USDA Announces $14.5 Million Food Safety Funding to States

The number of U.S. citizens becoming sick from contaminated food outbreaks increased in 2024.

People shop at a grocery store in Canton, Mich., on Oct. 11, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will provide a “much-needed funding increase” of $14.5 million to states for their meat and poultry safety inspection programs, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a May 27 statement.

The funds will be provided as reimbursements.

“Without this funding, States may not have the resources to continue their own inspection programs which ensure products are safe,” the agency said.

In the statement, Rollins said: “President Trump is committed to ensuring Americans have access to a safe, affordable food supply. Today I exercised my authority to robustly fund state meat and poultry inspection programs to ensure states can continue to partner with USDA to deliver effective and efficient food safety inspection.”

Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, applauded Rollins and the USDA for the decision.

Over the past years, the agency has been offering “significantly” less funding, impeding the states’ ability to provide meat and poultry safety inspection services to producers, he was quoted as saying in the statement. He said that such programs are key to ensuring a “safe and resilient food system, especially for small and medium-sized producers and processors.”

“This investment helps safeguard consumers, supports farmers, and ensures that state-inspected meat and poultry continue to reach American dinner tables efficiently and safely,” McKinney said.

USDA’s higher funding for state food safety inspection comes amid a jump in food outbreak-related illnesses across the United States.

According to a Feb. 13 report from the Public Interest Research Group, more U.S. citizens became sick from contaminated food outbreaks in 2024 than in 2023. In addition, the number of people who ended up in a hospital or died doubled.

“Nearly 1,400 people became ill from food they ate in 2024 that was later recalled—98 percent of them from just 13 outbreaks, a stunning fact that shows the consequences of companies producing or selling contaminated food,” the report said.

Rollins has focused on ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the agency, the USDA said in a May 1 statement.

“American farmers and ranchers don’t need DEI, they need reduced regulations and an Administration that is actively putting them first,” Rollins said.

“In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, USDA has done exactly that, by cancelling over 3,600 contracts and grants saving more than $5.5 billion.”

Strengthening Food Safety

A Feb. 3 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that federal food agencies were failing to meet their foodborne illness reduction targets.

There are at least 30 federal laws governing food safety and quality in the United States, which are administered by 15 federal agencies, including the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which comes under the USDA.

GAO blamed the fragmented nature of the federal food safety oversight system as being responsible for the “inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient use of resources.”

“We previously reported on the need for a national strategy to guide federal efforts to address ongoing fragmentation and improve the federal food safety oversight system,” the report states.

“We maintain that such a strategy could create an opportunity to further strengthen the oversight of the nation’s food supply, thereby reducing the economic and public health impacts of foodborne illness.”

On May 21, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced the Study and Framework for Efficiency in Food Oversight and Organizational Design (SAFE FOOD) Act, which aims to tackle the issue, the lawmaker’s office said in a statement.

The bill directs the USDA to conduct a study regarding the consolidation of multiple federal food safety agencies into a single agency.

“Current food safety oversight is spread across multiple federal, state, and local agencies which decreases efficacy, creates gaps, and slows response times to potential public health risks,” Cotton said. “My bill is a commonsense step to expanding government efficiency and enhancing public health protection by unifying our food safety agencies.”

Meanwhile, the Make America Healthy Again Commission, chaired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., issued a report on May 22, revealing that pesticides have been detected in the urine and blood of children and pregnant women.

Studies have raised concerns about “possible links between some of these products and adverse health outcomes,” the commission’s report states.

However, “American farmers rely on these products, and actions that further regulate or restrict crop protection tools beyond risk-based and scientific processes set forth by Congress must involve thoughtful consideration of what is necessary for adequate protection, alternatives, and cost of production,” it states.