Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on June 11, 2026
A pilot study for a One-Day Inspectional Assessment program was launched this summer in an effort to help improve the safety of our country’s food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has struggled in the past to catch problems before they are problems, often relying on after action rather than a proactive approach to safety inspections.
There are, after all, only so many employees and days in the year.
Streamlining historically “lower-risk” establishments so more time can be spent monitoring higher-risk ones sound like a great plan.
But what exactly does that mean?
What does a One-Day Inspectional Assessment look like? Who qualifies for these quick looky-loos? What are the benefits of this program?
Here’s what we know so far about the new One-Day Inspectional Assessment Program!
As early as April 2026, the FDA has been piloting the new program that involves shorter, more focused screening assessments which are intended to complement standard FDA inspections.
“One-day inspections can strengthen our inspectional approach by focusing our time and resources where they are most needed – enhancing our overall effectiveness,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “For the FDA, the ability to conduct shorter, targeted assessments allows for broader surveillance coverage, enabling the agency to assess more facilities and gather critical insights without compromising regulatory rigor. For industry, these assessments can provide timely feedback while minimizing operational disruption, particularly for lower-risk establishments.”
The agency stresses that these brief assessments are “not intended to replace standard FDA inspection.” They are “an additional tool to complement the agency’s existing approach.”
While Make Food Safe focuses on the food manufacturing and food safety aspect of this pilot program, other “FDA inspectorates,” are also testing this new process. Including animal foods, biologics, medical products, and clinical research programs.
The specifics of what a One-Day Inspectional Assessment actually entails has not yet been made public. However, based on what is included for a typical site visit inspection, a person in the field could make some inferences.
A short visit would likely include a walk-through. Whereas a typical inspection involves an inspector observing each step of the manufacturing process, which could take days to cover all aspects of the operation, a One-Day Inspectional Assessment probably looks like a spot check of risky areas.
Things like temperature control, glove usage and handwashing, pest control, and the presence of dirt or grime.
While a typical inspection would likely involve going through paperwork, a One-Day Inspectional Assessment would probably leave that for more extensive audits.
The FDA does mention that “investigators retain authority to expand the scope or duration of an assessment if warranted.” So, if they find something that warrants a longer look, their hands aren’t tied.
Not all food manufacturing facilities will qualify for an FDA One-Day Inspectional Assessment. Both higher-risk and more complex facilities which require “more comprehensive inspectional coverage,” will not receive these abbreviated inspections.
Which makes sense.
While not explicitly listed, these probably include meat or dairy products. Certain ready-to-eat prepared foods. Things like that.
Though a simpler manufacturing process does not guarantee participation in this quicker assessment. According to the FDA, risk-based criteria also come into play.
Product type, prior inspection outcomes, and operational characteristics are specifically mentioned.
A food manufacturer with prior violations likely won’t qualify.
There are plenty of benefits for this type of inspectional program.
Extensive on-site inspections can slow down production, contributing to lower productivity and processing delays. Which costs the company money. On the flip side, a longer inspection ties up an agent. Shortening that process is a better use of taxpayer funds.
If the inspector can reach three manufacturers in the time they would typically complete one, these funds are conserved.
But there is another benefit that has prompted regulators to try out this process.
Reaching more manufacturers within a shorter period of time offers a data gathering opportunity. The FDA says it will be looking at “recurring compliance themes, facility-specific risk scores, and discrepancies between registered and actual operations.”
They can better hone in on oversight activities in a more focused manner.
“We are closely analyzing the operational and compliance data from these assessments – including trends in outcomes, risk signals, and investigator feedback to determine how this approach can enhance our broader inspectional strategy,” said FDA Associate Commissioner for Inspections and Investigations, Elizabeth Miller, Pharm.D.
Within the first month of the program, the agency had completed somewhere around 50 assessments. Most of which “successfully confirmed compliance.”
These manufacturers were given a rating of “No Action Indicated (NAI).”
For some manufacturers, flexibility was necessary. Some assessments could not be crammed into a single day when significant observations were identified. Which they expected would happen from time to time.
The agency says the pilot will continue through the government fiscal year 2026, so more data and metric are coming soon.
As a consumer, how do you feel about these One-Day Inspectional Assessments?
Do you think things will be missed with the brevity of each interaction? Or does reaching more manufacturing facilities in a year make you feel safer?
Personally, I think the program is a good thing.
It doesn’t mean that all inspections will be brief. Higher risk manufacturers will still have planned step by step observations. The agency reserves the right to convert a One-Day Assessment into a longer one. Resources are conserved and more facilities will be monitored within the year.
I look forward to reading the after-action report, which should be available after all of the data is digested. However, that probably won’t be published until 2027 or even 2028.
If you’d like to know more about food safety topics in the news, like “FDA Pilots a One-Day Inspectional Assessment Program to Help Improve Food Supply Safety,” check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)