In late December 2025, public health experts issued strong warnings that cuts to federal food safety funding, especially the scaling back of the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), could leave Americans more vulnerable to foodborne illness outbreaks and undermine the nation’s ability to detect and respond to them effectively.
The concerns stem from a series of federal budget reductions that have hit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year, under the Trump Administration’s push to shrink federal spending. While officials argue that trimming programs can help prioritize core activities, food safety professionals say the cumulative effect may degrade the nation’s once-robust surveillance infrastructure.
One of the most visible changes is the dramatic pullback of FoodNet, a CDC-led program that has been a pillar and cornerstone of U.S. foodborne disease tracking since 1995. Previously, the network strongly monitored the eight major pathogen-caused infections, including Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Shigella, Vibrio, Yersinia, and Cyclospora—across 10 participating states, covering roughly 16% of the U.S. population.
As of the 1st of July 2025, FoodNet only tracks Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), with monitoring of six other pathogens made optional rather than required. CDC representatives have framed this as a strategic change, saying narrowed reporting requirements allow staff to concentrate on core duties. Bit analytics also state that the move reduces the span of active surveillance data available to detect emerging and rising trends and potentially blunts the nation’s ability to spot and respond to outbreaks early.
One can see that the remaining passive surveillance systems cannot fully replace the significance of FoodNet’s active case detection, as experts have mentioned. To provide a more accurate picture of infection trends, active monitoring entails systematic data collection, and proactive outreach to laboratory partners can be followed through with. These passive methods put the burden of voluntarily reporting cases on state or local authorities, which could lead to gaps in early detection.
Beyond surveillance coverage, funding reductions have also worsened staffing challenges at both the FDA and the CDC. At the FDA, cuts to support staff, those responsible for logistics like inspector coordination as well as travel booking, have reduced capacity quite sharply, despite officials asserting that inspection staff levels are technically adequate. Food safety specialists highlight that without administrative support, inspectors face hurdles in conducting timely and thorough inspections.
Confidence among federal food safety personnel has suffered, with a “brain drain” of experienced inspectors as well as epidemiologists leaving for better-resourced private sector roles or retiring. And while recruiting and training replacements is a lengthy process, the loss of institutional knowledge poses a long-term risk to the nation’s food protection framework.
The impact of these federal funding cuts also extends to oversight of imported foods. FDA inspections of foreign food facilities, which supply a substantial portion of U.S. produce, seafood, and other commodities, have fallen to historic lows in 2025 due to staff reductions. While global supply chains grow increasingly complex, fewer inspections heighten the risk that contaminated food could enter the U.S. market undetected, undermining consumer safety.
One can identify how foodborne illness continues to be a major public health concern; with the CDC reporting about 48 million cases and 3,000 deaths annually, it is a serious alarm. Cuts to surveillance programs and delayed outbreak detection heighten the risk of spreading undetected illnesses. Public health experts stress that strong, proactive monitoring is critical and important. As federal budget discussions extend into 2026, advocates urge reconsideration of these funding reductions to protect food safety, prevent outbreaks, and maintain public confidence in the U.S. food system.
