Jim Jones Resigns from FDA, Citing ‘Indiscriminate’ Layoffs

Editor's Note: This story was updated to include reactions from industry members about Jones' resignation.

News of Jones' resignation broke yesterday evening, when Food Fix reported his departure following thousands of firings across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including the CDC and FDA.

According to Bloomberg, Jones sent a resignation letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Sara Brenner, stating, “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.”

He said that given the Trump administration’s “disdain for the very people” needed to make these changes, it would be “fruitless for me to continue in this role.”

He described the cuts to FDA staff as “indiscriminate.”

Staffers laid off over the weekend include employees with “highly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, food safety response,” according to the letter, including 10 staffers that review potentially unsafe ingredients in food.

Jones, the agency’s first deputy commissioner for human foods, started his role in September 2023. The executive position was created to lead the charge in setting and advancing priorities for a unified Human Foods Program, with a focus on food safety, chemical safety, innovative food products and nutrition.

Steven Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), said Jones' resignation marked a loss for FDA but expressed hope for the future of the agency.

“AFDO acknowledges former Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones’ work on the FDA reorganization and strong commitment to strengthening chemical safety," said Mandernach. "His decades of public service are greatly appreciated. While it’s a loss for the agency, a new leader in the Human Foods Program may have the opportunity and freedom to further reshape it in a manner that streamlines performance in the most efficient means possible.”

Darin Detwiler, QA contributing editor, food safety advocate and associate professor of food policy at Northeastern University, told QA that Jones' resignation "is more than a bureaucratic shake-up — it is a direct setback to food safety reforms that were years in the making."

"Food safety is not a political toy," said Detwiler. "Yet, the resignation of Jim Jones (due to the administration’s layoff of 89 FDA staffers and the broader instability within the FDA’s Human Foods Program) threaten to turn it into exactly that. The Reagan-Udall Foundation’s 2022 report exposed serious leadership failures, inefficiencies and regulatory gaps that have long hindered the FDA’s ability to protect public health. In response, the agency began a long-overdue restructuring to modernize food safety oversight. That effort — and the work of so many stakeholders — has now been derailed."

Francine Shaw, CEO and founder of Savvy Food Safety, told QA that Jones' resignation and the 89 other FDA Human Foods Program layoffs raise "significant concerns for food safety across the board — the food service industry, advocates and consumers."

"His departure signals potential setbacks in advancing food safety measures," said Shaw. "Jim Jones' role was crucial in enhancing oversight of food chemicals and successfully banning Red Dye 3. The loss of experienced staff, especially those with critical nutrition and food safety expertise, compromises the FDA's ability to monitor and regulate safe food practices effectively. This trend reflects a worrying disinvestment in essential public health roles, which could have long-lasting repercussions."

Read QA’s 2024 Q&A with Jones here.