(NewsNation) — The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for testing milk and other dairy products due to a size reduction in its food safety and nutrition division.
According to Reuters, an internal email from the FDA’s Division of Dairy Safety stated the agency was suspending its proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products effective Monday.
The suspension comes after the termination and departure of 20,000 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, as part of the Trump administration’s plans to shrink the federal workforce.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously said that while there would be job cuts across the department, food and drug safety inspectors would not be impacted. The FDA has begun hiring contractors to replace some fired workers.
FDA milk quality testing program will resume once moved to new lab: Report
The Washington Post confirmed the quality control program would resume after it is transferred to a different laboratory, which is allegedly “an effort that is actively underway.”
A spokesperson said state and federal labs will still test food samples. The “FDA remains committed to working with states to protect the safety of the pasteurized milk supply,” according to the spokesperson.
Earlier this month, the FDA also suspended programs that ensured accurate testing for bird flu in milk and cheese, as well as pathogens like the parasite cyclospora in other food products.
Should consumers be worried about the pause of milk quality testing program?
Nicole Martin, an assistant research professor in dairy foods microbiology at Cornell University, told the Washington Post that she doesn’t believe consumers should be worried.
“Ultimately, we’re a very highly regulated industry, and it’s going to continue to be very carefully regulated and monitored,” Martin said. She believes it will be more of an inconvenience than anything else for any labs that use FDA samples.
In a statement, the International Dairy Foods Assocation agreed with Martin.
“This is not a suspension of milk testing,” the statement said. “Dairy facilities and milk continue to be regularly tested and inspected by regulatory authorities as required by the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which has ensured milk safety for over 100 years.”
Although consumers most likely won’t feel any effects from the pause, food safety experts are concerned.
According to CBS News, FDA officials are considering a plan that would delegate many routine inspection duties to state and local officials.
Martin said, “When we don’t have a robust system of inspections, of testing, of training and guidance, that’s when things are going to start falling through the cracks.”
Thousands of HHS employees laid off due to Trump, DOGE plans
Food safety experts have worried inspections would be affected by cutbacks under President Donald Trump’s administration, which could leave consumers more vulnerable to dangerous outbreaks, according to the Washington Post.
The Trump administration has proposed cutting billions of dollars from the health department as part of a larger effort to cut government spending through the Department of Government Efficiency.
At the end of March, thousands of HHS employees received layoff notices. Many divisions were completely wiped out, including much of the FDA’s communications and media affairs staff.
According to The Hill, the reduction in force will take effect June 30. HHS Chief Human Capital Officer Tom Nagy said employees would “be ranked on a retention register based on tenure, veterans’ preference, length of service and performance ratings.”
Some who received notices were allegedly told to contact Anita Pinder, former director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, if they thought they were being discriminated against. However, Pinder died in 2024.