The Crumbling Foundation of US Food Safety

A recent string of high-profile food recalls has left Americans with a sour taste in their mouths. Behind these headlines, however, lies a more insidious problem: decades-long erosion of the US food safety system, exacerbated by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.

The DOGE’s slashing of key personnel and resources has created a perfect storm for food-related illness to thrive. Don Schaffner, chair of the department of Food Science at Rutgers University, warns that the reduction in staff will make it harder to detect outbreaks and track diseases like cyclospora. “None of this is efficiency,” Schaffner notes. “This is all whatever the opposite of efficiency is.”

Since 2024, over 1,100 fewer Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) roles have been eliminated from the USDA, with even more devastating cuts to surveillance and tracing capabilities. The FDA’s own data reveals a downward trend in foreign human food inspections: from 805 in fiscal 2024 to just 214 in the first two quarters of 2026. This is not a coincidence; DOGE’s elimination of support staff roles has created an administrative slowdown, hindering key safety and inspection protocols.

The FDA’s pre-existing problems are well-documented. A 2009 Government Accountability Office report identified food safety as a major focal point of the agency’s deficiencies. A Science Board report from two years prior highlighted staffing shortages that had been plaguing the agency for decades. Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, notes: “They were stuck having to do more and more with less and less.”

The scale of these cuts is staggering, but their impact on industry behavior is perhaps most disturbing. Without regular inspections, companies will become complacent, letting their guard down against familiar risks like food contamination. Nestle concurs: “If the companies aren’t being inspected, if nobody’s minding the store, if nobody’s holding them accountable, they’re going to get sloppy.”

This is not just a matter of individual responsibility; it’s a systemic problem that requires a fundamental shift in how we approach food safety. As Schaffner notes, “Food safety ultimately rests in the hands of industry, not the government.” DOGE has made it harder for researchers and academics to be proactive in studying and preventing outbreaks.

The US government’s prioritization of rural development and agricultural efforts over food and drug regulatory funding is a major contributor to this problem. Money earmarked for these initiatives often leaves food and drug regulatory funding by the wayside, perpetuating a vicious cycle of underfunding and understaffing.

As we examine the complex web of food safety regulations, it’s essential to recognize that DOGE’s cuts are not just a symptom of a broken system – they’re a harbinger of things to come. The FDA’s proposed budget for 2027, while a 3.3% increase from last year, still falls short of addressing the systemic issues plaguing the agency.

The time has come for a reckoning. We need to rethink our approach to food safety, prioritizing proactive measures over reactive ones. This means investing in research and development, bolstering industry accountability, and acknowledging that food safety is not just a matter of individual responsibility – but a collective one. The future of US food safety hangs in the balance; it’s time to rebuild its crumbling foundation before it’s too late.