FDA hiring contractors to replace fired staff who supported safety inspections

The FDA is planing to hire contractors to replace fired staff who supported safety inspections, including those who arranged foreign travel and tested food samples. The cuts, which include positions in communications and policy, are expected to strain the agency’s already overburdened inspection force and could lead to fewer inspections. The union representing FDA staff criticized the decision as reckless and inefficient, while the FDA Commissioner defended it as a way to make the agency more efficient.