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