Food safetyLawmakers criticize FDA, CDC for Cyclospora outbreak foot-dragging
Lawmakers want to know why it has taken so long for food-safety authorities to respond to the cyclospora outbreak which, so far, has sickened at least 418 people in sixteen states. They also want to know why the FDA and CDC have been tight-lipped about the specific products carrying the parasite — health authorities in Nebraska and Iowa have pointed to bagged salad containing romaine and iceberg lettuce as well as carrots and cabbage as the source – and who is the manufacturer of the contaminated products.
Lawmakers want to know why it has taken so long for food-safety authorities to respond to the cyclospora outbreak which, so far, has sickened at least 418 people in sixteen states.
Food Safety Newsreports that Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) “demanded” answers from federal health officials about why no information about the outbreak had been released to the public. DeLauro wrote U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), saying that a full month into the investigation “there is minimal information available to the public on the possible cause(s) of this outbreak from federal agencies.”
DeLauro requested specific details and a timeline of how the investigation into the outbreak has been conducted. DeLauro also wants a timeline of data and dates “indicating possible associations between the outbreak and particular food products” as well as details on when such information was shared with states, industry, and the public.
“Understandably, investigations of disease outbreaks, including foodborne disease, must be thorough and thoughtful,” wrote DeLauro. “At the same time, the public was left in the dark as an outbreak leaped from 2 cases to nearly 400 and questions around data and information sharing abound.”
The main issue is the source of the outbreak. State officials in Iowa and Nebraska, both of which have more than eighty cases of people affected, identified bagged salad containing romaine and iceberg lettuce as well as carrots and cabbage as the source, but the officials have not said what ingredient carries the parasite or who manufacturer is.
DeLauro wants to know why the two states have refused to release this information. In addition, DeLauro asked whether FDA or CDC believe it is proper procedure to identify the source of an outbreak and withhold that information and, if so, what is the rationale and legal justification for withholding such information.
CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds responded Wednesday.
“I recognize it’s frustrating when we’re not able to give all the information people want at this point in the outbreak investigation,” Reynolds told reporters. “However, what we have learned from Iowa and Nebraska gives us a strong lead on a possible source for the outbreak.”
Doug Karas, an FDA spokesman, said the agency’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) network is “following the strongest leads provided by the states and has prioritized the ingredients of the salad mix identified by Iowa for the traceback investigation, but is following other leads as well.”
