2026-09-28T05:00:18-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
中期选举的筹备过程正演变成一场“食物大战”——名副其实的那种。
今夏接连发生大规模食源性疾病暴发，导致数十人患病，还有数万磅进口肉类被召回，这让美国食品供应安全成为全国热议话题和政治议题。
深夜脱口秀主持人拿包括暴发性腹泻在内的症状开玩笑。作为预防措施，奇波雷墨西哥烧烤、塔可钟等连锁餐厅将生菜、辣椒和其他疑似受污染产品从菜单下架。一些食品安全科学家将此次暴发归咎于联邦政府削减公共卫生预算。
这些事件共同引发了人们对点一份沙拉或汉堡是否安全的质疑。
民主党方面发起攻势，称担心美国食品供应安全的选民应在中期选举中罢免共和党人。特朗普政府则反驳称，民主党在食品安全问题上制造恐慌，只为捞取政治资本。
这场政治争斗反映出大规模暴发对民众心理造成的影响。中期选举选民历来更关注杂货价格等民生问题，但一连串召回事件让他们担忧所购食品是否安全——政治领导人也开始重视这一问题。
根据美国疾病控制与预防中心的数据，今年5月至8月期间，与生菜相关的环孢子虫暴发导致近2万例经实验室确认的病例，而2025年同期仅为1180例。这是有记录以来规模最大的该寄生虫感染暴发事件。
“今年食品安全登上新闻头条、民众理所当然感到担忧的原因之一，是知名餐厅接连出事，再加上感染人数极其庞大，”美国公共利益研究集团（PIRG）消费者监督主管特雷莎·默里在谈及近期的环孢子虫病暴发时说道。“感染人数以千计，这让问题显得更真实了。”
PIRG的数据显示，2026年迄今已有约200起食品召回事件，与去年同期数量基本持平。
数据背后的真相
昆尼皮亚克大学7月的一项民调显示，大多数登记选民对政府的食品安全监管几乎没有或完全没有信心，其中民主党人比共和党人更有可能质疑现有保障措施。数据标准组织GS1美国的一项民调显示，94%的美国成年人表示担忧食品召回的频发程度。
伊利诺伊大学和普渡大学9月发布的调查数据显示，强烈认同美国食品体系能生产出安全可食用食品的消费者比例，从2025年11月的40%降至今年8月的约30%。
民主党抓住机会，反复批评特朗普政府的预算削减政策和优先事项。
民主党全国委员会近日在社交媒体上发布了一份被召回食品清单，同时称卫生与公众服务部部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪是“十足的灾难”，必须辞职。
“特朗普正在拆解我们的政府——这正在伤害民众，”马萨诸塞州联邦参议员伊丽莎白·沃勒9月2日在社交平台X上发文称，并补充道：“削减食品安全机构预算→环孢子虫暴发。”就在几周前，她还致信肯尼迪，要求就其所谓的政府“应对失败”及其与政治捐款的关联作出解释。
罗德岛州联邦众议员加布·阿莫9月5日在X上发文称：“我呼吁特朗普停止削弱食品药品监督管理局，恢复其检查员编制。我们理应获得安全的食品。”
加州联邦众议员朱迪·赵的竞选团队9月5日在X上发文称：“特朗普正在削减我们的食品安全资金和工作人员队伍，今年夏天我们已经看到太多食品召回事件。”
但召回数量并不能说明全部问题。
虽然今年的召回数量与2025年相比并未明显上升，但从更长时间跨度来看，召回数量是增长的。PIRG的数据显示，美国食品药品监督管理局和美国农业部在2025年共发布320起食品召回事件，高于2024年的296起。
监管指导软件提供商Trace One的分析显示，从2021年到2025年，召回总数增长了21%。其中一类召回（最高优先级召回，因为相关产品可能导致严重疾病或死亡）数量的增加是推动整体增长的主要因素。
但召回数量具有误导性。首先，联邦机构不会公开所有召回信息，尤其是当相关产品已不在市场上销售时。召回数据本身也存在问题：如果受污染食品被纳入加工食品或其他产品中，单一受污染食品可能引发多起召回事件。
流行病学家表示，更好的衡量标准是感染人数。今夏这场多州暴发的环孢子虫疫情实属罕见，波及21个州。
在更常见的食品细菌性污染（包括大肠杆菌、李斯特菌和沙门氏菌）方面，整体趋势显示暴发导致的患病人数有所减少。一些食品安全负责人表示，这是一个积极信号，尽管美国疾控中心称美国每年约有4800万人患上食源性疾病。
“这表明我们正在发现更多暴发事件，在规模较小时就能发现，并限制其扩大的范围，”明尼苏达大学公共卫生教授、食品安全监测领域的领军人物克雷格·赫德伯格说道。
