The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has inspected only a small fraction of foreign farms and packing facilities that supply the majority of fresh produce to American consumers, a Washington Post analysis released this week found, raising concerns about how the United States verifies safety for fruits and vegetables eaten raw.
Inspection shortfalls and recent outbreaks
The Post combined FDA inspection records and import data to examine overseas facilities responsible for about 90% of produce shipments to the United States. Since 2009, the agency has conducted inspections at roughly 7.6% of those facilities, the analysis found. For Mexico, the largest source of U.S. imported produce, the inspection rate was about 2%.
Those shortfalls have coincided with major foodborne illness episodes this summer. An outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico sickened 12,883 people across 21 states and hospitalized at least 570, with two deaths in Michigan attributed to the outbreak, according to reporting summarized by The Post. Inspectors had not visited the company’s Mexico operations in seven years. In a separate event, a Salmonella outbreak traced to jalapeño peppers sickened nearly 500 people; federal teams did not inspect the likely source, a grower operating in an area the report identified as troubled by cartel-related violence.
“We don’t have a robust system in place to go verify that these foreign producers are following the rules,”
said Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer group, in comments cited by The Post.
Rising reliance on imports and public-health implications
U.S. dependence on imported produce has grown markedly over the past two decades. About 20 years ago, roughly 17% of fresh vegetables and 46% of fresh fruit came from abroad; recent figures cited by The Post put those shares at about 34% and 59%, respectively. Because many fruits and vegetables are consumed raw, contamination from dirty water or processing equipment can reach consumers directly.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was tracking 29 active multistate investigations of foodborne pathogens as of Oct. 21.
- Produce items identified in 2026 outbreak notices included iceberg lettuce, jalapeños, frozen blueberries and two kinds of sprouts.
The Washington Post’s analysis suggests long-standing limitations in overseas inspections and enforcement, and it situates this year’s large outbreaks within that broader pattern. The FDA and foreign authorities have at times disputed specific source attributions in outbreak probes, and investigations by U.S. agencies continue to examine the origins of the illnesses cited.
