A diverse coalition of food industry and consumer groups are expressing concern about layoffs at the Food and Drug Administration, which Agri-Pulse has learned include nearly one in three staffers reviewing animal feed ingredients.

“An under-resourced food safety agency could jeopardize [Health and Human Services] Secretary [Robert F.] Kennedy [Jr.]’s stated objectives to improve nutrition and ingredient safety for children and adults,” the groups said in a statement issued today.

The groups on the statement are: American Frozen Food Institute; Association of Food and Drug Officials; Association of Public Health Laboratories; Center for Science in the Public Interest; Consumer Brands Association; Consumer Federation of America; Consumer Reports; Council for Responsible Nutrition; Global Cold Chain Alliance; Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security, George Washington University; International Dairy Foods Association; and STOP Foodborne Illness.

Widespread layoffs across the federal government have affected thousands of employees at USDA, FDA, EPA and other agencies. The U.S. Agency for International Development has been sidelined as the Trump administration tries to essentially eliminate it.

Jim Jones, former deputy commissioner for human foods, resigned Monday, citing the firing of 89 people in the Human Foods Program and the new administration’s “disdain” for federal workers as reasons for his departure.

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In addition, USDA moved Tuesday to reverse the firings of employees working on the avian flu outbreak, after objections from industry groups and state officials, among others. Employees who were targeted included at least three at the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

Another 70 veterinary services field staff also were informed of their termination Friday, according to Joseph Annelli, executive vice-president of the National Association of Federal Veterinarians. He said Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins has been "very helpful" and understands "the need to keep vets on board."

Layoffs also have occurred at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, where 11 of about 35 people reviewing animal feed ingredients have been let go, according to one source.

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Dana Brooks, president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute, said she could not confirm the number of people laid off at CVM, but added that “any cuts will be significant.”

“It is very frustrating because PFI, along with the feed industry associations, lobbied Congress for years requesting increased funding through the appropriations bills to hire more CVM employees specifically for ingredients reviews,” Brooks told Agri-Pulse.

“CVM was woefully understaffed for years. We were finally feeling confident that CVM was being staffed appropriately with experts on the animal feed and pet food ingredients. This cut in staff will stymie innovation and delay getting products to the market.”

The Association of American Feed Control Officials issued a statement saying that “any reduction of the CVM workforce will have major implications on the U.S. animal food supply.”

“State regulators, along with the entire animal food industry, rely heavily on the knowledge and expertise that is housed within [CVM],” the AAFCO statement said.

The coalition of groups also said that “adequate resources are critical not only for outbreak response but also for developing and updating food safety standards, providing science-based industry guidance, and ensuring a well-trained federal-state inspection force to protect the integrity of our food system.“

"Ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply is a shared responsibility," the statement from the coalition said. "Food companies are committed to producing safe products. Maintaining safe, accessible, and affordable food is a fundamental public health priority and a key component of the Make America Healthy Again platform.”

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