Former FDA food safety chief warns nutrition push may overlook cyclospora outbreak risks

Susan Mayne, who led the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition from 2015 to 2023, argues that nutrition and food safety cannot be treated separately. She says the two are linked and both must be supported to improve public health.

Recent weeks have seen a record surge in cyclosporiasis cases, prompting the FDA to open investigations into six cyclospora outbreaks. So far only one cluster has been tied to shredded iceberg lettuce.

The agency has warned consumers to be careful when eating fresh fruits and vegetables, which are especially prone to cyclospora contamination. Health officials recommend thorough washing or cooking to reduce risk.

Social media reaction has ranged from jokes about preferring pizza to outright avoidance of salads, echoing past responses to E. coli outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce. Mayne notes that many people claim they would rather eat processed snacks than raw produce, underscoring the challenge of balancing nutrition messages with safety alerts.