FDA Smaller Than 'Usual Footprint,' but Recalling Inspectors for High-Risk Products, Gottlieb Says
The Food and Drug Administration has been “recalling inspectors to perform critical, high risk food safety inspections,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a series of Jan. 20 tweets. Responding to questions about “how many dedicated colleagues are currently working…
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on these unpaid assignments,” Gottlieb said his agency’s Office of Import and Enforcement Operations has about 450 staff “in the field, including investigators, compliance experts and supervisors.” FDA has also called back about 100 investigators and 35 supervisors to “conduct and support domestic food surveillance inspections of high risk products,” and already has staff “working high-risk inspections, like foreign food assignments,” Gottlieb said. “More staff could be on the way depending on needs,” he said. “Taken together, it’s smaller than our usual footprint. But we’re targeting the riskiest products to make sure that Americans remain protected,” Gottlieb said.