CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The partial government shutdown is taking a bite out of federal food inspections.

• The Food & Drug Administration says it’s paused routine inspections of non high-risk facilities without federal funding
• The shutdown halts only a handful of inspections that could’ve been done since the beginning of the year, according to a statement tweeted by FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb
• The FDA is continuing high-risk inspections on foods like lettuce and cheese, different from how they operated during past shutdowns

The Food & Drug Administration says it’s paused routine inspections of non high-risk facilities without federal funding. The lapse in appropriations has spanned two weeks.

The shutdown halts only a handful of inspections that could’ve been done since the beginning of the year, according to a statement tweeted by FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb.

A spokesperson for Food Lion says via email, “Food safety remains the highest priority for our customers. Our operations are licensed and regulated mostly by state and local regulators so we do not anticipate any disruption to our normal processes.”

A spokesperson for Harris Teeter says in an email, “State and local regulatory authorities handle our inspections, so we are business as usual.”

A spokesperson for Publix had this to say:

“Food safety is our top priority at Publix. We source from suppliers that are able to meet our strict requirements for food safety and product quality.  This includes adherence to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) for suppliers of store brand and fresh products in addition to good agricultural practices (GAPs) for fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers.  The federal government shut down does not remove Publix and our supplier’s responsibility to maintain a strong culture of food safety. Providing our customers with wholesome, high-quality products has always been our goal, and we want to assure you that this continues to be a primary objective of our company.”​

The FDA is continuing high-risk inspections on foods like lettuce and cheese, different from how they operated during past shutdowns. 

The commissioner says he hopes to have a plan to restore routine inspections in place by next week.