New reporting points to a dramatic rise in foodborne illness cases in 2026, raising fresh concerns about the country’s ability to detect and contain outbreaks. Critics say cuts to public-health staffing, surveillance programs and food-safety resources have weakened the systems designed to identify contaminated food and warn Americans before outbreaks spread. With serious illnesses ranging from hospitalization and kidney failure to pregnancy complications and death, the erosion of food-safety infrastructure is fueling growing questions about whether essential public-health protections are being dismantled when they are needed most.