A coalition of 24 prominent food industry and consumer protection organizations, as well as seven expert individuals, sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins urging her to reinstate two key federal food safety scientific advisory committees, NACMCF and NACMPI.
Leaked to Inside Health Policy, an HHS proposed reorganization plan for FDA would eliminate the agency’s product-specific centers in favor of five new function-focused offices. An FDA restructuring was already very recently implemented in October 2024 after two years of development, which created a unified Human Foods Program and new Office of Inspections and Investigations.
As promised by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the end of March, thousands of layoffs at FDA and CDC have begun. A hazy picture of how those cuts are affecting food safety-related positions is beginning to emerge, and stakeholders and legislators are voicing their opposition.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a major restructuring that includes the firing of 10,000 employees across all its departments. FDA and CDC will lose 3,500 and 2,400 current staffers, respectively. HHS says FDA food reviewers and inspectors will not be affected.
Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. has been confirmed by the Senate as the new FDA Commissioner. In his confirmation hearing, Dr. Makary said he would address food as it impacts health, and also said that he would review the mass layoffs that swept the agency in February.
The Trump Administration has selected current Acting Director and Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Susan Monarez, Ph.D. as its nominee for the next Director of the agency.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has written a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, urging her to rescind the decision to terminate two key food safety scientific advisory committees, NACMCF and NACMPI.
In a March 10 meeting with the CEOs of food industry giants, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr), known for his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, demanded that their companies end the use of artificial food dyes in their products—before the government is forced to act.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) has directed FDA to explore ways to eliminate the “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) rule, which is considered by critics to be a “loophole” that enables ingredients to enter the food supply without oversight or a formal safety review.
FDA Human Foods Program staffers recently told Consumer Reports how a current spending freeze at the agency is affecting their ability to do their jobs, and leaves them feeling “dangerously unprepared” for the next foodborne illness outbreak or food safety emergency.
