Taylor Farms' connections to Trump admin spurs probe into Cyclospora response
Summary
Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the federal government’s handling of a Cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce. She raised concerns that the Trump administration’s connections with Taylor Farms may have delayed the response and affected food safety enforcement.Key Facts
- Over 24,000 people got sick and two died from a Cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to lettuce.
- Taylor Farms sold iceberg lettuce from Mexico tied to this outbreak.
- Senator Warren called the government’s response “botched” and questioned whether political influence from Taylor Farms affected the handling.
- Taylor Farms donated $1 million to a super PAC supporting President Trump shortly after a delayed FDA food tracing rule was announced.
- The company hired a former Trump White House official to lobby, who arranged direct calls with the White House during the outbreak.
- Taco Bell removed lettuce from menus before any federal recall was announced.
- The official recall took place on July 17-18 but lacked clear details on amounts and distribution.
- The FDA initially reported a positive Cyclospora test from the lettuce, then retracted it, causing confusion. Warren seeks records of communications between Taylor Farms and federal agencies.
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