I don't understand the mechanics of how an outbreak like this even happens. It spreads by contact with contaminated feces. So if a few cases happen at a restaurant that's nasty and easy to understand. But how do you get tens of thousands of cases on a national level? Were they cleaning the produce before shipping it off with poop contaminated water or what?
This is nearly a month now and the problem continuing to worsen does not inspire confidence that the current administration's FDA is doing its job properly or has the problem under control.
In early July, Taco Bell pulled lettuce at all locations and discontinued using Taylor Farms as a supplier. The FDA claims to have tested lettuce from Taylor Farms and initially identified them as the source of the cyclospora outbreak - however, rapidly backtracked on July 19 by claiming that the test performed was a false positive.
What thickens the plot is Taylor Farms' actions with the current administration. Taylor Farms is a prominent donor to parties supporting food safety deregulation in the US. Immediately prior to the FDA claiming that the cyclospora test was a false positive, Taylor Farms held a meeting with White House officials to discuss what they claimed were "shortfalls" in the FDA's response: https://www.wired.com/story/diarrhea-outbreak-taylor-farms-m...
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[ 0.20 ms ] story [ 11.5 ms ] threadDo yourself a favor and get a CSA, a local meat supplier, and knowledge about eating with the seasons.
The whole food supply chain is lined with fecal parasites from field to Sysco sales reps.
In early July, Taco Bell pulled lettuce at all locations and discontinued using Taylor Farms as a supplier. The FDA claims to have tested lettuce from Taylor Farms and initially identified them as the source of the cyclospora outbreak - however, rapidly backtracked on July 19 by claiming that the test performed was a false positive.
The FDA's own timeline is here: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investi...
What thickens the plot is Taylor Farms' actions with the current administration. Taylor Farms is a prominent donor to parties supporting food safety deregulation in the US. Immediately prior to the FDA claiming that the cyclospora test was a false positive, Taylor Farms held a meeting with White House officials to discuss what they claimed were "shortfalls" in the FDA's response: https://www.wired.com/story/diarrhea-outbreak-taylor-farms-m...
Taylor Farms' own safety record is rather checkered. This would make them the subject of nine recalls in fifteen years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Farms#Food_safety_and_r...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/fact-check-tayl...