FDA produce safety overhaul 15 years later faces inspection gaps
7 reported2 unconfirmed
Fifteen years after the FDA overhauled its safety rules for fruits and vegetables following a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach, the system faces ongoing challenges. The Food Safety Modernization Act gave the FDA more power over farms, which were previously unregulated, requiring most produce farmers to follow safety standards covering handwashing, irrigation water, and compost handling. However, most farms are not inspected on a regular basis due to a lack of inspectors and resources. The Government Accountability Office reported last year that the FDA is behind on inspections of food processing facilities, including the Taylor Farms operation in Mexico linked to a current cyclosporiasis outbreak that has infected more than 1,600 people. The last inspection of that facility was seven years ago, according to FDA records. Additionally, the science of food safety remains a work in progress, as investigators sometimes cannot determine how contamination occurred, such as in a previous Salmonella outbreak involving peaches.
What’s reported
The FDA overhauled produce safety rules 15 years ago after a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach led to the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The law gave the FDA more power over farms, which were previously unregulated, requiring most produce farmers to follow safety standards.
Most farms are not inspected on a regular basis due to a lack of inspectors and resources.
The Government Accountability Office issued a report last year saying the FDA is behind on inspections of food processing facilities.
The current cyclosporiasis outbreak has infected more than 1,600 people and has been linked to shredded iceberg lettuce from the Taylor Farms operation in Mexico.
FDA records show the last inspection of that facility was seven years ago.
A previous Salmonella outbreak involving peaches was never fully explained; the FDA did not determine how the Salmonella got onto the peaches.
Open questions
How the Salmonella got onto peaches in a previous outbreak remains unknown.
How the current cyclosporiasis outbreak occurred may never be determined.
Key figures
Jim Gorny, former longtime adviser at the Food and Drug Administration
Jeff Guo, NPR reporter
Michel Martin, NPR host
Sources: NPR
