Foodborne illnesses tied to outbreaks have exploded in 2026, with federal data showing roughly four times as many reported illnesses as recent years.
A massive Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce is responsible for much of the surge, alongside major Salmonella outbreaks. Tens of thousands of people have been sickened, hundreds hospitalized and at least two people have died.
And this is happening while the Trump administration and RFK Jr.’s HHS have been cutting the very infrastructure responsible for keeping our food supply safe. FDA employment is down about 22% since 2024, foreign food-facility inspections fell last year, and critical scientists and support staff involved in inspections, testing and outbreak response have been eliminated.
Gutting the people responsible for finding contamination, inspecting facilities and responding to outbreaks while foodborne illnesses are surging is one hell of a way to “Make America Healthy Again.”
Source