Ossoff sends letter to Kennedy on FoodNet cuts

Sen. Jon Ossoff sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding clarification on the July 2025 decision to reduce FoodNet surveillance from eight pathogens to two.

Washington Examiner reported that the letter linked the cut to a cyclosporiasis outbreak now affecting 34 states. Ossoff stated in the letter that the reduction amounted to a “foolish and self-indulgent demolition” of the program. He noted 1,645 confirmed cyclosporiasis cases reported to the CDC since May, with more than 5,100 additional cases under analysis.

Michigan recorded the largest share of reports. FoodNet previously tracked Cyclospora cayetanensis along with seven other pathogens. The surveillance network covers 16 percent of the U.S. population through the CDC, USDA, FDA, and health departments in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and select counties in California and New York.

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection caused by the Cyclospora cayetanensis parasite and is typically contracted through contaminated food or water. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, weight loss, cramping, nausea, and fatigue. Ossoff wrote that Americans are suffering from severe diarrhea and painful complications.

The letter requested confirmation on whether tracking of Cyclospora cayetanensis has been restored, the rationale for ending it, and an update on efforts to identify the outbreak source. Washington Examiner reported that FoodNet now limits required surveillance to Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.