Congress blocks FDA's plans to close field labs
As worries about food safety in the U.S. mount, Congress steps in to prevent FDA from closing field labs; agency says closing labs as part of a modernization plan
Congress moved yesterdayto block the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from closing more than half its field laboratories, concerned that the plan could weaken the safety of the food supply. Congress would withhold funds for the closure from the agency “pending further review,” under the provision inserted by the House Appropriations Committee in the bill that funds the FDA.
The FDA says it wants to close the labs to modernize its food safety efforts. In a hearing earlier this week, employees from labs slated for closure, including those in Lenexa, Denver, and San Francisco, told lawmakers that the plan would have a negative impact on safety.
