Foreign food safety inspections conducted by FDA have hit a historic low due to Trump Administration budget and staff cuts, according to an investigative report by ProPublica.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which would restore some FDA funding and address some effects of the Trump Administration on the agency.
At the 2025 Food Safety Summit, the much-anticipated Town Hall session on Thursday featured a candid discussion and attendee Q&A with officials from FDA, USDA-FSIS, CDC, and AFDO.
On May 2, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget sent a discretionary budget request for fiscal year 2026 from the Trump Administration to Congress. The request includes funds to build up the MAHA Commission.
FDA is rumored to face significant budget cuts proposed by the White House that would shift 100 percent of the responsibility for routine food facility inspections to states. Additionally, due to layoffs, FDA has suspended its proficiency testing program for food testing laboratories and its efforts to bolster avian influenza testing in food products.
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.
The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) is launching a webinar series, titled, Striving and Surviving, aimed at helping U.S. regulatory professionals deal with budget cuts and general uncertainty.
A letter signed by four U.S. senators was recently sent to Jim Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, about the agency’s plans for reduced funding for state and local food safety programs, which could significantly affect inspections.
In an October 31 webinar, Jim Jones, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, provided insight into the work of the Human Foods Program and how budgetary constraints are affecting its work.
The Alliance for a Stronger FDA has published its “ask” for Fiscal Year 2025 funding for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is $214 million more than the Presidential budget request submitted by FDA for FY 2025.
