Target: Kyle Diamantas, Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs
Goal: Preserve integrity of investigation into Taylor Farms and its suspected links to foodborne illnesses.
The still ongoing cyclospora outbreak impacting consumers in over a dozen states was seemingly only the beginning…or, perhaps more appropriately, the middle. After its iceberg lettuce was linked to an epidemic of bacteria-caused, diarrhea-inducing illnesses (that has proven deadly in at least two instances), Taylor Farms issued a recall of products containing the lettuce. The recall spanned multiple major grocery outlets and well-known restaurants. Just a few weeks later, the company issued a separate 27-state recall of products containing jalapenos over a suspected salmonella outbreak that had sickened hundreds of people.
The controversies are nothing new for the fresh food producer. Over a decade ago, Taylor Farms was linked to another cyclospora outbreak believed to be associated with its salad mixes. A couple of years later, a chicken salad (featuring a diced onion and celery blend from Taylor Farms) sold at Costco was implicated in an E. coli outbreak. And just two years prior to the latest recalls, McDonald’s yellow onions supplied by Taylor Farms were recalled after yet another multi-state E. coli illness outbreak occurred.
Questions have emerged about whether the expansive producer is being politically protected due to its financial contributions and lobbying efforts towards the Trump administration. Members of Congress have alleged that one of the company’s politically linked lobbyists made a deal to delay a recall of the lettuce believed to be behind the current outbreak. When the outbreak gained widespread public attention, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even issued a public statement saying that tests on the lettuce had garnered a false positive result, seemingly insinuating Taylor Farms was not responsible for the outbreak. Yet a recall (with often-vague details) was later issued.
Transparency and urgency are key. Sign the petition below to demand the FDA stop playing softball in its investigation and hold this massive producer of popular consumer products to account.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Acting Commissioner Diamantas,
Politics should never supersede public health concerns. But troubling allegations – and suspect patterns to support these allegations – have emerged that suggest the FDA has bestowed favorable regulatory treatment on the company linked to the cyclospora outbreak — and at least four other major bacterial illness outbreaks — in just a few years’ time. The stakes are high, as the cyclospora epidemic has already claimed two lives. Slow walking recalls and acting as an implicit PR arm for the company under investigation is not the way to project transparency and trust.
Demonstrate to the public that they can trust the FDA and its investigation of Taylor Farms. Be more forthcoming with information, and broaden the investigation to include all prior instances of suspected contamination affecting this company’s products and their consumers. And if negligence or wrongdoing is determined, take the necessary steps to safeguard American consumers from a suspected clear and present danger.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Ready Made