尽管如此，民众认为食品供应风险更高的看法，已经足以引发政治纷争。
美国食品药品监督管理局近日在X上称，2026财年的召回数量是十多年来最低水平之一，并表示“不要相信假新闻”。该机构附上的一张图表显示，召回数量已从2013财年的近4000起降至2026财年的1836起。
同一天，卫生与公众服务部高级顾问卡利·米恩斯进一步强化了这一说法，在X上发文称肯尼迪表现出色，以至于民主党 operatives 抨击食品药品监督管理局开展食品召回是在履行职责。
“这些怯懦、虚伪的攻击正是这些影响者所能做的一切，这说得通，”他写道。
但一些食品安全专家对这些数据提出质疑，指出该机构的召回总数涵盖了各类产品。2015年至2023年担任FDA食品安全与应用营养中心主任的苏珊·梅恩对发布的数据进行分析后发现，该统计还包括药品和医疗器械。一些食品安全负责人表示，如果这一说法所依据的数据包含与食品无关的召回事件，那么声称食品安全召回数量有所下降是具有误导性的。
“卫生与公众服务部的这一说法似乎基于错误的数据，”梅恩在职场社交平台领英上说道。
问题不止于召回
食品安全偶尔会成为政治焦点。例如，1993年，一起追溯至Jack in the Box快餐店的大肠杆菌暴发事件，迫使刚就职的比尔·克林顿总统将其纳入首次内阁会议的议程。他的政府最终采用了一种新的预防食源性疾病的方法，并因此大幅减少了大肠杆菌感染病例。
公共卫生负责人表示，如今民众对食品安全的担忧尤为强烈，因为本届政府一边将自己塑造成食品安全卫士，一边削减负责监测和检查工作的联邦机构的人员编制和预算。
“政府一边承诺保障我们的食品安全，一边削弱那些用于检测和预防暴发事件的机构和项目，这是一种虚伪，”公共利益科学中心监管事务主任萨拉·索舍尔说道。
卫生与公众服务部发言人格蕾丝·戴维斯·贾米森在一封电子邮件中表示，FDA仍拥有开展暴发调查所需的人员编制，且没有FDA调查人员受到人员编制调整或裁员的影响。
她表示，支持食源性疾病暴发调查的疾控中心实验室也未受到裁员的影响，该机构保留了一支专门团队负责调查食源性暴发事件，并与州和地方卫生部门密切合作。
“特朗普政府对每一起暴发事件都做出了强有力的应对，与全美50个州的卫生部门密切合作，通过迅速确定已知来源并向美国人提供保护自身所需的信息，引领公共卫生应对工作，”她说道。
本届政府的举措可能会削弱食品安全保障。特朗普先生8月下旬表示，他将采取行动，放宽小型畜牧场自行屠宰和加工肉类的规定，这引发了食品安全负责人的担忧，他们认为这一变化可能导致未经过充分检验的牛肉进入食品体系。
尽管存在检验和安全方面的担忧，特朗普先生还宣布美国将从阿根廷和巴西进口更多牛肉。欧盟已因巴西牛肉在食品安全和抗生素使用方面不符合规定，对其实施了进口禁令。
本届政府撤销了拜登政府时期提出的一项规定，该规定本应禁止销售沙门氏菌含量过高的生火鸡肉和鸡肉。同时，政府表示将推迟一项要求杂货店和企业溯源供应链中食品的规定的生效时间，以便在发生污染时能够迅速下架产品。原本定于今年1月20日实施的该规定，现在将推迟至2028年7月。
戴维斯·贾米森表示，这些举措是在听取了利益相关方关于合规所需时间的担忧后作出的。
一些食品安全负责人表示，本届政府应该采取更多措施预防食源性疾病，称如果不投入更多资源预防问题，将使肯尼迪的竞选活动鼓励民众多吃新鲜食品的目标更难实现。
事实上，伊利诺伊大学和普渡大学的调查显示，过去一个月里，近一半的消费者改变了购买食品的习惯，40%的消费者调整了在餐厅的点餐选择。与前两年的反馈相比，8月份人们对通过新鲜蔬菜接触食源性疾病的担忧有所增加。
“如果你想让人们吃真正的食物，即新鲜水果和蔬菜，那么这些食物必须是安全的，”非营利公共卫生组织“停止食源性疾病”首席执行官桑德拉·埃斯金说道。“相反，我们看到农民正在翻耕田地，因为人们不再购买生菜。”
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Food safety becomes an election issue as major outbreaks and recalls cause concern
2026-09-28T05:00:18-0400 / CBS News
The run-up to the midterm elections is turning into a food fight — literally.
