A summer of foodborne illness is already testing Trump's pick for top regulator
Summary
President Donald Trump has chosen Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She faces challenges after a summer with many foodborne illness outbreaks, including a large number of cyclospora infections linked to contaminated lettuce.Key Facts
- Dr. Heidi Overton, a White House aide and doctor, was nominated by President Trump to lead the FDA.
- The FDA has experienced leadership losses and low staff morale in recent years.
- This summer, the US saw over 17,000 cases of cyclospora illness, a type of foodborne disease causing severe diarrhea.
- Cyclospora infections were linked to lettuce from Taylor Farms and caused more cases than the previous summer (1,180 cases).
- Other outbreaks involved E. coli and salmonella from products like alfalfa sprouts, eggs, jalapenos, and frozen blueberries.
- Experts say slow response and fewer inspections contributed to the outbreaks, blaming staffing cuts at the FDA.
- The Health and Human Services department says the Trump administration responded robustly and maintained staff levels for outbreak investigations.
- People affected by the outbreaks reported fear and confusion about which foods are safe to eat.
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