- Oct 8, 2000
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Apparently there was an E. coli outbreak due to contaminated romaine lettuce.
currently.att.yahoo.com
"The Food and Drug Administration indicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what had happened — or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce."
"
Federal officials are not required by law to reveal detailed information about all known outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, and there are reasons the FDA may choose not to publicize an outbreak, including when the cause is unknown or when officials are still working behind the scenes with the companies responsible.
But the FDA had shifted in recent years toward greater transparency in the wake of large-scale outbreaks and heightened public concern about contaminated food, said Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the agency.
“It is disturbing that FDA hasn’t said anything more public or identified the name of a grower or processor,” said Yiannas, who was at the FDA from 2018 to 2023.
By declining to name the culprit, he said, the FDA was withholding critical information that consumers could use to make decisions about what they buy. It’s also possible that someone could have been sickened during the outbreak and not have realized the cause, and serious bacterial illness can cause long-term damage."
A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it
A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it
A foodborne illness linked to lettuce ripped across 15 states last November, sickening dozens of people and killing one. But the federal government chose not to publicize it.
"The Food and Drug Administration indicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what had happened — or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce."
"
Federal officials are not required by law to reveal detailed information about all known outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, and there are reasons the FDA may choose not to publicize an outbreak, including when the cause is unknown or when officials are still working behind the scenes with the companies responsible.
But the FDA had shifted in recent years toward greater transparency in the wake of large-scale outbreaks and heightened public concern about contaminated food, said Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the agency.
“It is disturbing that FDA hasn’t said anything more public or identified the name of a grower or processor,” said Yiannas, who was at the FDA from 2018 to 2023.
By declining to name the culprit, he said, the FDA was withholding critical information that consumers could use to make decisions about what they buy. It’s also possible that someone could have been sickened during the outbreak and not have realized the cause, and serious bacterial illness can cause long-term damage."
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