Here’s a math problem that no consumer should ever solve.
This summer, there were nearly 2,000 cases of cyclosporiasis nationwide, according to media reports based on state health department data. (source)
However, the CDC reports that as of June 16, 145 cases had been acquired in the United States.source) And the FDA reports that it is investigating just two small outbreaks of a total of 10 illnesses. (source)
Same parasite. Same season. Same country. The three numbers differ from each other in an order of magnitude.
Michigan alone now has more than 700 confirmed cases. This is a state that typically records about 50 cases a year. Ohio reported 177 cases. New York has over 100 cases. However, the number of federal surveillance cases is 145. That’s because, as the CDC carefully explains, this is a snapshot through deadlines and they are not yet treating this as one connected, multi-state outbreak. A common source name is not specified. No recalls have been issued.
Federal and state officials working on these clusters are dedicated people who go after parasites that hide from standard stool tests and usually eat and disappear before anyone can track them down. I appreciate the role everyone plays in understanding and reducing these diseases.
But put yourself in a parent’s shoes. They read that thousands of people are sick, the CDC counts 145, and then the FDA is seeing 10. What should they do with it? The honest answer is that no single entity has the whole picture. That’s the problem.
This is why Frank Yiannas is right.
Prior to Walmart and Disney, Frank spent several years at the FDA as Deputy Director for Food Policy and Response. He has designed a new era of smarter food safety, and when he leaves in 2023, he warns that the FDA’s fragmented structure is undermining its ability to protect the public. He outlined the specific example of an independent National Foodborne Outbreak Investigation Committee. November 2025 STAT First Opinion EssayWritten in Listeria Six people have died in an outbreak linked to pre-packaged pasta meals. The outbreak, for which the initial investigation failed to find a root cause, kept the responsible company operating and continued to make people sick for nearly half a year. His point was simple and damning. Foodborne outbreaks are investigated by the very regulatory agencies that are supposed to prevent them, and with responsibility spread across the FDA, USDA, CDC, and states, no single agency can truly be held accountable.
Frank’s proposed board, modeled after the NTSB, would investigate outbreaks across all food categories without agency silos and political pressure and issue clear lessons learned to avoid repeating the same mistakes. He points out a contrast that should perplex us all. While an independent NTSB investigation found that aviation accidents per mile flown have plummeted, the CDC’s own FoodNet data found that aviation accident rates: salmonella, E. coliand Listeria It has been stagnant or rising for 20 years.
GAO recently found that FDA and USDA’s FSIS have fallen significantly short of their goals to reduce foodborne illness. Food poisoning still costs about $18 billion annually. And this confusion is not new. In 2008, tomatoes were publicly criticized. salmonella Later outbreaks linked to chili peppers occurred. Consumers were scared, farmers were wiped out, and trust was eroded. Sound familiar?
Frank has continued to file the same lawsuit ever since. December 2025 Expert Roundtable Fix the investigation system, Works from March 2026 They argue that the FDA’s habit of redacting supply chain names defeats the entire purpose of the investigation, and the way the NTSB report is gutted line by line will teach the airline industry nothing. His “Straight Talk” series this year on ByHeart, Nara Organics, and now Cyclospora make the same argument that applies to the outbreaks before us.
I have spent more than 30 years representing the families behind these numbers, from the children at Jack in the Box in 1993 to the clients we are consulting with this week. I have said for a long time that my goal was to go out of business. An independent commission with the power to investigate all food categories, the power to demand transparency, and the independence to speak clearly is one of the surest ways to get me there.
Cyclospora discrepancies are not a scandal. It’s a symptom. The solution is timely and transparent reporting, stronger federal-state coordination, and one unified, accountable agency.
Frank is right. It’s time.
