The number of complaints filed about the safety of meat, poultry and egg products jumped nearly 40% last year, from 1,443 to 2,016, according to a new federal report.
The report comes a year after the Trump administration approved some of the most sweeping staffing cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in recent memory.
Between January and June of last year, USDA reduced its workforce by 18%. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the agency responsible for placing inspectors in slaughterhouses and processing plants, lost about 9% of its staff.
Despite the reductions, FSIS continued to handle major food safety events.
According to the report, the agency investigated uninspected beef tallow products, oversaw a recall of 58 million pounds of corn dogs after foreign objects were discovered and responded to seven multistate outbreaks of foodborne illness. Four of those outbreaks were linked to Listeria monocytogenes, resulting in roughly 250 illnesses and 140 hospitalizations.
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Faster lines, less federal oversight and rising risks at US pork and poultry plants
But the staffing cuts raise questions about the agency’s capacity to manage a growing volume of complaints and whether the increase in complaints is connected to reduced oversight.
A 2027 budget proposed by the Trump administration would modestly increase FSIS funding by $518,000, but the agency is not expected to regain the 775 employees it lost.
Beyond workforce reductions, last year the administration also rolled back several food safety measures.
The USDA dissolved two scientific advisory bodies that had long guided federal food safety policy — the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.
It also shelved years-in-development Salmonella standards for raw poultry, withdrawing rules that would have barred companies from knowingly selling products contaminated with the most dangerous strains.
Concerns about staffing and food safety have extended beyond USDA.
Last year, FDA Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones resigned in protest after calling the dismissal of 89 food safety employees “indiscriminate,” noting that those affected included specialists in infant formula, chemical safety and outbreak response.
Data Harvest (formerly Graphic of the Week) is Investigate Midwest’s way of making complex agricultural data easy to understand. Through engaging graphics, charts, and maps, we break down key trends to help readers quickly grasp the forces shaping farming, food systems, and rural communities. Want us to explore other data trends? Let us know here.
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