FDA pauses updates on foodborne outbreak probes as health agencies regroup on communications

Multiple federal health agencies have stopped releasing some key health information — including updates on some outbreak investigations — amid a department-wide communications "pause" ordered by the Trump administration, though many other "mission critical" updates are still being released, CBS News has learned.

The Department of Health and Human Services "has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health," Stefanie Spear, the HHS principal deputy chief of staff, told CBS News in an email. "This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization."

The Food and Drug Administration, a federal agency of the HHS, usually releases updates on probes of outbreaks linked to contaminated food every Wednesday, but the agency did not release them this week. As of the FDA's last update on Jan. 15, authorities were investigating multiple outbreaks of E. coli and Listeria.