USDA shuffling staff out of Washington D.C.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forcing 200 Food Safety and Inspection Service employees to move from Washington D.C. to locations in Iowa, Georgia and Colorado.

The reorganization is being billed as a way to streamline support functions. About 100 employees will remain in Washington D.C., according to a statement from USDA officials.

The 200 employees who will be leaving the Washington D.C. offices will go to National Food Safety Center in Iowa, the Science Center in Georgia, and a new office in Fort Collins, CO, where staff will support international activities. The Department will also establish a new National Food Safety Center (NFSC) in Urbandale, IA, which will serve as the primary hub for Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) administrative, technical and support operations.

The Consumer Federation of America says the reorganization will likely result in a diluted version of the public services currently provided. And, the Federation says in the short-term, it will likely make the agency much smaller.

“The Administration will not so much reorganize FSIS as simply relocate much of its staff, in a move that harkens back to the first Trump Administration’s 2019 relocation of USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) and National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), from D.C. to Kansas City, MO. Judging from that relocation experience, the new plan will further compromise an agency already struggling to fulfill its consumer protection mission,” according to the Federation.

USDA’s Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden said the reorganization involves targeted changes to improve how the agency functions day to day. 

“Consolidating support operations in Iowa, strengthening scientific work in Georgia, and aligning staff with mission needs will reduce duplication and improve accountability. This approach ensures that resources are used efficiently while maintaining the high standards the public expects from our food safety system,” Vaden said.

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will revamp existing USDA space in Urbandale, IA, to establish the new National Food Safety Center (NFSC), which will become the agency’s largest office in the United States with approximately 200 employees. 

The NFSC will serve as FSIS’ primary location for headquarters support functions, including resource management, training, food safety education, financial operations, information technology and administrative services. 

“By establishing a National Food Safety Center in Iowa and expanding our scientific capabilities, USDA is ensuring that the Food Safety and Inspection Service is positioned where it can best support American agriculture and protect public health,” said USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins.

Also included in the reorganization is the establishment of a Science Center in Athens, GA. USDA officials say this will build on the agency’s existing Eastern Field Services Laboratory and expand its capabilities in microbiology, chemistry and epidemiology. The Science Center is designed to strengthen FSIS’ scientific leadership and ensure continued access to top-tier academic institutions, a robust public health workforce and key industry partners.

The reorganization will not impact FSIS’ frontline inspection workforce, which represents 85 percent of employees and operates across more than 6,800 regulated meat and poultry plants. 

“FSIS is a field-based public health agency, with the vast majority of our workforce serving on the frontlines in establishments across the country,” said FSIS Administrator Justin Ransom. “This reorganization strengthens how we support those employees by bringing key training, policy, and technical expertise into closer alignment with their work. The National Food Safety Center will help us better prepare and support our workforce while also creating new opportunities to attract and develop the next generation of food safety professionals.”