How do big changes to the Food and Drug Administration under Trump impact public health?
File photo shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration building behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency's campus in Silver Spring, Md. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Like many federal agencies, the Food and Drug Administration has gone through a lot of changes in recent months. About 20% of the FDA’s workers were let go though some have been brought back. Funding was cut from the agency’s budget and some long-gestating policies were put off — including one aimed at preventing foodborne illness by making it easier to track risky foods such as eggs and spinach … from the farm to people's refrigerators.
So what does all this mean for the safety of our food and drugs? What’s the motivation for these changes and how will this affect us in our day-to-day lives? A panel of experts on public health and food safety join the conversation.
GUESTS
Susan Mayne, Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor, Yale School of Public Health
Former Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at FDA
Mitch Zeller, J.D.
Former Director, FDA's Center for Tobacco Products
Joseph Feinglass, Ph.D.
Research Professor of Medicine | Northwestern University