**Foreign Food Safety Inspections by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: What’s Happening and Why It Matters**
The Trump administration has significantly reduced the scope and cost of the federal government, most notably through months-long reviews and subsequent staffing cuts across several departments—including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This downsizing is having a major impact on food safety oversight.
### The Role of the FDA in Food Safety
The FDA is responsible for overseeing about 80 percent of the nation’s food supply. However, only 40 percent of the facilities it regulates are located within U.S. borders. Imports comprise the majority of the country’s seafood and more than half of all fresh fruit consumed in the United States.
This need for strong oversight has become especially urgent as the FDA deals with ongoing health concerns, such as a recent multistate Listeria monocytogenes outbreak linked to various prepared meal products. As of the end of October 2025, the outbreak has led to 27 confirmed illnesses and six deaths across 18 states.
### The State of Foreign Inspections
According to a May 2025 FDA press release, the agency typically conducts about 12,000 domestic inspections and 3,000 foreign inspections each year, spanning more than 90 countries. Historically, foreign firms have had weeks of notice before inspections, which many experts argue undermines the integrity of the process.
Despite the critical importance of in-person inspections (which are essential for uncovering unsafe practices, equipment failures, and falsified records), recent years have seen a steep decline in these activities. An analysis by ProPublica, using public FDA data, found that as of July 2025, foreign inspections had dropped nearly 30 percent compared to similar periods in prior years. In March 2025, inspections were cut by almost half from the prior average of 110 per month.
### The Impact of Federal Staffing Cuts
The sharp drop in inspections has been attributed by current and former FDA officials to deep staffing and budget cuts under the Trump administration:
– In February 2025, 89 employees were laid off from the FDA’s Human Foods Program.
– Additional rounds in March and April affected thousands more at both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
– Several FDA and CDC programs critical to food safety were paused or scaled back, including a key rule for rapid detection and removal of harmful food products.
### New Approaches to Oversight
In response to these challenges, the FDA announced in May that it plans to expand unannounced inspections at foreign manufacturing facilities. The agency’s Office of Inspection and Investigations Foreign Unannounced Inspection Pilot program—already in use in India and China—will serve as the model for this new strategy.
FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary stated:
> “For too long, foreign companies have enjoyed a double standard—given advanced notice before facility inspections, while American manufacturers are held to rigorous standards with no such warning. That ends today. This is a key step for the FDA as part of a broader strategy to get foreign inspections back on track.”
Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group told ProPublica:
> “When you attack the federal government, you end up undermining vital functions, particularly those ensuring public safety, like food. It’s only a matter of time before severe consequences arise.”
### What’s Next?
As the nation’s reliance on imported foods grows, effective oversight remains more critical than ever. The FDA is now working to restore and strengthen its examination efforts to ensure food safety regulations are enforced both domestically and abroad.
Stay tuned for updates as the FDA continues to adapt its inspection strategies and reinstates quality control measures to protect public health.
https://www.newsweek.com/inspections-foreign-food-report-11016389
