FDA Suspends Routine Food Inspections Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a temporary cessation of all routine food quality inspections.
Surprisingly, the FDA regulates around 77% of all the food supply in the United States. But recently, throughout the world, companies are shutting down and reducing employees. This has left the FDA with less work to do, but higher stakes in performing that work. This announcement to discontinue the food testing was made on March 18, 2020 with the stated intention of halting these routine food inspections due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Health officials believe that this will contribute to flattening the curve of the pandemic progression. The statement made by the FDA ensures that the safety of the public is still the main focus and that their inspections are not going to be deliteriously impacted by the coronavirus for long.
Stephen Hahn, the FDA commissioner, stated that the FDA will continue to address select cases that are viewed as emergencies. H. Claire Brown says, “represents a fresh blow to an interconnected system of food safety checks that is already under immense pressure.” Postponement of these routine safety checks are temporary and full inspections are to be resumed as soon as possible – at unknown date, but optimistically very soon. When the many food companies are able to resume working, those employees are expected to practice social distancing as well as maintain vigilant safety precautions while working.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who regulates meat, poultry, and egg products, stated on March 17 that they would continue to perform normal inspections while working to ensure the safety of employees. Although there are no current studies that show concrete proof of COVID-19’s ability to be transmitted through food, the food industry is still enormously impacted by this ongoing pandemic.
According to National Food Poisoning Lawyer Ron Simon, “this is an unfortunate step, and hopefully temporary. As we all know, there are about 450,000 deaths annually from food poisoning, including 3000 in the U.S. each year. In fact, four have recently died from eating imported mushrooms contaminated with Listeria. Food poisoning is dangerous. I trust the FDA will renew its efforts to protect us against food poisoning once the tragic Covid-19 pandemic enters a more manageable phase.”
