April 24, 2026 – In an update to its original reorganization plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to move about two-thirds of its food safety workers out of Washington, D.C., raising alarms about further expertise losses in the agency.
The USDA announced reorganization efforts within the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) on Thursday, along with updates on relocation plans for several research services. FSIS is responsible for inspecting facilities that produce meat, poultry, and processed egg products.
Under the new plan, about 200 employees would move from D.C. to offices in Iowa and Georgia, according to a USDA press release. The agency will revamp existing office space in Urbandale, Iowa, to create the new National Food Safety Center (NFSC). About 200 employees would work out of this office, which would serve as the new headquarters, according to the release.
The USDA also plans to create a Science Center in Athens, Georgia, that builds on the existing Eastern Field Services Laboratory. The agency said it will also “establish a presence” in Fort Collins, Colorado, for international “activities.” Food safety inspectors stationed across the country will not be moved under the reorganization plan.
The moves are intended to improve accountability and cut out duplicative roles, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden said in the press release. But food safety experts said the plan will lead to brain drain and splinter an already effective agency.
“It’s a hammer in search of a nail,” said Sandra Eskin, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness and a former FSIS undersecretary, in an interview with Civil Eats. “FSIS is a really strong agency, it’s been well organized, it’s been efficient, it’s been cost effective… I don’t think the problems that they’ve identified are real.”
Moving staff to different hubs will “fracture” an agency that is important to consumers across the country, Eskin said.
Splitting up the staff could also make it more challenging to effectively communicate as an agency and support the personnel in the field, said Brian Ronholm, food policy director at Consumer Reports.
A key concern with the USDA’s entire reorganization plan is the likelihood that experienced employees will leave the agency altogether instead of relocating. Food safety experts and farm groups share those same concerns with the FSIS plan.
“Tell me this is a reduction in force without telling me this a reduction in force,” Ronholm said.
In 2019, the USDA relocated most of the D.C. staff at the Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to Kansas City, Missouri. Both agencies temporarily lost more than half of their respective staff, which led to a decline in productivity, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
Eskin said it will be “extremely difficult” to replace expertise if FSIS employees leave the agency, and it’s rare that those working in the industry come to work at the agency.
FSIS was not included in the original reorganization plan announced in 2025. Stakeholders were able to comment on the original reorganization plan, but it’s unclear whether the food safety community will have that opportunity for FSIS.
Given the lack of stakeholder input, the “abrupt” relocation could create service disruptions, said Connor Kippe, policy specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
“Recent history is clear: Uprooting federal agencies from Washington, D.C., doesn’t make our government more effective or efficient,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “When it comes to food safety, there is no room for error.” (Link to this post.)
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