
The company has stated that no further testing of its products has detected the pathogen.
Despite this, Diamantas said in an interview with CNBC that the FDA is ‘very confident that the iceberg lettuce from central Mexico was the culprit.’
No other possible source of the cyclosporiasis outbreak has been named or confirmed, leaving consumers confused over what is safe to eat and what isn’t, despite reassurances from health leaders.
Diamantas added that the FDA ‘remains confident that all iceberg lettuce related to the cyclospora outbreak has been effectively removed from the market.’
The Department of Health and Human Services followed up in a social media post: ‘Cyclospora: contained, American food: safe.’
As of August 11, the CDC has reported 13,895 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis since May 1, with an additional 10,455 suspected cases.
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, pictured above, said this week that the US has ‘the safest food supply in the world’
Forty-seven states and Washington, DC, are reporting cases and there have been 740 hospitalizations.
Two deaths of residents in Michigan, which has been hardest hit by the pathogen, have been linked to the outbreak.
The FDA and CDC said their investigation is ongoing and the number of cases is expected to rise, as it takes several weeks to link an illness to a recall or outbreak.
In addition to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the FDA is also responding to an outbreak of salmonella tied to jalapenos, and this week, Taylor Farms issued another recall of salsa, dip and guacamole products containing the peppers.
