"[Foodborne] illnesses result in 53,300 hospitalizations and over 900 deaths annually." (U.S. Government Accountability Office) The United States food system is thorough, however there are many inconsistencies when ensuring the safety of food. Despite the countless efforts of organizations, like the FDA and USDA, countless health risks persist in food due to layoffs, lack of notifying the public and crucial food safety laws not being enforced.
At the national level, there are a minimum of 12 agencies overseeing food safety, with 4 being the most prevalent: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). There have been more than 50 agreements between these agencies to coordinate their activities together.
In 2025, the Trump administration initiated a series of layoffs across governmental organizations, including the ones that oversee food safety. In the FDA alone, 2500 people were laid off. Hundreds of people in the CDC lost their jobs. Even Jim Jones, the director of the USDA's food division, resigned, stating how the layoffs made his job "impossible" to continue. Consequently, this situation caused food inspections to fall behind.
Moreover, agencies typically do not notify the public in the event of a serious food contamination, which can significantly harm public health. In 2024, a severe E. coli outbreak infected dozens across 15 states. The FDA later found the origin of the contamination in romaine lettuce. However, the FDA did not announce the outbreak to the public or reveal who grew the lettuce, stating how it was standard procedure and the contamination was over once they concluded the investigation.
Furthermore, food safety laws are not being enforced. In 2011, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act which set terms for how often facilities are inspected and required facilities to source the origin of contaminations better. However, many parts of this law have been rescinded or delayed. The part of the law regarding investigating contamination sources was to go into effect in 2026, but the FDA delayed the compliance date by 30 months due to lobbying.