source for the graph: https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts
same graph, year by year
The FDA has cut “3,859 staffers in fiscal year 2025 and an additional 473 in fiscal year 2026” in food safety. This suggests an undercount of incidents after the cuts.
https://www.verifoods.com/blog/fda-workforce-cuts-food-safety-crisis
DOGE funding cuts, I think? They weren’t doing mass layoffs but were having the copper ripped out of the walls. Wouldn’t explain the mass spike in 2023, which I’m guessing is related to bird flu and the decline of covid restrictions.