A top food safety regulator who served under both Donald Trump and Joe Biden has leveled sharp criticism at the current administration's handling of a cyclospora outbreak that has sickened thousands across the country, calling for an independent government review of the federal response.
Frank Yiannas, who held the position of deputy commissioner for food policy at the FDA from 2018 to 2023, told Politico that the response to the parasitic illness has been mismanaged on multiple fronts and now approaches catastrophic proportions. The outbreak of cyclosporiasis, caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis, has affected more than 4,000 confirmed cases with potentially thousands more unreported.
"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 said.
The disease, which causes severe intestinal illness including explosive diarrhea, has created widespread public confusion amplified by fragmented messaging from federal agencies. Yiannas pointed to a lack of coordinated leadership at the federal level as a primary driver of the chaos.
The muddle became especially apparent when the FDA identified lettuce from Taylor Farms, a major supplier to Taco Bell, as a likely source. The agency later walked back that determination, though it maintains strong evidence still links the company to the outbreak. Taylor Farms claimed the FDA apologized for the misstep, a characterization the agency has contested. The company has since recalled its lettuce products.
The investigation remains active and unresolved. Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now serving as health secretary, declared the outbreak "under control" even as the FDA expanded its investigation into 7,400 potential cases across nine states, signaling continued uncertainty about the scope and containment of the problem.
Yiannas criticized the agency's approach directly: "They just went too fast and they made a mistake. They should share more about how and why it happened and what they'll do to prevent it in the future."
He called for either congressional oversight or an independent inspector to conduct a formal review of how federal agencies managed the response. The FDA has not yet commented on the call for an external investigation.
Author James Rodriguez: "When a former FDA insider from the Trump years says an outbreak response is catastrophic, that's a red flag even his own appointees aren't ignoring."
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