In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we discuss the top food safety stories of 2025 and their implications. We cover:

The Trump Administration's impact on federal agencies overseeing food safety [7:52]:

FDA, CDC Ordered to Temporarily Pause All External Communications, Obtain Trump Admin Approval
RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC
USDA Inspector General Phyllis Fong Dismissed by Trump Administration
Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, Cites 'Aggressive Plan' to Eliminate USDA Jobs
FDA Leader Jim Jones Resigns After 89 'Indiscriminate' Firings in Human Foods Program
Attorney Kyle Diamantas Expected to Replace Jim Jones as FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods
FDA Spending Freeze Leaves Staffers Feeling 'Dangerously Unprepared' for Next Foodborne Illness Outbreak
Federal Workforce Data Reveal Impact of Trump Admin RIFs on USDA Food Safety Expertise
More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer
FDA Suspends Milk Quality Testing Amid Health and Human Services Cuts
Entire Departments of CDC Outbreak Experts Fired, Rehired During Shutdown RIFs
FDA Reportedly Reinstating Some Fired Food Safety Scientists, Inspection Support Staff
Government Shutdown Affects Food Safety: HHS Furloughs Employees, FDA Pauses CORE Investigation Table
Ep. 196. Dr. Lane Highbarger: How the FDA Workforce Cuts May Impact Food Safety
Dozens of Prominent Food Safety Stakeholders Call for Reinstatement of NACMCF and NACMPI
USDA Withdraws Proposed Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Poultry After Years of Development
USDA Indefinitely Delays Enforcement of Salmonella as Adulterant in Raw Breaded, Stuffed Chicken
CDC Slashes FoodNet Surveillance From Eight Foodborne Pathogens to Two
Public Health Professionals, Groups Demand Resignation of HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
Trump-Appointed CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez Fired After Clashes With Secretary Kennedy
RFK Jr.'s Second in Command Named CDC Acting Director Following Sudden Firing
Federal Layoffs to Hit HHS Amid Government Shutdown, May Affect Food Safety Staffers
FDA Delays FSMA 204 Traceability Rule Compliance Date by 30 Months

States and the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement declare war on "toxic" food chemicals and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) [27:52]:

FDA's focus on infant formula safety and the infant botulism outbreak linked to ByHeart formula [57:44]:

Emerging science on Listeria monocytogenes and biofilms [1:08:26]:

The ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) outbreak in U.S. dairy cattle and poultry flocks and continued monitoring to ensure food safety [1:14:09]:

Growing artificial intelligence (AI) applications for food safety [1:17:57]:

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