RFK Jr. Says Cyclospora Outbreak Under Control as Mexico Disputes Link

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared Tuesday that the cyclosporiasis outbreak was “under control,” even as Mexican health authorities said their investigation has not found evidence linking the surge of cases to the Taylor Farms facility in central Mexico that US officials have identified as the likely source.

RFK Jr. and FDA Disagree on Certainty

Kennedy told reporters Tuesday that federal agencies had conducted “extensive forensics, epidemiological forensics” and identified the source of the outbreak. FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas was less definitive, telling Fox News the data “strongly supports” Taylor Farms as the responsible party — but stopping short of a definitive confirmation.

The cyclospora outbreak Taylor Farms Mexico RFK Jr dispute deepened when Mexican Health Secretary David Kershenobich said at a news conference Tuesday that his country’s own investigation had not found evidence the outbreak originated at the Taylor Farms facility. No samples from the facility have tested positive for cyclospora, and a positive result announced over the weekend turned out to be a false positive after FDA laboratory quality checks identified the result as an error.

Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled all iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico on Friday and has stopped sourcing from the region for the rest of the growing season. The product was supplied to Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, as well as Walmart locations nationwide under the Marketside brand.

Cases Continue to Climb

Michigan has now recorded 6,571 confirmed cases as of Tuesday, making it by far the hardest-hit state in the outbreak. Michigan’s health department said on its website that other food items cannot be ruled out as potential sources, and that no specific type of produce, grower, or supplier has been formally confirmed as the cause.

Food safety professor Keith Schneider of the University of Florida said the FDA is likely testing far more than just lettuce at this stage — including irrigation water, soil samples, and workers associated with specific fields that supplied produce to affected locations at the relevant time.

FoodNet Surveillance Cuts Draw Criticism

Kennedy also responded Tuesday to concerns that federal agencies were insufficiently monitoring cyclospora cases after scaling back the FoodNet surveillance program. A year ago, the CDC informed 10 states they no longer needed to actively track cyclospora through FoodNet, which helps states understand how common foodborne illnesses are between outbreak periods.

“Those criticisms are invalid. We’ve had no cuts in our surveillance program,” Kennedy said, arguing the FoodNet reductions eliminated redundant monitoring. “All the states will tell you that we’re still doing forensics. We’re still doing surveillance in all the states.”

Food safety experts pushed back. “What we’ve been doing is pulling pieces out of the puzzle, and it’s going to make it really hard for us to figure out what the cause of this outbreak is,” said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University. “It’s going to make it hard for us to see the context and how this fits in with trends over time.”

Several state health departments told NBC News they continue to report cyclosporiasis cases through local labs and health departments, but experts warn that without active surveillance, many cases are likely going undetected.