A summer of recalls exposes holes in the nation’s food safety net
The outbreak has sickened more than 17,000 people and led to 922 hospitalizations, as experts question whether federal cuts slowed the response.
- Since May, a record-breaking cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to processed iceberg lettuce from Mexico has sickened more than 17,000 people, with nearly 12,000 cases still under investigation and at least 922 hospitalizations confirmed.
- The Trump administration has reduced the CDC workforce by 28% and FDA staffing by 23% since December 2024, while terminating $5.78 billion in public health grants appropriated by Congress.
- FoodNet, an early warning surveillance system, was scaled back to track only two pathogens instead of eight, while the Department of Government Efficiency downsized the CDC parasite surveillance team from 11 people to three.
- Michigan, leading the nation in outbreak cases, is one of 23 states that successfully sued the Trump administration in June 2025 over funding cuts and now uses its own resources to respond locally.
- White House spokesperson Allison Schuster denied the cuts affected safety, saying the government remains capable of addressing outbreaks; however, food safety experts argue diminished resources have negatively influenced how these large-scale contamination events unfold.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Food safety tips shared as multiple products face recent nationwide recalls
Recent food recalls involving items like alfalfa sprouts, jalapeños, frozen blueberries, and iceberg lettuce have prompted experts to offer safety tips and alternative produce suggestions to mitigate concerns over foodborne illnesses.
As food recalls mount, experts warn Trump has hollowed out America's food safety system
Jalapenos. Frozen berries. Beef. Alfalfa sprouts. A summer of food recalls, including the record-shattering cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce that has sickened thousands, has raised many Americans’ fears of contracting a foodborne illness. The recalls have focused attention on the Trump administration’s decision to cut funding and staff at several public health agencies, and […]
What’s behind the apparent surge in produce recalls
The headlines have been hard to miss. Most recently, they are around the United States Food and Drug Administration (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looking into a Salmonella Javiana outbreak across 32 states that's linked to fresh jalapeños grown in Sinaloa, Mexico and the…
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