Former Trump food official calls for independent review of federal government response to Cyclospora outbreak
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Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, who served under both President Trump and former President Biden, criticized the federal government’s handling of a Cyclospora outbreak that has impacted thousands of Americans.
In an interview with Politico, Yiannas called for an independent review of the government’s response to this outbreak and cited a “lack of strong federal leadership” on this issue.
“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,” he told the outlet.
As of Monday, over 4,000 people have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the beginning of May. Of these cases, 308 have resulted in hospitalization and there have been zero deaths.
The CDC noted that it is aware of an additional 7,400 cases reported by state and local health departments that have not yet been confirmed through lab testing.
Consumption of food or liquid contaminated with Cyclospora can result in a gastrointestinal illness called cyclosporiasis. The infection’s symptoms can last up to two weeks and include diarrhea, appetite loss, nausea and bloating.
Cases have been reported in 41 states, with the highest reported concentration in Michigan, according to the CDC.
The public health organization is investigating multiple Cyclospora outbreaks, including a multi-state outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce.
Last week, produce giant and Taco Bell supplier Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce grown on a farm in central Mexico after the FDA opened an investigation into possible ties between this food product and the outbreak.
The FDA later backtracked on this initial claim and said that it had based its investigation on an initial false positive test that was not supported by later test results.
Taylor Farms said in a Sunday statement that the FDA “apologized” to the company over this error.
Yiannis called this misstep “extremely rare” in his interview with Politico and called on the FDA to release more information about this initial test result.
“They just went too fast and they made a mistake,” he told the outlet. “They should share more about how and why it happened and what they’ll do to prevent it in the future.”
The FDA announced on Thursday that it was looking into a new outbreak with 72 cases, but the agency did not identify a location or possible source.
The Hill has reached out to the FDA for comment on Yiannas’ call for an independent review of the federal government’s response to this outbreak.
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Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, who served under both President Trump and former President Biden, criticized the federal government’s…
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Skip to content
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, who served under both President Trump and former President Biden, criticized the federal government’s handling of a Cyclospora outbreak that has impacted thousands of Americans.
In an interview with Politico, Yiannas called for an independent review of the government’s response to this outbreak and cited a “lack of strong federal leadership” on this issue.
“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,” he told the outlet.
As of Monday, over 4,000 people have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the beginning of May. Of these cases, 308 have resulted in hospitalization and there have been zero deaths.
The CDC noted that it is aware of an additional 7,400 cases reported by state and local health departments that have not yet been confirmed through lab testing.
Consumption of food or liquid contaminated with Cyclospora can result in a gastrointestinal illness called cyclosporiasis. The infection’s symptoms can last up to two weeks and include diarrhea, appetite loss, nausea and bloating.
Cases have been reported in 41 states, with the highest reported concentration in Michigan, according to the CDC.
The public health organization is investigating multiple Cyclospora outbreaks, including a multi-state outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce.
Last week, produce giant and Taco Bell supplier Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce grown on a farm in central Mexico after the FDA opened an investigation into possible ties between this food product and the outbreak.
The FDA later backtracked on this initial claim and said that it had based its investigation on an initial false positive test that was not supported by later test results.
Taylor Farms said in a Sunday statement that the FDA “apologized” to the company over this error.
Yiannis called this misstep “extremely rare” in his interview with Politico and called on the FDA to release more information about this initial test result.
“They just went too fast and they made a mistake,” he told the outlet. “They should share more about how and why it happened and what they’ll do to prevent it in the future.”
The FDA announced on Thursday that it was looking into a new outbreak with 72 cases, but the agency did not identify a location or possible source.
The Hill has reached out to the FDA for comment on Yiannas’ call for an independent review of the federal government’s response to this outbreak.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
Skip to content
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, who served under both President Trump and former President Biden, criticized the federal government’s handling of a Cyclospora outbreak that has impacted thousands of Americans.
In an interview with Politico, Yiannas called for an independent review of the government’s response to this outbreak and cited a “lack of strong federal leadership” on this issue.
“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,” he told the outlet.
As of Monday, over 4,000 people have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the beginning of May. Of these cases, 308 have resulted in hospitalization and there have been zero deaths.
The CDC noted that it is aware of an additional 7,400 cases reported by state and local health departments that have not yet been confirmed through lab testing.
Consumption of food or liquid contaminated with Cyclospora can result in a gastrointestinal illness called cyclosporiasis. The infection’s symptoms can last up to two weeks and include diarrhea, appetite loss, nausea and bloating.
Cases have been reported in 41 states, with the highest reported concentration in Michigan, according to the CDC.
The public health organization is investigating multiple Cyclospora outbreaks, including a multi-state outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce.
Last week, produce giant and Taco Bell supplier Taylor Farms recalled iceberg lettuce grown on a farm in central Mexico after the FDA opened an investigation into possible ties between this food product and the outbreak.
The FDA later backtracked on this initial claim and said that it had based its investigation on an initial false positive test that was not supported by later test results.
Taylor Farms said in a Sunday statement that the FDA “apologized” to the company over this error.
Yiannis called this misstep “extremely rare” in his interview with Politico and called on the FDA to release more information about this initial test result.
“They just went too fast and they made a mistake,” he told the outlet. “They should share more about how and why it happened and what they’ll do to prevent it in the future.”
The FDA announced on Thursday that it was looking into a new outbreak with 72 cases, but the agency did not identify a location or possible source.
The Hill has reached out to the FDA for comment on Yiannas’ call for an independent review of the federal government’s response to this outbreak.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Read the full story at The Hill ↗
This lens runs the verified story through Cinnamon's AI — wired in the next step.
- Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, who served under both President Trump and former President Biden, criticized the federal government’s…