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12 Food Associations and Advocacy Groups Question the Firings at FDA

Feb. 19, 2025

Groups often at odds – such as Consumer Brands Assn. and Center for Science in the Public Interest – unite to protest Trump’s 89 terminations at the food safety agency.

Dave Fusaro

While stopping short of condemning the action – but calling themselves “a coalition” – a group of 12 food associations and advocacy groups questioned the wisdom of the recent firings at FDA, which led to the resignation of the deputy commissioner in charge of the food side of the agency.

“In response to a reduction in workforce at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a coalition of consumer, industry, and public health stakeholder groups issues the following statement," today's announcement began.

"Ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply is a shared responsibility 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. An under-resourced food safety agency could jeopardize Secretary Kennedy’s stated objectives to improve nutrition and ingredient safety for children and adults.

“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.“

Some of the signatories are seldom in agreement on many issues, but this one has united them. It was signed by 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 (at George Washington University), International Dairy Foods Association and STOP Foodborne Illness.

Trump directed the firing of 89 employees at FDA over the weekend, all or most of them involved in food safety. As a result, Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones, head of the new Human Foods Program, resigned Monday, saying, “It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump administration’s disdain for the very people necessary to implement your agenda ... it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role.”

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.