The Trump administration needs to take a leaf out of Taco Bell’s book when it comes to managing dire matters of public health, according to late-night comic John Oliver.
Oliver, 49, told viewers of Last Week Tonight on Sunday that as cases have mounted of explosive diarrhea due to an intestinal parasite linked to contaminated lettuce at the chain’s outlets, the fast food behemoth has far outshone U.S. medical authorities in its response to the crisis.
“It does say something pretty grim about America, that when it comes to acting swiftly to prevent a public health threat, the current government just lost the moral high ground to f–king Taco Bell,” he said as part of an expletive-laden eight-minute tirade.
Nine states across the United States—Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—have recorded a total of up to 12,000 cases of cyclospora infection over the past several weeks, traced to shredded iceberg lettuce produced by Taylor Farms.
The data indicates that around a sixth of people affected contracted that infection at Taco Bell, which uses Taylor Farms as one of its suppliers. Symptoms include stomach cramps, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, and the violent expulsion of watery stool.
Oliver noted in his Sunday broadcast that Taco Bell has since released a statement reassuring customers that “we take your health and safety very seriously and have removed all affected Taylor Farms lettuce from Taco Bell stores.” The chain went on to say that consumers should feel free to “go ahead and enjoy your Taco Bell today,” and that they would “see you in the drive-through.”
“No, you f–--ing won’t,” the late-night comic quipped, before applauding the chain for at least taking some sort of steps to resolve the crisis. He then contrasted that effort with those taken by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he slammed for gutting the agencies otherwise responsible for responding to the emergency.
Oliver reminded viewers that under the Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control has now lost a quarter of its total employees, among them eight on the 11-strong team of scientists who were previously responsible for tracking the spread of food parasites across the country.
“What, only three people now?” the comedian said. “That is clearly not enough. It really feels like we shouldn’t be able to fit the CDC’s entire parasite tracking team comfortably onto a porch glider.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Health and Human Services for comment on this story.
