Taylor Farms' White House Ties Queried by Top Democrat Amid Outbreak

Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is demanding records from Taylor Farms as he questions whether the lettuce producer sought to influence the federal cyclospora investigation through its White House ties. Garcia, in a letter to Taylor Farms Chief Executive Officer Bruce Taylor, questioned whether the company 'used its political donations' to interfere with the US Food and Drug Administration's investigation. The lawmaker requested communications between the company and the FDA, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Agriculture and the White House related to the outbreak. Federal officials continue to investigate a cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants. The company, one of the largest suppliers of fresh-cut salads and vegetables in North America, recalled products sent to 27 states and suspended all iceberg lettuce purchases from central Mexico. The FDA said a previously reported false positive involving the company's lettuce didn't change the basis for the agency's ongoing investigation or the overwhelming data supporting the voluntary recall. Nearly 2,000 confirmed cases across nine states have been linked to the outbreak, the CDC said.