Recall/Crisis Management

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Automated, risk-tiered supplier monitoring does not prevent an outbreak (like this summer's cyclosporiasis event) or replace the traceback work done by FDA and CDC, but it can change how fast and how precisely a distributor can act while that investigation unfolds. 

The recent Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce is a reminder of just how difficult modern foodborne outbreak investigations have become. In reality, food safety investigations rarely depend on a single "smoking gun." The future of ensuring food safety lies not in simply improving any one test or technology, but in integrating them into a comprehensive decision-support system.

The fast-casual Mexican-style restaurant chain has pulled the jalapeños from its restaurants and replaced them with product from different growers, out of "an abundance of caution."

Michigan and Ohio recently updated their case counts in a massive Cyclospora cayetanensis outbreak, bringing state-reported totals for all 50 states to at least 21,775 cases. Michigan also reported two deaths tied to the outbreak.

Science and decision-making rarely operate on the same timeline. While scientists continue evaluating new evidence, people across the food system are making decisions based on the best information available at that moment. This creates a natural tension, as the ongoing Cyclospora outbreak investigation has demonstrated

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) attributed the increase to growing food systems complexity driven by global supply chains, cross-border distribution, and online marketplaces.

Democratic Ranking Member Rep. Robert Garcia cited media reports about alleged private meetings between Taylor Farms and White House and FDA officials, the company’s donations to Trump PACs ahead of the Food Traceability Rule delay, and its “contradictory and confusing” public statements about the cyclosporiasis outbreak.

Following the global infant formula recall linked to cereulide contamination, Elena Medo discusses vulnerabilities in infant formula supply chains, infant-specific food safety risks, surveillance gaps, donor milk safety, and the lessons regulators and manufacturers can take away from this unprecedented event.

Patients have fallen ill in 17 states, with 26 hospitalizations. Laboratory, epidemiological, and traceback investigations point to eggs produced by Texas-based Midwest Poultry Services as the likely vehicle of illness.

At least 1,947 people infected with Cyclospora who had exposure to Taco Bell have been reported in nine states. Michigan and Ohio are together reporting more than 10,000 cyclosporiasis cases. FDA is investigating three other outbreak clusters.