Former Trump food safety official issues ‘catastrophic’ warning over US parasite outbreak
Federal health officials are scrambling to find the cause of a multi-state-wide cyclospora outbreak that has resulted in nearly 100 people being hospitalized.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, as this type of fresh produce is thought to be one of the main drivers of the spread of the parasite.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had identified Taylor Farms as the source of the outbreak, but later backtracked and said that its investigation had given a false positive meaning a definitive conclusion to the investigation has not yet been achieved.
In the wake of the outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) says as affected at least 1,947 people in nine states and has required 98 people to be hospitalized, President Donald Trump's former top food safety official Frank Yiannas has said more questions need to be asked about how the outbreak happened and how it can be prevented from happening in the future.
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"This one deserves a lot of questions, and it is starting to approach a catastrophic level in terms of how mismanaged it’s been on multiple fronts," Yiannas, who is the former FDA's deputy commissioner for food policy and response, told POLITICO.
He went on to say that there was a 'lack of strong federal leadership' that has left many consumers confused.
Yiannas continued: "My point is not to find fault, but to find facts on how we can further strengthen the system.
"It’s not being critical of any particular agency, but it is being critical of the system. In some respects, I think there’s been some dismantling of the system."
One person was has fallen sick with the parasite after eating Taco Bell is Ella-Salone Jones.
She spoke out in recent days and explained that the illnesses has left her with $100,000 in medical bills after the parasite left her needing to be hospitalized.
Speaking from hospital, she told CBS News: "They won't let me go home because I can't hold anything.
"I have Stage 5 kidney disease, and if my kidneys dry up, I can pass."
Taco Bell issued a statement on the matter on July 16 and assured its customers that it had 'taken immediate action to voluntarily remove potentially impacted lettuce from a supplier in select states'.
The statement went on: "The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.
"While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests."
Topics: Taco Bell, US News, Food and Drink, Health
Niamh Shackleton