Two Labs Closed. Five Remaining.
The FDA closed food testing laboratories in San Francisco and Chicago as part of the administration’s restructuring of federal agencies. The labs conducted routine and emergency testing of seafood, produce, and imported food products. Five labs remain.
2 of 7 FDA food testing labs closed. Seafood inspections delayed. The Center for Science in the Public Interest warned the food safety system is “teetering on collapse.” The last major recall took 3 weeks longer than standard response time.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest warned that the food safety system is “teetering on collapse.” With fewer labs, test results that previously took days now take weeks. The backlog affects both routine surveillance and emergency outbreak response.
What Slower Testing Means
When contaminated food reaches consumers, speed matters. The time between identifying a pathogen and issuing a recall determines how many people get sick. The last major food safety recall in early 2026 took approximately three weeks longer than the standard response timeline, according to public health advocates tracking FDA operations.
Seafood inspections have been particularly affected. The San Francisco lab handled a significant portion of West Coast imported seafood testing. Without it, samples must be shipped to remaining facilities, adding transit time to an already strained process.
The Broader Pattern
The FDA lab closures are part of the same workforce reduction that hit the IRS, NOAA, VA, and Social Security Administration. Across federal agencies, approximately 260,000 workers were fired or pushed out. The workers who left had a median tenure of 30 years. The ones who stayed had 10.
Food safety is not a partisan issue. Contaminated lettuce does not check voter registration. The question is whether five labs can do the work that seven were already struggling to handle.
What you can do now
- Call your U.S. senators and demand they block any further FDA lab closures in the next appropriations bill. Two of seven food testing labs are already closed, and the remaining five cannot handle the workload. The last major recall took three weeks longer than normal. Use Resist Bot to send a message.
- Contact your U.S. representative and ask them to request a GAO audit of FDA food safety response times since the lab closures. The Center for Science in the Public Interest warned the system is “teetering on collapse.” Congress needs data on how many inspections have been delayed and how long outbreak responses are taking.
- Ask your state attorney general whether your state has the capacity to fill the gap left by federal food safety cuts. The San Francisco lab handled a significant portion of West Coast imported seafood testing. States near closed labs are most affected. Find your AG at the AG finder.
- Tell your senators to oppose further federal workforce reductions at science agencies. Approximately 260,000 federal workers have been fired or pushed out across agencies. The workers who left had a median tenure of 30 years. Food safety expertise cannot be replaced by hiring someone with a relevant degree.