The summer was marred by a massive foodborne outbreak that sickened scores of people and and the recall of tens of thousands of pounds of imported meat, turning the safety of the U.S. food supply into a topic of national conversation and a political cause.
Late-night talk show hosts joked about symptoms that included explosive diarrhea. As a precaution, chain restaurants such as Chipotle and Taco Bell yanked lettuce, jalapeños, and other suspected products from menus. Some food safety scientists blamed the outbreaks on federal cuts to public health.
These dynamics collectively have raised questions about whether it’s safe to order a salad or burger.
Democrats have come out on the offensive, saying voters worried about the safety of the U.S. food supply should oust Republicans in the midterm elections. The Trump administration has countered by accusing Democrats of scaremongering over food safety to score political points.
The political fracas reflects the toll that large-scale outbreaks have had on the public psyche. Midterm voters have long cared about pocketbook issues such as grocery prices, but the spate of recalls has them worried about whether the food they’re buying is safe to eat — and political leaders are paying attention.
The outbreak linked to cyclospora in lettuce led to almost 20,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of illness from May through August, compared with 1,180 cases during the same span in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That makes it the largest recorded outbreak of the parasite.
“One of the reasons food safety is in the news this year, and people have been rightfully concerned, is the combination of high-profile restaurant names and the absolute colossal number of illnesses,” said Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, or PIRG, an advocacy group, referring to a recent cyclosporiasis outbreak. “It’s thousands of people. It makes it more real.”
Data shows there have been about 200 food recalls so far in 2026, which is about on par with the number at this time last year, according to PIRG data.
Following the numbers
A majority of registered voters have little or no confidence in government oversight of food safety, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to doubt the protections in place, according to a July survey by Quinnipiac University. Ninety-four percent of U.S. adults indicated they were concerned about the frequency of food recalls in a poll by GS1 US, a data standards organization.
The share of consumers who strongly agree that the U.S. food system produces food that’s safe to eat declined to about 30% in August, from 40% in November 2025, based on survey data released in September by the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Democrats have jumped at the chance to repeat criticisms of President Trump’s budget cuts and priorities.
The Democratic National Committee recently posted a list of recalled food items on social media while calling Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “complete disaster” who must resign.
“Trump is dismantling our government — and it’s harming people,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) posted Sept. 2 on the social platform X, adding: “Slashed food safety agencies → cyclospora outbreak.” Just weeks earlier, she had written to Kennedy demanding answers for what she described as the administration’s “failed response” and its connection to political contributions.
Rep. Gabe Amo (D-R.I.) posted Sept. 5 on X: “I’m calling on Trump to stop gutting the FDA & restore its inspectors. We deserve safe food.”
The campaign for Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) posted Sept. 5 on X: “Trump is cutting our food safety funding and workforce, and we have seen far too many food recalls this summer.”
But the number of recalls doesn’t tell the whole story.
While recalls aren’t markedly up this year compared with 2025, they are up over a broader time span. The country saw 320 food recalls by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2025, up from 296 in 2024, according to PIRG.
The total number of recalls grew 21% from 2021 to 2025, based on an analysis by Trace One, a provider of regulatory guidance software. A rise in Class I recalls, which are the highest priority because the products could cause serious illness or death, drove much of the increase.
But recall numbers can be misleading. For starters, federal agencies do not publicize all recalls, especially if products are no longer on the market. Recall data itself is suspect because a single contaminated food can result in multiple recalls if the item is incorporated into processed food or other products.
A far better measure is the number of people sickened, epidemiologists say. And this summer’s specific multistate outbreak from cyclospora was exceptional, affecting people in 21 states.
