I think it speaks to how bad it likely actually is, that with a weakened FDA we still have so many recalls. I wonder what the actual number would be if we were able to catch everything
Looking into it more, it’s unlikely there would be a difference. As with this recall, it was caught by a (non-FDA) state health agency and the recall was initiated by the company in response. This seems to be by far the most common way food recalls are initiated, and that tracks with the FDA’s role in the process. What was cut by doge was their preventative ability, which is enforcement of code before it becomes an incident that would require a full recall. Given the previous schedule of inspections (2-3 or 3-5 years depending on facility), this means we’ll likely start seeing the full impact of those cuts at the end of this year and it will ramp up from there.
What’s changed is the ratio between inspection depth and enforcement breadth. The agency can still catch large, visible violations — but the kind of quiet, routine inspection that catches a facility trending in the wrong direction before it becomes a serious problem is the function most affected by DOGE’s support staff cuts. (source)
I think it speaks to how bad it likely actually is, that with a weakened FDA we still have so many recalls. I wonder what the actual number would be if we were able to catch everything
Looking into it more, it’s unlikely there would be a difference. As with this recall, it was caught by a (non-FDA) state health agency and the recall was initiated by the company in response. This seems to be by far the most common way food recalls are initiated, and that tracks with the FDA’s role in the process. What was cut by doge was their preventative ability, which is enforcement of code before it becomes an incident that would require a full recall. Given the previous schedule of inspections (2-3 or 3-5 years depending on facility), this means we’ll likely start seeing the full impact of those cuts at the end of this year and it will ramp up from there.