Latest news with #HumanFoodProgram
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Is Your Milk Still Safe? FDA Puts Dairy Testing on Hold
Before you reach for that next bowl of cereal, consider this: A major change in food safety oversight is underway. On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration announced a pause on a key quality control program that monitors milk and other dairy products. The decision follows widespread layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, as part of the Trump administration's broader initiative to streamline the federal government. But that downsizing is already hitting essential operations. Among the programs being scaled back: testing for bird flu in dairy products and screening for harmful pathogens like Cyclospora in other foods. Here's what's changing, plus what it could mean for your next trip to the supermarket. The FDA has paused its testing of Grade A dairy, which includes both pasteurized and raw milk as well as cheese and yogurt. Until now, these products were required to meet the agency's strictest sanitary criteria before hitting shelves at your local grocery store, but that oversight is currently on hold. to confirm that these products meet the agency's strictest sanitary criteria before hitting shelves at your local grocery store. But now, the oversight that verified these crucial safety benchmarks has hit a wall. that meets its strictest sanitary criteria to finished products like pasteurized milk, cheese, and yogurt headed for store shelves. Until now, these products were required to meet strict safety benchmarks. But that oversight has hit a wall. The agency's food safety and nutrition division has been hit hard by workforce cuts. Most affected is the Division of Dairy Safety, housed in the FDA's Moffett Center Proficiency Testing Laboratory, which announced it can no longer support key testing and data analysis. In an internal email obtained by Reuters, the agency said it's now 'actively evaluating alternative approaches for the upcoming fiscal year' and promised to keep partner labs in the loop as plans develop. This isn't the only rollback in food safety oversight. On April 18, Reuters reported that the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) — a joint program between the FDA and the Department of Agriculture — suspended its quality control program for food testing labs through at least September 30, citing staff shortages. In an internal email, FERN's National Program Office noted that recent layoffs at the FDA's Human Food Program Moffett Center — including the loss of a quality assurance officer, an analytical chemist, and two microbiologists — are having an 'immediate and significant impact' on the program's operations. The pause affects quality standards across nearly 170 laboratories, many of which conduct testing for contaminants like Cyclospora, a parasite that can show up in spinach, and glyphosate, a widely used pesticide found in crops like barley. Unlike the FERN program, it's unclear how long the FDA's fluid milk testing program will remain on pause. Though no official timeline has been announced, an HHS spokesperson told The Independent 'that the proficiency testing was only being paused because of a transition to a new laboratory, and insisted that dairy product testing would continue.' Whether these changes are truly temporary or just the beginning, one thing is clear: The future of food safety is suddenly less certain. The post Is Your Milk Still Safe? FDA Puts Dairy Testing on Hold appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Reuters
17-04-2025
- Health
- Reuters
US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts
WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for its food testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The proficiency testing program of the FDA's Food Emergency Response Network is designed to ensure consistency and accuracy across the agency's network of about 170 labs that test food for pathogens and contaminants to prevent food-borne illness. The firing and departure of as many as 20,000 HHS employees have upended public health research and disrupted the agency's work on areas like bird flu and drug reviews. President Donald Trump hopes to slash as much as $40 billion from HHS. "Unfortunately, significant reductions in force, including a key quality assurance officer, an analytical chemist, and two microbiologists at FDA's Human Food Program Moffett Center have an immediate and significant impact on the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Proficiency Testing (PT) Program," says the email sent on Tuesday from FERN's National Program Office and seen by Reuters. The program will be suspended at least through September 30 and means the agency will be unable to do planned quality control work around lab testing for the parasite Cyclospora in spinach or the pesticide glyphosate in barley, among other tests, the email says. "These PTs and Exercises are critical to demonstrating the competency and readiness of our laboratory network to detect and respond to food safety and food defense events," the email says. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Food safety laboratories rely on these types of tests to meet standards for accreditation, said a source familiar with the situation, who was not aware of other ready alternatives to the FDA to provide such testing. The FDA in early April suspended an effort to improve its testing for bird flu in milk, cheese and pet food, as a result of staff cuts.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts
