35% Drop in FDA Foreign Inspections Threatens Fresh Produce Supply

Supply chain managers depend on regulatory inspections as a backstop for food safety, but that backstop is eroding. A nationwide Cyclospora outbreak tied to contaminated lettuce from a Mexican farm exposes how a nearly 35% drop in FDA foreign inspections since 2019 leaves importers, distributors, and grocers to shoulder more verification risk across fresh produce sourcing.

The AP investigation connecting a nationwide Cyclospora outbreak to a longer-term decline in FDA foreign inspections transforms what could have been a routine food safety recall into a structural regulatory story. According to records reviewed by The Associated Press, FDA inspections of foreign food sites have fallen nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. The contaminated lettuce outbreak, linked to a Mexican farm, is the acute symptom of a chronic capacity problem that has been building for years. The agency has long failed to hit congressionally mandated targets for international inspections, even before the pandemic disrupted operations.

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According to records reviewed by The Associated Press, FDA inspections of foreign food sites have fallen nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic accelerated attrition among FDA inspectors and created a wave of retirements and departures that continues to this day. More recently, staffing cuts, reorganizations, and other upheavals under the Trump administration have compounded the shortfall. Former senior FDA officials warn that the situation could worsen. Michael Rogers, who spent nearly 35 years in FDA inspection roles, told the AP that when the number of inspections is balanced against the agency's responsibility over domestic and international firms, "the agency just can't achieve what is required." He also acknowledged that FDA continues to do many things very well with limited resources. The administration's proposed pilot program of one-day inspections is intended to stretch resources, but Rogers and other officials argue those abbreviated reviews are not equivalent to traditional inspections that can take a week or more to document serious problems.

For international food importers, domestic distributors, and grocery retailers, the inspection decline means the burden of ensuring food safety is shifting from the federal government to private verification. A one-day inspection is unlikely to provide the depth needed to identify persistent sanitation failures, water contamination risks, or worker hygiene breakdowns—factors that are critical in Cyclospora transmission. The result is a fresh produce supply chain in which contaminated product can enter the U.S. more easily, with recalls and lawsuits becoming the backstop rather than prevention. The economic impact extends from field-level farms in Mexico to U.S. retail shelves, where outbreaks can depress demand for entire categories such as lettuce and mixed salad greens.

From a legal perspective, FDA's failure to meet inspection mandates may influence product liability litigation. Plaintiffs may use AP's data to argue that importers and retailers should have conducted more rigorous independent audits because they could not rely on FDA oversight. For policymakers, the findings reinforce that food safety modernization is incomplete without sustainable inspection funding and staffing. The potential shift to one-day inspections could create an even thinner evidentiary record, making it harder for regulators to issue import alerts or for prosecutors to prove negligence.