
A report Monday by USA Today said that the US Food and Drug Administrationβs number of in-person inspections at food production facilities plummeted from an average of more than 900 per month between 2018 and 2020 to just single digits in April.
The number of food product recalls has coincided with these numbers, as the FDAβs weekly reported number of recalls went from 173 in February to 105 in March and down to 70 in April.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported May 6 that more than 300 USDA meatpacking inspectors were sick at the time from COVID-19 or in self-quarantine after being exposed to it. That report also said that as of May 5, 197 USDA inspectors had tested positive for the virus, while another 120 employees were under quarantine.
Additionally, a report from the union American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said that three USDA food inspectors had died from the coronavirus. AFGE represents 6,500 federal food inspectors.