Less than two months after the filing of a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against ultra-processed food manufacturers, President Trump released an Executive Order establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission.
FDA is launching “Operation Stork Speed,” comprising a series of actions like increased contaminant testing, to better ensure the safety and adequacy of the U.S. infant formula supply. Consumer Reports, which says Operation Stork Speed was announced one day after it shared contaminant testing results with the agency, has questioned whether FDA is adequately resourced to deliver on its new promises.
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.
Since the inauguration of President Trump, there has been an avalanche of changes at federal regulatory agencies responsible for U.S. food safety and foodborne illness response (FDA, USDA, and CDC), including mass layoffs, the resignation and new appointments of top officials, a communications freeze, and more.
Major public health, food industry, and consumer protection groups have stated concerns about the recent mass firing of FDA Human Foods Program staff and the resignation of Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones, expressing that layoffs could jeopardize food safety and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda.
In a February 17 resignation letter, James (Jim) Jones, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, stated that 89 “indiscriminate” firings in the Human Foods Program, including layoffs of employees with “highly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response,” would render his job to protect food safety “fruitless.”
Changes are coming to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the recent confirmation of President Trump's nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) as Secretary, amid talks of major workforce reductions at HHS agencies including FDA and CDC.
