FDA to continue cyclosporiasis investigation as restaurant traffic declines
FILE-The Food and Drug Administration building is shown in Silver Spring, MD. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua via Getty Images)
The Food and Drug Administration explained the basis for connecting Taylor Farms’ lettuce from Central Mexico to the biggest foodborne illness outbreak in the United States in recent years is still unchanged.
FDA officials defended its decision to announce a sample that a later review determined there was a false for the cyclospora parasite.
RELATED: Taylor Farms recall: States where lettuce pulled over Cyclospora fears
Reuters reported that the FDA stated on July 18 that a border-surveillance lettuce sample of Taylor Farms de Mexico product tested positive for cyclospora. However, a day later, on July 19, the agency called it a false positive after a second inspection.
Restaurant customer traffic dips amid cyclosporiasis outbreak
By the numbers:
This outbreak has been linked to Yum Brands’ Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan and four other states. Referencing data from Placer.ai. Reuters reported that consumer foot traffic dipped 18.9% at Taco Bell on July 17 compared with the day-of-week average between January 1 and July 6. And traffic at restaurant chains Chipotle and Cava dropped 6.9% and 4.2%, on the same day.
FDA addresses cyclosporiasis investigation
What they're saying:
The Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that it publicized the positive result before completing a quality-control review because the sample fell outside the range of Taylor Farms' recall, and it was dealing with an outbreak that was making individuals sick.
RELATED: Why the US cyclospora outbreak is difficult to trace
According to Reuters, acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said the outbreak cluster involves over 1,600 cases across multiple states, with some illnesses reported as recently as last week, making it a priority to keep the contaminated product off the market.
Ex-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb also told Reuters that the false-positive result did not undermine the federal agency's conclusions because officials depended mainly on epidemiological evidence rather than laboratory testing.
Separately, Michigan health officials reported 6,148 cases connected to the outbreak on Monday, and this outbreak has resulted in 102 hospitalizations in the state, with no deaths reported.
What is cyclosporiasis?
Dig deeper:
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by the microscopic parasite known as Cyclospora. People can become infected by consuming food or water that contains the parasite. Cyclosporiasis is not usually life-threatening.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.