America’s Food Safety Shield Is Cracking – The Ultimate Cost Will be Lives Lost

By Darin Detwiler

In the quiet corners of policy meetings and budget negotiations, decisions are being made that put the health and safety of millions at risk. The USDA, FDA, and CDC – the very agencies tasked with protecting the nation’s food supply – are facing budget cuts, mass layoffs, and the elimination of critical advisory committees. While these moves may not dominate headlines, their consequences will be felt in supermarket aisles, school cafeterias, and dinner tables across the country.

This is not just a bureaucratic shift. It is a systemic unraveling of food safety protections that have been built over decades – protections that were paid for in the lives of past victims of foodborne illness outbreaks.

I know this because I lived it.

Thirty-two years ago, I sat in a hospital room, watching my 16-month-old son, Riley, fight for his life. He had been infected with E. coli O157:H7 after eating contaminated ground beef during the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak. For weeks, doctors tried everything, and we held on to hope that he would recover. But then, the conversation shifted. The doctors were no longer talking about treatment – they were talking about end-of-life care. In that moment, I realized that the food system that should have protected him had failed him – and failed us.

The only beneficiaries of weaker food safety regulations are those who prioritize profits over public health.

Since Riley’s death, I have dedicated my life to preventing other families from suffering the same fate. I have served on the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) and helped strengthen food safety regulations. I have worked alongside policymakers, industry leaders, and public health officials to support the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and push for stronger oversight of pathogens like Listeria and Salmonella. I have lectured in food safety and regulatory affairs, training the next generation of food industry professionals in the importance of building a culture of accountability.

And yet, here we are. Three decades later, the statistics remain unchanged:

• 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness each year
• 128,000 are hospitalized
• 3,000 die

These numbers have remained shockingly constant for three decades. This is not progress; many would call this a failure.

Now, with oversight weakening and food safety regulations unraveling, I fear that we are not just failing to make progress – we are rolling back the hard-won protections that have saved lives.

A system under siege: How consumers will feel the impact

For most people, food safety is an invisible contract – an unspoken trust that the food they buy, cook, and serve their families has been inspected, tested, and deemed safe. But what happens when that trust is broken?

Right now, that trust is being eroded through a series of dangerous policy decisions:

• The termination of the USDA’s National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI), which guided science-based regulations to prevent contamination.
• Budget reductions at the FDA, leading to mass layoffs in pathogen testing and outbreak response teams. Fewer inspectors mean more contaminated food slipping through the cracks.
• Cuts to the CDC’s foodborne illness tracking programs, which delay outbreak detection and response, putting consumers at greater risk of exposure to deadly pathogens.

These policy changes have real-world consequences – too many to list, but here are two examples: The 2008 Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella outbreak resulted in nine deaths and an estimated 22,000 illnesses. More recently, the 2024 Boar’s Head Listeria outbreak linked to deli meats produced in unsanitary facilities killed ten people.

We have seen time and again that when food safety oversight is weakened, people die. If today’s cuts go unchallenged, it is only a matter of time before the next major outbreak occurs.

The global impact: How other countries see America’s backslide

The United States has long been a leader in food production and export, sending billions of dollars’ worth of goods to markets worldwide. But as America rolls back food safety measures, trading partners are beginning to question the reliability of U.S. food exports.

• The European Union (EU) has already implemented some of the world’s strictest food safety regulations and has historically banned U.S. beef treated with growth hormones and chlorine-washed poultry. Now, with weakened oversight in America, stricter import restrictions could follow, further straining trade relations.
• Canada, one of the largest importers of U.S. agricultural products, has increased scrutiny of American leafy greens, particularly romaine lettuce, following multiple E. coli outbreaks. If concerns over foodborne pathogens continue, Canada may diversify its supply chain, increasing reliance on domestic growers or alternative suppliers in Mexico and South America.
• China, a major buyer of U.S. food products, is now demanding additional safety documentation and independent testing before allowing American imports. If confidence in U.S. food safety continues to erode, China and other major buyers may turn to competing nations like Canada, Brazil, and Australia – a shift that could cost the U.S. billions in lost exports.

The role of global regulatory organizations

As the U.S. government steps back from food safety oversight, global organizations are likely to respond.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) may push the U.S. to adopt stricter international food safety standards or risk losing global market access.
• Codex Alimentarius, the global food safety standard-setting body, may tighten import conditions for American food products, creating new trade barriers for U.S. exporters.
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) could see legal challenges from countries concerned about the safety of U.S. food imports, leading to economic losses and trade disputes.

Who will stand up for food safety?

When food safety committees are disbanded, inspections and testing are reduced, and agencies are weakened, we must ask: Who benefits?

Certainly not consumers, who rely on independent oversight to protect their families.

Certainly not farmers, who depend on a strong food safety system to ensure market confidence.

Certainly not businesses, who will face economic damage from outbreaks, recalls, and lawsuits.

The only beneficiaries of weaker food safety regulations are those who prioritize profits over public health.

Time and again, we allow hard-won regulations to erode, only to rebuild them in the aftermath of preventable deaths. This is not just a policy issue – it is a human issue. It is about preventing families from enduring the heartbreak of losing a child, a parent, a loved one.

So now, the question is not just what will happen if these cuts continue – but how many more names will be added to the list of those we failed to protect?

About the Author:
Dr. Darin Detwiler is a leading voice in food safety, a professor, author, and policy expert whose work over the last 32 years has shaped national and global conversations on foodborne illness prevention. The author of Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions, his decades-long career was prominently featured in the Netflix Emmy Award-winning documentary Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food. In 2023 and 2024, he hosted Eye on Food Safety, leading discussions with industry experts, regulators, and advocates on the critical issues shaping the future of food safety. As a professor, he has trained the next generation of food industry professionals while pushing for stronger consumer protections.