Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) criticized Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Saturday as the country dealt with a Cyclospora parasite outbreak linked to contaminated shredded iceberg lettuce.

El-Sayed directed his remarks at Kennedy, the Health and Human Services secretary, while speaking to supporters in Michigan. HHS oversees major federal public health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, which commonly coordinate with state officials during foodborne illness investigations.

"The last time I checked, the guy who's running Health and Human Services for this country works out in jeans," El-Sayed said. "Meanwhile here in Michigan we're trying to dodge lettuce."

The comment drew cheers and loud laughter from the crowd, while the reference to Kennedy was met with boos.

Cyclospora is a parasite that can cause intestinal illness, and outbreaks linked to produce often require public health agencies to identify contaminated products, issue consumer guidance, and work with suppliers and retailers to limit further exposure. El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, tied that kind of public health response to his campaign message.

Kennedy has previously been mocked for his habit of exercising in denim. In February, Vogue contributor Emma Specter wrote about trying an RFK Jr.-style jeans-clad workout and concluded that the HHS secretary was "insane."

"All I felt was sticky and desperate for a clean pair of sweatpants," Specter wrote.

"My experiment in RFK Jr.-style jeans-clad exercise wasn’t the worst thing I could have experienced by following his lead (I could have a rubella rash or, at the very least, a nasty case of E. coli contracted from frozen bear patties right now). Nevertheless, it… wasn’t great," she added.

Kennedy had also been the subject of jokes a day earlier. On Friday, President Donald Trump singled out his health secretary while speaking to journalists at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

"I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloin," Trump said. He then pointed to Kennedy and said, "[He] personally ran over the cow in his car."

The remark appeared to refer to Kennedy's history of collecting roadkill, including an episode involving a bear cub and a staged scene in Central Park.

Referring to Kennedy's widely discussed personal habits and the lettuce-linked outbreak, El-Sayed told supporters in Michigan, "I think we might be able to use a public health Senator right about now."