ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Sen. Jon Ossoff is demanding answers from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about reduced federal monitoring of foodborne illnesses as a major cyclosporiasis outbreak spreads across the country.
Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, criticized the CDC’s decision to reduce mandatory reporting through the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet. The program previously tracked eight pathogens but narrowed its required surveillance to Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in July 2025.
The CDC reported 1,645 laboratory-confirmed domestically acquired cyclosporiasis cases since May 1, with more than 5,100 additional cases under review across 34 states. Michigan has reported the largest concentration. The intestinal infection is caused by the Cyclospora parasite and commonly produces prolonged watery diarrhea, nausea, cramping and fatigue.
Ossoff called the surveillance reduction “foolish and self-indulgent” and asked Kennedy whether Cyclospora tracking would be restored. However, health officials have not established that the FoodNet changes caused or worsened the outbreak. Other federal and state surveillance systems continue collecting Cyclospora reports.
The CDC said FoodNet narrowed its requirements because other systems now monitor the excluded pathogens, allowing staff to prioritize core work. Federal investigators have linked one outbreak cluster to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in five states, although other reported illnesses may have separate sources.
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