From farm inspections to food procurement, government choices shape who our food system serves

A news briefing from Farm Action’s policy team

FDA hadn’t inspected farm linked to Cyclospora outbreak in seven years

What happened: The Mexican operation linked to the massive Cyclospora outbreak hadn’t been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration since 2019, according to a new CBS News investigation.

The seven-year gap reflects a much broader problem. FDA conducted fewer than 1,000 foreign food safety inspections in 2025—a 29% drop from the previous year and nowhere near the 19,200 called for under federal law. Even FDA’s own estimate of roughly 4,700 needed inspections is nearly five times what the agency conducted last year.

Taylor Farms de Mexico, the potential source identified in the outbreak investigation, was last inspected in 2019. FDA’s previous visit was six years earlier, in response to another Cyclospora outbreak.

Source: CBS News

Why it matters: FDA says it already prioritizes foreign inspections based partly on how much food a company ships into the U.S. Yet Taylor Farms de Mexico—a supplier to one of the country’s dominant fresh-cut produce companies—went seven years without an FDA inspection.

That’s particularly concerning in an increasingly consolidated food system, where a problem at a single major supplier can quickly ripple across the country. As fewer companies control larger shares of our food supply, adequately resourcing federal oversight becomes more—not less—essential. Limited inspection resources should also be directed toward facilities where a failure has the potential to affect the greatest number of people.

The question isn’t simply whether FDA needs more inspections. It’s whether the agency has the resources—and the strategy—to effectively oversee the food system we actually have.

Wisconsin shows how public food dollars can strengthen farms and feed families

What happened: As the federal government retreats from efforts to connect local farms with food assistance programs, Wisconsin is showing what happens when states step in.

Using a $2.5 million state grant, Milwaukee-based Hunger Task Force launched its Connecting Farms to Families program this year, purchasing fresh produce, dairy, eggs, and other proteins directly from Wisconsin farmers and distributing them through food pantries, meal programs, Tribal nations, and other nonprofits. Already, 250 farms are participating, with food reaching more than 150 emergency food organizations across 58 counties.

The program comes after the Trump administration abandoned federal efforts to support this kind of local food purchasing, leaving states to decide whether to keep the model alive. Wisconsin chose to invest—and farmers are seeing the difference.

For one participating egg producer, the program now accounts for a whopping 25% of sales and has enabled a substantial expansion of his business. He told Wisconsin Public Radio that programs like this could help more farms “thrive and stay small to medium without selling out their values.”

Source: Wisconsin Public Radio

Why it matters: Where the government buys food matters.

When public dollars purchase food from local and regional producers, those dollars can work twice: once to feed families and again to create dependable markets for independent farmers. In Wisconsin, that means hunger-relief organizations operating on shoestring budgets are getting fresh, nutritious food, while hundreds of farms gain customers and more food dollars stay circulating in their communities.

That is precisely the kind of win-win investment our food system needs more of. At a time when small and mid-sized farms are struggling to find viable markets and families are struggling to afford good food, states are demonstrating that public procurement can tackle both problems at once.

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