Report Links Rise in Foodborne Illnesses to Reduced Food Safety Enforcement
A recent analysis by Defend America Action highlights a connection between the reduction of food safety measures during Donald Trump’s administration and an increase in foodborne illnesses in the U.S.
Recent months have seen over 15,000 cases of cyclosporiasis, a foodborne illness characterized by mild fever and severe diarrhea, linked to iceberg lettuce. Additionally, several guacamole products were recalled in August due to potential salmonella contamination.
This trend has been apparent throughout Trump’s second term. Last year, an outbreak of listeria from ready-to-eat pasta resulted in 25 hospitalizations and six deaths. The federal government failed to identify the origins of 13 out of 28 foodborne illness outbreaks reported in the same year.
The report notes, “As families spent this summer wondering what was safe to put on the dinner table, everyone is wondering what happened to the safeguards designed to protect our food supply.”
Food safety oversight is primarily managed by three agencies: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
However, these agencies were significantly downsized under the DOGE initiative, which aimed to reduce federal workforce numbers. The FDA lost 3,859 workers, while the USDA saw a reduction of 19,984 employees, including 874 from its Food Safety and Inspection Service.
While the White House claimed that food safety inspectors were spared from cuts, the reduction in support staff has led to a backlog of uninspected food producers. Notably, the farm associated with the cyclosporiasis outbreak had not been inspected in seven years.
Under Trump’s administration, the CDC also reduced its monitoring of foodborne pathogens, focusing on only two out of the original six, excluding both cyclosporiasis and listeria.
According to the report, “FDA inspections are the first line of defense for mitigating contamination outbreaks,” emphasizing their importance for both domestic and imported foods.
The economic impact is also significant, with USDA data indicating that foodborne illnesses cost Americans $75 billion annually in healthcare, lost productivity, and premature deaths, a figure likely to rise as safeguards are reduced.
A CBS poll revealed that 40% of Americans are consuming less produce across all brands due to concerns about food safety. Another survey showed low confidence among the public in the government’s ability to oversee food safety effectively.
The report concludes, “Even though Trump and his allies promised to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ his administration has made it harder to find out what is making Americans sick.”
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