The record-breaking cyclospora outbreak over the summer and subsequent food recalls have prompted Democrats to slam Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., blaming the Cabinet official’s leadership on what they call a lapse in food safety.

Experts in food safety, however, argue that pathogen outbreaks and food recalls are not exactly a blame game, as ensuring that what consumers put on their plates is safe to eat involves multiple actors across federal and state governments, as well as the manufacturing and distribution sectors.