Cyclospora Outbreak Exposes FDA Inspection Deficiencies for Over a Decade
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
A nationwide cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated lettuce has heightened safety concerns regarding imported food, while highlighting a much longer trend: U.S. regulators are conducting fewer international inspections to detect contaminated products before they reach American plates. Inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at foreign food facilities, including the Mexican farm linked to the ongoing outbreak, have dropped nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency records reviewed by The Associated Press. The pandemic triggered a wave of retirements and departures among FDA inspectors that continues to this day. Even before COVID-19, the agency had long struggled to meet international inspection targets mandated by Congress. Recent staff cuts, reorganizations, and other upheavals during former President Donald Trump's administration could mean even fewer inspections in the coming years, according to former senior FDA officials. 'When you look at the inspection numbers relative to the FDA's responsibility—regarding all the domestic and international companies under its oversight—the agency simply cannot achieve what is required,' said Michael Rogers, who worked nearly 35 years in various inspection roles within the agency. He added that the FDA continues to do many things 'very well with limited resources.'
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
