The Food and Drug Administration has suspended its quality control program for testing milk and dairy products due to capacity constraints following recent workforce reductions, according to Newsweek and multiple news reports.
The program was suspended yesterday and affects testing of Grade “A” raw milk and finished dairy products that meet the highest sanitary standards. According to the internal FDA email, the agency’s Moffett Center Proficiency Testing Laboratory is “no longer able to provide laboratory support for proficiency testing and data analysis.”
The Division of Dairy Safety indicated in its communication that the FDA is “actively evaluating alternative approaches for the upcoming fiscal year” and plans to keep participating laboratories informed as new information becomes available.
This suspension follows similar disruptions in federal food safety oversight. On April 18, the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), a partnership between the FDA and Department of Agriculture, reportedly suspended its quality control program for food testing laboratories. This network was established to maintain standards across approximately 170 laboratories nationwide.
In their April 16 communication, FERN’s National Program Office cited “significant reductions in force” including the loss of “a key quality assurance officer, an analytical chemist, and two microbiologists at FDA’s Human Food Program Moffett Center” as having an “immediate and significant impact” on their testing capabilities.
The FERN suspension affects quality control work for laboratory testing of cyclospora, a parasite that can contaminate spinach, as well as testing for glyphosate pesticide in barley. According to the communication, 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 program will reportedly remain suspended until at least September 30.
These developments occur against the backdrop of broader restructuring within the Department of Health and Human Services, which has reportedly reduced its workforce by 20,000 positions under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The changes are part of the Trump administration’s stated goal of improving government efficiency and health outcomes.
Earlier this month, the Washington Post reported that preliminary budget documents indicated the White House was seeking to reduce the HHS budget by approximately $40 billion, representing about one-third of its discretionary spending.
Following his January inauguration, President Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to identify and eliminate what they consider wasteful government spending. This initiative has overseen significant federal job reductions.
The timeline for resumption of the FDA’s fluid milk testing program remains unclear.
Commenting on this article, the nation’s leading food poisoning lawyer said, “The United States is a global leader in food safety. Efforts to unnecessarily reduce the effectiveness of safety programs create a great deal of risk for our citizens.”
