The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has struggled to meet food safety inspection requirements since 2018 due to personnel shortages and challenges from the pandemic, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. This report assessed the FDA's compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act, which sets annual inspection targets for food facilities both domestically and internationally.
From 2018 to 2023, the FDA failed to meet FSMA inspection goals, conducting an average of 8,353 domestic inspections per year, falling short of inspecting all high-risk facilities every three years and non-high-risk facilities every five years. As of August 2024, the FDA is working to reduce a backlog of inspections created during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected both domestic and foreign inspections. The agency noted that logistical limitations make it nearly impossible to inspect all 19,200 foreign facilities each year.
FDA officials cited a lack of trained personnel and the need to allocate resources for emergency situations as significant challenges. To address capacity issues, the FDA is increasing its hiring efforts and utilizing alternative regulatory methods to ensure food safety.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/article_909ef796-cf6d-11ef-8635-27a4e2763350.html
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