HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated Tuesday that the Department of Health and Human Services has the ongoing outbreak of the parasite Cyclospora under control. He affirmed that the department has completed extensive forensic and epidemiological investigations, successfully identifying the source of the outbreak.
"We, and the companies that are involved, have implemented a recall," Kennedy said.
Last week, Taylor Farms' Mexican subsidiary issued a recall for several lettuce products after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially linked the facility to the parasite. However, the company later announced that a lab test on the product had yielded a false positive, with Taylor Farms indicating the FDA had apologized and framed the situation as a vindication for the company.
Despite the initial false positive, officials confirmed Monday that other tracking methods have corroborated that the company's lettuce was indeed the source of the outbreak. The FDA continues to advise consumers against eating recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms.
Responding to questions about criticism that cuts to HHS funding had hampered the tracing of contaminated food, Kennedy dismissed the assertions as "invalid." He explained that while some programs like FoodNet experienced reductions, these were for redundant surveillance efforts. Kennedy assured that the department is still conducting forensic investigations and maintaining surveillance across all states.