A decline in U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspections of foreign food facilities is drawing scrutiny following a cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated lettuce.
FDA inspectors visited a Taylor Farms facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, in mid-August, about a month after a July 17 recall was announced.
Products covered by the Taylor Farms recall reached major U.S. restaurant chains, including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC. Former FDA official Frank Yiannas criticized the roughly four-week delay in sending inspectors, saying it took too long to get personnel on the ground.
The Trump administration has proposed one-day inspection pilots to stretch resources. Experts, however, say the FDA needs sustained funding and staffing increases to meet its mandated target of 19,000 annual inspections.
Related Tweet:
Cyclospora outbreak followed years of declining FDA foreign inspections https://t.co/zUaxVJsq3v
— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) September 8, 2026
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TIPP Staff
