FDA: Food Inspections to Resume Despite Ongoing Funding Lapse
Foods that fall into the high-risk category include dairy products, infant formula and fresh produce
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will restart inspections of high-risk foods this week. The news comes after FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD announced last week a plan to recall some furloughed workers to conduct inspections.
FDA employees were contacted to see who would come back to work, resulting, according to Gottlieb, in roughly 400 of the 5000 inspectors agreeing to return. In a tweet sent on Monday, Gottlieb called the response "overwhelming".
Foods that fall into the high-risk category include dairy products, infant formula and fresh produce (the Department of Agriculture covers meat, poultry and egg inspections).
About 400 total staff are being engaged in this mobilization. The vast majority are inspectors and others are professionals who work in support inspectors. About 150 of the 400 are focused on food inspections, the rest are focused on other aspects of our mission.
— Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (@SGottliebFDA) January 15, 2019
For more information visit FDA.gov.