When it comes to bacterial contamination of food — which is more common and includes E. coli, listeria, and salmonella — the overall trend points to outbreaks in which fewer people are falling ill. That’s a promising sign, some food safety leaders say, although the CDC says an estimated 48 million people each year in the U.S. experience foodborne illness.
“That’s an indication we’re finding more outbreaks and finding more when they are smaller and limiting the extent to which they can get bigger,” said Craig Hedberg, a public health professor at the University of Minnesota and leader in food safety surveillance.
Still, the perception that the food supply is riskier has been enough to ignite political rancor.
The FDA recently asserted on X that recalls for fiscal year 2026 are among the lowest levels recorded in over a decade, stating, “Don’t believe the fake news.” It included a chart that showed recalls dropping to 1,836 in fiscal 2026 from almost 4,000 in fiscal year 2013.
On the same day, HHS senior adviser Calley Means doubled down on the claim, posting on X that Kennedy is doing so well that Democratic operatives are slamming the FDA for doing its job by conducting food recalls.
“It makes sense that these craven, disingenuous attacks are all these influencers have,” he wrote.
But some food safety experts question the numbers, noting that the agency’s recall totals cover a range of products. The tally also includes drugs and medical devices, based on an analysis of the posted data by Susan Mayne, who was director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition from 2015 to 2023. Some food safety leaders say it’s misleading to imply that food safety recalls have declined if the data the claim is based on includes recalls not related to food.
“This HHS assertion appears to be based on incorrect data,” Mayne said on LinkedIn, a job-oriented social networking site.
It’s about more than recalls
Food safety has occasionally taken center stage in politics. In 1993, for example, an E. coli outbreak traced to Jack in the Box fast-food outlets pressured newly inaugurated President Bill Clinton to make it an agenda item at his first Cabinet meeting. His administration wound up adopting a new approach focused on preventing foodborne illness and credited with drastically reducing E. coli infections.
Concern about food safety has especially taken hold now, public health leaders say, because the administration is portraying itself as a safety crusader while cutting staffing and funding for federal agencies responsible for surveillance and inspection.
“There’s a level of hypocrisy from the administration when they promise to make our food safer and then eviscerate the agencies and programs that detect and prevent outbreaks,” said Sarah Sorscher, regulatory affairs director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The FDA continues to have the staff required for outbreak investigations, and no FDA investigators were affected by staffing changes or reductions in force, HHS spokesperson Grace Davis Jamison said in an email.
The CDC lab supporting foodborne outbreak investigations also was not impacted by reductions in force, she said, and the agency maintains a dedicated team investigating foodborne outbreaks and working closely with state and local health departments.
“The Trump Administration has mounted a robust response to each outbreak, working closely with health departments in all 50 states and leading the public health response by promptly identifying known sources and providing Americans with the information they need to protect themselves,” she said.
The administration’s initiatives risk weakening food safety protections. Mr. Trump in late August said he would take action to make it easier for small livestock operations to slaughter and process their own meat, raising concerns among food safety leaders that the change could allow inadequately inspected beef to enter the food system.
Mr. Trump also announced the U.S. would import more beef from Argentina and Brazil, despite concerns about inspections and safety. The European Union has implemented a ban on Brazilian beef imports because of noncompliance with food safety and antibiotic use.
The administration withdrew a proposed Biden-era rule that would have stopped the sale of raw turkey and chicken containing high levels of salmonella. And it said it would delay compliance with a rule requiring grocery stores and companies to trace food in their supply chains, allowing for quick removal in cases of contamination. Implementation, originally set for Jan. 20 of this year, would instead occur in July 2028.
The actions came after hearing concerns from stakeholders about the time needed to comply, Davis Jamison said.
Some food safety leaders say the administration should do more to prevent foodborne illnesses, saying that failing to direct more resources into preventing problems makes it harder for Kennedy’s campaign to encourage people to eat more fresh foods.
In fact, almost half of consumers changed their habits regarding which groceries they bought and 40% modified purchases at restaurants in the past month due to foodborne illness concerns, according to the survey by the University of Illinois and Purdue University. Concerns about foodborne illness exposure via fresh vegetables increased in August compared with feedback from the previous two years.
“If you want people to eat real food, fresh fruits and vegetables, they have to be safe,” said Sandra Eskin, chief executive at Stop Foodborne Illness, a nonprofit public health organization. “Instead, we have had farmers plowing under fields because people aren’t buying lettuce.”
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