FDA to resume inspections of riskier foods

(HealthDay)—Routine inspections of riskier foods will resume as early as today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

There was a brief halt in inspections of foods such as produce, infant formula, and cheeses due to the partial government shutdown, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA is bringing back about 150 unpaid employees for the inspections of riskier foods, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said Monday.

Such foods account for about one-third of the FDA's approximately 8,400 routine inspections of packaged foods and produce a year. Inspections of meat, poultry, and processed eggs are handled by the Department of Agriculture and have continued during the shutdown, the AP reported.