This week saw the resignation of the top food safety and nutrition official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), James Jones, who protested against the dismissal of numerous scientists and health officials currently being released from the agency’s foods program.
In his resignation letter, Jones cautioned that the “indiscriminate” cuts would create “one more obstacle” to the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative set forth by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jones noted that the cuts affected staff members with significant technical skills in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response, and even included 10 chemical safety experts who were tasked with evaluating potentially hazardous ingredients in the food supply. This information was detailed in his letter dated February 17.
According to Jones, at least 89 of his recently hired team members were laid off as part of the agency’s human foods program. The news of his resignation was first reported by the food industry outlet Food Fix.
Additional job cuts have occurred across various divisions of the FDA, as confirmed by several agency employees to CBS News, due to the extensive cost-cutting measures implemented by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as the DOGE, task force. These layoffs impacted teams responsible for oversight of items ranging from tobacco products to medical devices, according to agency officials.
Many employees were terminated without prior notice to their supervisors within the organization, with termination letters sent directly to staff by human resources personnel located outside the FDA. Some of these firings were later reversed for individuals deemed necessary to exempt by Trump administration officials.
The exact number of layoffs at the FDA remains uncertain. A spokesperson for the agency has not yet responded to inquiries for clarification.
Jones had assumed his position at the FDA amidst a significant restructuring of the agency’s approach to food safety in recent times.
One significant initiative that Jones led—drawing from his previous experience as a top regulatory official at the Environmental Protection Agency—was aimed at systematically reassessing the safety of some previously approved food additives.
As part of this initiative, the FDA attempted to prohibit the use of the color additive Red 3 due to its cancer-causing effects seen in certain laboratory animals. Advocates were hopeful that this program would spark increased examinations of other artificial dyes, such as Red 40, which has received criticism from Kennedy.
Additionally, he supervised a proposal late in the Biden administration advocating for nutrition labels to appear on the front of food packaging, aimed at encouraging both consumers and food manufacturers to opt for healthier alternatives on store shelves.
Some officials within the FDA were optimistic that Jones would establish a collaborative relationship with Kennedy’s incoming team, who is contemplating major reforms regarding regulation of food additives and has criticized health authorities for inadequate action against unhealthy food.
During a town hall meeting with FDA employees earlier this month, Jones expressed his readiness to collaborate with Kennedy. However, this stance shifted following the layoffs, which he deemed “short-sighted” and “indiscriminate.”
“It has become increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration’s lack of respect for the very individuals essential to executing your agenda, it would have been futile for me to persist in this capacity,” Jones stated in his resignation letter.
In the lead-up to the election, Kennedy indicated his intention to dismiss all food and nutrition personnel at the FDA and other federal entities, alleging that they were compromised by corporate conflicts of interest. In his letter, Jones addressed Kennedy’s criticisms of his staff as baseless.
“The foods program staff at the FDA is the envy of the world in terms of its technical, professional, and ethical standards,” Jones asserted.
Since the Biden administration took office, FDA officials have expressed to Congress and the judiciary system their frustrations regarding impediments that public health authorities face in addressing unhealthy and unsafe food, emphasizing the need for more resources and pointing out various legal restrictions on their authority.
