FDA suspends quality tests for milk, other dairy products after Trump budget cuts – MLive.com
2025-04-22T14:08:00Z
The testing center that oversees food safety says it “is no longer able to provide laboratory support for proficiency testing and data analysis.”
WASHINGTON — Staffing issues at the Food and Drug Administration have led to the suspension of a program that ensures the quality of milk and other dairy products. According to Reuters, the agency announced the suspension in an internal email sent to employees Monday and viewed by the news agency.
Starting Monday, the FDA suspended its proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products. Grade “A” is given to products that meet the highest sanitary standards.
The decision to suspend the program came after the FDA’s Moffett Center Proficiency Testing Laboratory said it “is no longer able to provide laboratory support for proficiency testing and data analysis.” That center is part of the FDA division that oversees food safety, according to Reuters.
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The proficiency testing programs are designed to ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the network of U.S. food safety laboratories.
“The FDA is actively evaluating alternative approaches for the upcoming fiscal year and will keep all participating laboratories informed as new information becomes available,” the email said.
As part of his agenda since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has ordered staff reductions across the federal government. The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, has seen an estimated 20,000 employees either be terminated or depart from the agency since January.
Trump’s administration has called for cuts of up to $40 billion to the HHS budget.
Earlier this month, the FDA suspended both its existing and developing programs that tested for bird flu in milk and cheese, as well as a program that tested for pathogens in other foods.
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