The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has suspended its quality control program that tests milk and other dairy products.
An FDA spokesperson confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY that the Food Emergency Response Network Proficiency Testing Program is currently in the process of transferring to another lab that will allow the program to continue.
The agency said, “In the meantime, state and federal labs continue to analyze food samples, and FDA remains committed to working with states to protect the safety of the pasteurized milk supply.”
According to Reuters, an internal email sent by the agency’s Division of Dairy Safety said the proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products is suspended effective since April 21.
The disruption comes after the Department of Health and Human Services cut 10,000 jobs across agencies earlier in April, including the FDA, as well as sister agencies like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
However, the FDA spokesperson did not confirm that staffing had any correlation with the pause of the quality control program.
Among those laid off were FDA staffers who played a role in the federal response to the ongoing bird flu outbreaks, according to former staff and professional groups.
When asked about cuts to FDA this month, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson referred to public statements and a fact sheet from the agency and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball issued a statement on the FDA’s suspension of the milk quality control testing program that said, “I want to be clear: this move does not put the safety of New York milk and dairy products in jeopardy. I want to reassure New Yorkers that the State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets, which already routinely tests New York’s milk and dairy products at plants, receiving stations, and farms, will continue its work as usual.
The Department continues to be on the front lines of protecting the State’s food and dairy supply with inspectors from the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services and the Division of Food Safety and Inspection maintaining their daily inspections on our farms and in our stores, as well as experts from our New York State Food Laboratory who are conducting quality control testing at the State level. New York State prioritizes the health and safety of its consumers, and New Yorkers should feel confident in their food supply, because here in New York State it’s business as usual.”
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