Preparing food for your loved ones is an important way you care for them and an opportunity to come together, but making sure that food is safe shouldn’t be your responsibility. Federal researchers and inspectors help farmers and food manufacturers keep our food safe and free from foodborne illnesses by inspecting food and researching new ways to limit disease and contamination within livestock and crops.
Public servants working for you
Hyun Soon Lillehoj, Department of Agriculture
Led influential research into the genetics of chickens and several of their most common deadly illnesses. The resulting poultry vaccines and breeding programs resulted in healthier birds and lower antibiotic use, which if used too frequently can create medicine-resistant superbugs that cause illnesses in animals and people. This work has directly improved the safety of chicken products, among the most commonly consumed foods across the country.
An E. coli outbreak illustrates how widespread staffing cuts, suspended safety programs and regulatory rollbacks are undermining the U.S. food safety system, increasing the risk of deadly outbreaks and leaving consumers with less protection and information.
The Washington PostAs the White House seeks to reduce regulations on meat packers and producers, the Food Safety and Inspection Service saw an almost 40% increase in food safety complaints on meat, egg and dairy products between Oct. 2024 and Sept. 2025 compared to the previous year.
GizmodoThe number of federal employees working in food inspection decreased by more than half between Sept. 2024 and Feb. 2026, reducing capacity for routine inspections and investigations into foodborne illness outbreaks.