A wave of federal job cuts has gutted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's food safety division, slashing staff and leaving America’s food supply more vulnerable to contamination — just as toxic clams from China tested positive for PFAS.
Ashley Okwuosa and Sasha Chavkin report for The Examination.
In short:
- The Trump administration’s layoffs hit the FDA’s Human Foods Program hard, axing 89 staffers just months after its creation. These cuts, part of a broader government downsizing, leave food safety inspections understaffed and underfunded.
- State food safety programs, which inspect the majority of grocery stores and produce, rely heavily on FDA support. With federal funding slashed by nearly 30%, states are now considering layoffs and reduced inspections.
- Experts warn that weakened oversight shifts responsibility to food manufacturers, a system that has failed in the past — like in 2023, when lead-tainted applesauce sickened hundreds of kids.
Key quote:
“We're already underfunded, and now we're going to go to even less funding, and we're going to miss things. And when we miss things, people are going to get sick and they're going to die.”
— Barbara Kowalcyk, Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security
Why this matters:
Foodborne illnesses and chemical contamination don’t care about political agendas. But the pattern here is clear: less regulation, fewer inspections, and more risk for consumers.
Read more:
When it comes to food chemicals, Europe’s food safety agency and the FDA are oceans apart
