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.
Two key advisory committees, responsible for providing impartial scientific advice to federal public health agencies (USDA, FDA, CDC) relative to food safety, have been terminated: the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI).
Following mass layoffs that swept regulatory agencies, including those responsible for food safety and foodborne illness response, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has walked back its orders to dismiss probationary employees. The change was prompted by a court decision that deemed OPM’s orders to dismiss staffers as unlawful.
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.
Introduced by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), the Senate Bill 667, named the Safer Shrimp Imports Act, would require FDA to ensure that food safety inspections for shrimp in importing countries meet standards equivalent to those upheld in the U.S.
If FDA's regulatory decision-making should be based on science, but the Delaney Clause prohibits FDA from considering the totality of the available scientific evidence in making safety determinations for food and color additives, can the Delaney Clause and science-based decision making coexist?
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.
Penn State Extension will host a two-day webinar in April to help produce growers meet the requirements of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
A partisan letter signed by 85 members of Congress has been sent to President Trump, expressing concerns about the communications freeze ordered for public health agencies like CDC and FDA, especially in light of the ongoing avian influenza H5N1 outbreak.
According to multiple sources, FDA is looking to reinstate staffers who were fired by the presidential administration last week, including at least ten people who are responsible for reviewing the safety of food ingredients. USDA is also working to rehire terminated employees responsible for avian influenza response.
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