Jim Jones, the deputy commissioner for FDA’s Human Foods Program, has resigned following staff cuts that he said would hamper the agency’s ability to carry out its mission.

Bloomberg News reported that, in a resignation letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, Jones wrote: “I was looking forward to working to pursue the department’s agenda of improving the health of Americans by reducing diet-related chronic disease and risks from chemicals in food.”

However, given the Trump administration’s cuts across the agency, Jones wrote it would be “fruitless for me to continue in this role.”

Federal Shakeup

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Feb. 13. The department oversees FDA as well as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration began laying off staff at the health agencies, continuing its cuts to the federal workforce.

In a LinkedIn post, former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, wrote about the staff cuts: “Hard to understand why the expertise is being disregarded. Cutting the recent hires disproportionately disadvantages the most needed areas for bolstering regulation. This is especially true of chemicals in food, where laws require complex science to make the case in a way that will withstand court challenges by industry.”

Kennedy and the Trump administration have said a shakeup of the federal bureaucracy is needed to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA).  

Chemical Safety and Expertise

With a long career in civil service, Jones held various positions at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for more than 30 years before being tapped to lead the Human Foods Program of a restructured FDA. Considered an expert and thought leader in chemical safety, Jones oversaw the agency’s recent ban on Red Dye no. 3 in foods.

Jones was also part of the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s Expert Panel for Foods, which evaluated FDA’s operations and made recommendations about the new HFP.

In FDA’s new structure, the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) is housed within the newly created Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation (OFCSDSI), which FDA said will work “to modernize and strengthen oversight of food chemical safety, advance dietary supplement safety, and enable the HFP to support and effectively regulate food ingredient innovation.”