We’ve spent years investigating cracks in our system.
The largest Cyclospora outbreak in years has sickened hundreds of people across multiple states, prompting recalls, investigations and a flood of headlines about what happened and what consumers should do next. It’s also a reminder of how difficult it can be to trace contaminated food, identify system-wide failures and hold anyone accountable.
Breaking news tells you what made people sick. Investigative journalism asks why the system allowed it to happen in the first place.
At Investigate Midwest, we ask the why because we know these outbreaks don’t happen in a vacuum — since we were founded in 2009, we’ve investigated missed food safety inspections, growing consumer complaints, USDA staffing cuts, changes to meat inspection and the influence of powerful Big Ag corporations.
Understanding the systems at play in outbreaks like this one takes months of reporting, not days, and as a nonprofit, it’s simply not possible without the financial support of readers.
We’re in the final days of our summer campaign and we need your help. If you believe independent investigative reporting should keep examining the systems behind our food supply, not just the latest crisis, please consider making a gift today.
— Lauren Cross
Assistant editor & audience engagement manager
P.S. We’re still about halfway to our goal. A gift of any amount today helps close the gap and keeps this work moving.
