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FDA Inspects Only 7.6% of Foreign Produce Facilities
27 Oct
Summary
- Most imported fruits and vegetables come from rarely inspected facilities.
- FDA has inspected only 7.6% of foreign produce facilities since 2009.
- Americans now rely more on foreign food imports than ever before.
Most fresh fruits and vegetables entering the United States come from foreign sites that federal inspectors seldom visit. A thorough examination of FDA inspection and import records by The Washington Post found that since 2009, only 7.6% of these overseas facilities have been inspected. For Mexico, the leading source of imported produce, this figure drops to a mere 2% of facilities shipping to the U.S.
Americans' dependence on food imports has grown significantly; recently, 34% of fresh vegetables and 59% of fresh fruit originated from abroad. The potential for contamination is high as produce is often consumed raw. Concerns are amplified by recent outbreaks of illnesses, such as cyclosporiasis linked to iceberg lettuce and Salmonella from jalapeño peppers, where federal inspectors had not visited key facilities for years.
Despite a 2011 law setting a goal of 19,200 foreign food inspections annually, the FDA completed only 1,024 in 2025. Staff cuts and inadequate funding have impacted the agency's ability to conduct these vital inspections. The FDA is seeking $9 million from Congress to enhance foreign inspections and proposes charging fees to foreign facilities for additional funding.