By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for its food testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The proficiency testing program of the FDA's Food Emergency Response Network is designed to ensure consistency and accuracy across the agency's network of about 170 labs that test food for pathogens and contaminants to prevent food-borne illness. The firing and departure of as many as 20,000 HHS employees have upended public health research and disrupted the agency's work on areas like bird flu and drug reviews. President Donald Trump hopes to slash as much as $40 billion from HHS. "Unfortunately, significant reductions in force, including a key quality assurance officer, an analytical chemist, and two microbiologists at FDA's Human Food Program Moffett Center have an immediate and significant impact on the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Proficiency Testing (PT) Program," says the email sent on Tuesday from FERN's National Program Office and seen by Reuters. The program will be suspended at least through September 30 and means the agency will be unable to do planned quality control work around lab testing for the parasite Cyclospora in spinach or the pesticide glyphosate in barley, among other tests, the email says. "These PTs and Exercises are critical to demonstrating the competency and readiness of our laboratory network to detect and respond to food safety and food defense events," the email says. HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Food safety laboratories rely on these types of tests to meet standards for accreditation, said a source familiar with the situation, who was not aware of other ready alternatives to the FDA to provide such testing. The FDA in early April suspended an effort to improve its testing for bird flu in milk, cheese and pet food, as a result of staff cuts.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
FDA suspends program to improve bird flu testing due to staff cuts
By Leah Douglas (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation. The FDA's testing for bird flu in dairy products has found that pasteurization kills the virus, and has also provided clues to the scope of the virus's spread. At least two house cats have died after eating raw pet food that later tested positive for bird flu. The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, on Tuesday began firing 10,000 employees to comply with President Donald Trump's push to shrink the federal workforce, an effort overseen by billionaire ally Elon Musk. The Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise for detecting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was set to launch later this month but was suspended on Thursday because of cuts to staff at the FDA's Human Food Program that would have supported the scientific and testing needs of the program, the email said. The program would have included more than 40 laboratories across FDA's Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) and USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network, as well as FDA food labs and private industry, said the email, which was sent to network laboratories from the Vet-LIRN program office. "(The program) would have been critical to ensure confidence in the laboratory methods for food safety and animal health," the email said. HHS did not immediately respond to questions about the suspension of the program and what, if any, impact it would have on FDA's bird flu testing efforts. The FDA handles testing of consumer dairy products for bird flu, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests bulk milk before it is sent for processing. An ongoing bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has infected nearly 1,000 herds, according to USDA data. The coordination effort would have served as a quality assurance program to ensure reliable results in the FDA's bird flu testing of dairy products and pet food, according to a source familiar with the situation. Similar coordination programs at the FDA ensure reliability in testing for salmonella and other pathogens, the source said.
Reuters
03-04-2025
- Health
- Reuters
FDA suspends program to improve bird flu testing due to staff cuts
April 3 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation. The FDA's testing for bird flu in dairy products has found that pasteurization kills the virus, and has also provided clues to the scope of the virus's spread. At least two house cats have died after eating raw pet food that later tested positive for bird flu. here. The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, on Tuesday began firing 10,000 employees to comply with President Donald Trump's push to shrink the federal workforce, an effort overseen by billionaire ally Elon Musk. The Interlaboratory Comparison Exercise for detecting Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was set to launch later this month but was suspended on Thursday because of cuts to staff at the FDA's Human Food Program that would have supported the scientific and testing needs of the program, the email said. The program would have included more than 40 laboratories across FDA's Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN) and USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network, as well as FDA food labs and private industry, said the email, which was sent to network laboratories from the Vet-LIRN program office. "(The program) would have been critical to ensure confidence in the laboratory methods for food safety and animal health," the email said. HHS did not immediately respond to questions about the suspension of the program and what, if any, impact it would have on FDA's bird flu testing efforts. The FDA handles testing of consumer dairy products for bird flu, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture tests bulk milk before it is sent for processing. An ongoing bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has infected nearly 1,000 herds, according to USDA data. The coordination effort would have served as a quality assurance program to ensure reliable results in the FDA's bird flu testing of dairy products and pet food, according to a source familiar with the situation. Similar coordination programs at the FDA ensure reliability in testing for salmonella and other pathogens, the source said.
