FDA Left Mexico Farm Tied to 2 Deaths Uninspected for 7 Years
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Aug 12
FDA Left Mexico Farm Tied to 2 Deaths Uninspected for 7 Years
3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Aug 12
Summary
Seven years passed without an FDA inspection at Taylor Farms’ Guanajuato facility, which has been linked to thousands of U.S. cyclosporiasis cases and two deaths.
The farm was last inspected in 2019 with no violations found; a 2013 review during an earlier outbreak noted recycled wash water but did not identify the contamination source.
FDA’s foreign-plant oversight has lagged for years: the agency typically conducts about 1,000 inspections annually versus a nearly 20,000-a-year goal under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The agency said imported-food oversight extends beyond site visits through screening, sampling, import alerts and foreign supplier checks, while arguing inspection frequency alone is an incomplete measure.
The case adds to broader scrutiny of U.S. food-safety enforcement, especially after staffing cuts were tied to a historic low in foreign inspections and the FDA moved to expand unannounced overseas visits.