Farm linked to cyclosporaisis outbreak went years without FDA inspection
Summary
The FDA inspected fewer than 1,000 foreign food facilities in 2025, far below the nearly 20,000 inspections required by law to ensure food safety. The farm in Mexico linked to the U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak was not inspected for several years before the outbreak. The FDA has struggled to meet inspection goals due to limited budgets and staff cuts during President Donald Trump’s second term.Key Facts
- A law requires the FDA to inspect nearly 20,000 foreign food facilities annually, but the agency has not met even 10% of that goal in 10 years.
- The FDA conducted about 1,000 foreign inspections in 2025, which is 29% fewer than the year before.
- Budget constraints and layoffs during President Trump’s second term contributed to reduced inspection resources.
- The FDA last inspected the Mexican farm linked to the outbreak, Taylor Farms de Mexico, seven years ago.
- About one-third of FDA inspections find some kind of violation at foreign food facilities.
- Only about 4.5% of the 47,000 foreign food producers shipping to the U.S. have been inspected since 2023.
- The FDA uses a risk-based system to decide which facilities to inspect, focusing on companies' shipment size, prior inspections, and import history.
- The FDA is working to increase staffing at foreign offices but has not asked Congress to change the current inspection targets.
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