Cyclospora Outbreak Followed Years of Declining FDA Foreign Inspections
FDA inspections of foreign food sites are down nearly 35% since 2019 as officials investigate a Cyclospora outbreak linked to Taylor Farms lettuce.
- FDA inspectors arrived at the Taylor Farms site in Guanajuato, Mexico, in mid-August, roughly one month after the July 17 recall announcement linked to a cyclospora outbreak in contaminated lettuce.
- Foreign food inspections have fallen nearly 35% since 2019, with a further 17% decline last year to 1,140 sites, leaving the FDA food inspection workforce stretched with 10% to 15% of positions chronically unfilled.
- Thousands of packaged products from the Taylor Farms recall reached major U.S. restaurant chains, including Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, while companies announced more than 480 food recalls this fiscal year.
- Food experts criticized the four-week delay to deploy inspectors on-site. Former FDA official Frank Yiannas said it "took us too long to get boots on the ground" given the outbreak's complexity and scale.
- The Trump administration has proposed one-day inspection pilots to stretch resources, though experts argue the FDA cannot achieve its congressionally mandated 19,000 annual inspection target without sustained funding and staffing increases.
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84 Articles
'The agency just can’t achieve what is required': The cyclospora outbreak followed a nearly 35% plunge in FDA foreign food inspections
The agency has failed to hit its congressionally mandated targets for international inspections before COVID-19, and recent staffing cuts could mean even fewer inspections.
Clarin
An outbreak of cyclospora linked to lettuce in the U.S. exposes the fall in imported food inspections, accentuated after the pandemic. The FDA faces challenges in meeting inspection targets, while former officials suggest modern approaches and increased staff retention.
What to know about the recent cyclospora outbreak
Over the summer, the U.S. has had a cyclospora outbreak. Since May 2026, there have been more than 1,600 confirmed cases of cyclospora nationally and 5,000 cases that require further analysis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…
An outbreak of cyclospora across the United States linked to contaminated lettuce has intensified safety concerns about imported foods, while underlining a much longer trend: US regulators conduct fewer international inspections...
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