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Farm linked to deadly explosive diarrhea outbreak hadn’t been inspected in 7 years: report
The Independent • • business
Key Points:
- The Mexico farm linked to the largest U.S. cyclosporiasis outbreak had not been inspected by the FDA in seven years, with the last inspection in 2019 finding no violations.
- The outbreak, tied to contaminated lettuce from Taylor Farms’ facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, caused nearly 25,000 cases and two deaths in the U.S.
- The FDA has struggled to meet inspection goals for foreign facilities, typically conducting around 1,000 inspections annually versus a target of nearly 20,000 set by the Food Safety Modernization Act.
- Staffing cuts during the Trump administration contributed to a historic low in foreign food safety inspections, raising concerns about regulatory oversight and potential gaps in food safety.
- The FDA maintains that its food safety system includes multiple risk-based measures beyond inspections, such as import screening and testing, and announced plans to increase unannounced foreign facility inspections.
