After a Summer of Outbreaks, Food Safety Becomes a Campaign Issue

A summer of foodborne illness outbreaks has pushed food safety into the midterm campaign, with Democrats blaming cuts at federal health agencies and the Trump administration insisting that its oversight has been effective.

The largest of the outbreaks involved cyclospora, a parasite that causes intense, watery diarrhea that can last for weeks. Most cases were traced to iceberg lettuce from a Taylor Farms facility in Mexico. By mid-August the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed more than 15,000 cases across most of the country, with thousands more under investigation, and by the end of the summer the count of lab-confirmed cases had approached 20,000, according to CDC figures reported by NBC News and by KFF Health News in an article published by CBS News. That makes it the largest cyclospora outbreak on record.

At the same time, salmonella linked to fresh jalapeno peppers grown in Mexico sickened hundreds of people in dozens of states. Chipotle and other chains pulled jalapenos from their menus, and Taco Bell and other restaurants removed lettuce and other suspect ingredients as a precaution. Large recalls of salsas, dips and imported raw beef followed.

Public confidence has slipped. A University of Illinois and Purdue survey found that the share of consumers who strongly agree that the food system produces safe food fell to about 30 percent in August, from about 40 percent last November, KFF Health News reported, and nearly half of respondents said they had changed what they buy at the grocery store.

Democrats have seized on the issue. The Democratic National Committee has called for the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren has blamed cuts to food safety agencies and pressed Kennedy about the response. Consumer advocates have also criticized the administration for withdrawing a proposed limit on salmonella in raw poultry and delaying a rule meant to make contaminated foods easier to trace.

The administration rejects the charge. HHS has said no Food and Drug Administration investigators lost their jobs in staffing reductions, that the CDC laboratory that tracks outbreaks was not affected, and that the department responded quickly to each outbreak. The FDA has also argued that recalls in the 2026 fiscal year are among the lowest in more than a decade. A former FDA food safety director disputed that comparison, saying the totals include drugs and medical devices and do not isolate food.

Some epidemiologists caution against reading too much into a single season. The number of outbreaks this year has been roughly in line with past years; what set 2026 apart was the scale of the cyclospora event. Researchers also note that bacterial outbreaks have trended toward fewer illnesses per outbreak, which may reflect faster detection.

New cyclospora cases had begun to slow by late summer, according to the CDC data NBC News reported, and the infection can be treated with antibiotics. The political argument over who is responsible is likely to continue through November, with grocery prices and food safety now part of the same conversation for many voters.