Cutting staff responsible for monitoring outbreaks like this one appears to have been a mistake.
It depends what you are optimizing for.
I always forget about the explosive diarrhea lobby.
Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
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Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#12I don't understand the mechanics of how an outbreak like this even happens. It spreads by contact with contaminated feces. So if a few cases happen at a restaurant that's nasty and easy to understand. But how do you get tens of thousands of cases on a national level? Were they cleaning the produce before shipping it off with poop contaminated water or what?
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#13Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#14I don't understand the mechanics of how an outbreak like this even happens. It spreads by contact with contaminated feces. So if a few cases happen at a restaurant that's nasty and easy to understand. But how do you get tens of thousands of cases on a national level? Were they cleaning the produce before shipping it off with poop contaminated water or what?
It has long been asserted that processed produce is the riskiest way to purchase it. In this particular case, Taco Bell was receiving lettuce that was pre-shredded at a facility. When a consumer or food service kitchen receives pre-processed produce, it's not recommended to wash it again, for reasons.
So, the lettuce was last washed before being shredded. Then it was shredded in machines or by hand or something. It may have been misted, I guess, like you see in some grocery stores, but the point is that there was ample opportunity for contamination by equipment, vessels, or utensils, in the processing facility, during or after washing the whole lettuce.
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#15May the owners and management of Taylor Farms have frequent, watery, and explosive diarrhea.
same with Taco Bell executives - but customers should only be getting the regular, normal amount of explosive diarrhea from their food.
I don't think Taco Bell are the villains of this story. They got right on tracing the problem down and were open about it, from what I understand. Taylor Farms... not so much.
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#16Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#17I don't understand the mechanics of how an outbreak like this even happens. It spreads by contact with contaminated feces. So if a few cases happen at a restaurant that's nasty and easy to understand. But how do you get tens of thousands of cases on a national level? Were they cleaning the produce before shipping it off with poop contaminated water or what?
Watering fields with grey water and whoopsie
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#18This is nearly a month now and the problem continuing to worsen does not inspire confidence that the current administration's FDA is doing its job properly or has the problem under control.
In early July, Taco Bell pulled lettuce at all locations and discontinued using Taylor Farms as a supplier. The FDA claims to have tested lettuce from Taylor Farms and initially identified them as the source of the cyclospora outbreak - however, rapidly backtracked on July 19 by claiming that the test performed was a false positive.
The FDA's own timeline is here: https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investi...
What thickens the plot is Taylor Farms' actions with the current administration. Taylor Farms is a prominent donor to parties supporting food safety deregulation in the US. Immediately prior to the FDA claiming that the cyclospora test was a false positive, Taylor Farms held a meeting with White House officials to discuss what they claimed were "shortfalls" in the FDA's response: https://www.wired.com/story/diarrhea-outbreak-taylor-farms-m...
Taylor Farms' own safety record is rather checkered. This would make them the subject of nine recalls in fifteen years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Farms#Food_safety_and_r...
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#19Cutting staff responsible for monitoring outbreaks like this one appears to have been a mistake.
It depends what you are optimizing for.
I know that’s a joke. But there are a lot of voters (and politicians) who think things like federal food standards and inspections are an unwarranted intrusion and waste of tax money.
Re: Taylor Farms Cyclospora outbreak triples in size
#20Cutting staff responsible for monitoring outbreaks like this one appears to have been a mistake.
An excellent illustration of Chesterton's Fence