FDA inspections of foreign food sites down nearly 35% since 2019, records show

Former FDA officials say Trump-era cuts could mean fewer inspections

WASHINGTON — Former senior FDA officials say recent staffing cuts, reorganizations and other upheavals under President Donald Trump could mean even fewer international food inspections in the years ahead.

The officials’ comments come as FDA inspections of foreign food sites have fallen nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency records.

The decline includes the Mexican farm linked to the ongoing cyclospora outbreak tied to contaminated lettuce.

The pandemic kicked off a wave of retirements and departures among FDA inspectors that continues to this day. Even before COVID-19, the agency had long failed to hit its congressionally mandated targets for international inspections.

The outbreak, tied to contaminated lettuce and linked to a Mexican farm, comes as the FDA’s foreign-inspection program runs nearly 35% below its 2019 level.