Food and Drug Administration inspections of foreign food sites – including the Mexican farm linked to the ongoing outbreak – are down nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency records reviewed by The Associated Press. The pandemic kicked off a wave of retirements and departures among FDA inspectors that continues to this day.
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Cyclospora outbreak followed years of declining FDA foreign inspections
September 9, 2026Food and Drug Administration inspections of foreign food sites – including the Mexican farm linked to the ongoing outbreak – are down nearly 35% since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency records reviewed by The Associated Press. The pandemic kicked off a wave of retirements and departures among FDA inspectors that continues to this day.