Cyclospora Outbreak Highlights Decline in FDA Foreign Food Inspections

A nationwide outbreak of cyclospora linked to contaminated lettuce has drawn attention to a significant decline in foreign food inspections conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Records reviewed by the Associated Press show that FDA inspections of foreign food facilities have dropped nearly 35 percent since 2019. This decline was accelerated by a wave of retirements and departures during the COVID 19 pandemic, though the agency had struggled to meet congressional inspection targets even before the pandemic began.

Former high ranking FDA officials suggest that personnel cuts and reorganizations during the Donald Trump administration may lead to further reductions in inspections. While the Trump administration proposed new methods to optimize resources, such as a one day pilot inspection program, critics like former inspector Michael Rogers argue that abbreviated visits cannot replace traditional inspections that take a week or more to document serious issues.

FDA officials have maintained that inspections are only one of several tools used to ensure safety, including border inspections and importer sampling. However, the current outbreak has highlighted flaws in these methods. In July, regulators had to retract a false positive test result for cyclospora in a Taylor Farms lettuce sample taken at the border. Despite this, the FDA believes a Taylor Farms facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, is the source of the parasite, although Mexican food authorities report finding no positive samples there.

FDA inspectors reached the Mexican farm in mid August, roughly one month after the July 17 recall announcement. This visit marked the first time the agency had inspected the site since 2019, which was a peak year for foreign food inspections before the pandemic.