FDA considers outsourcing more than 300 jobs amid increased public fears over food safety

The Food and Drug Administration may outsource hundreds of jobs to private companies, according to agency officials.

The government's chief health regulatory agency is reviewing more than 300 positions in more than 20 cities to determine whether they could be performed cheaper and better by the private sector. A decision is expected next month, according to FDA documents.

An initial list of positions under review included lab technicians and field office workers who work at FDA facilities where food and medical products are inspected for safety.

However, the FDA revised the list to include only administrative jobs that aren't directly involved in food safety inspections, Chris Kelly, an FDA spokesman said Wednesday.

The FDA's outsourcing effort comes amid increased public fears about the safety of imported food and other products. In July, the White House formed an Import Safety Working Group after a string of tainted products, including toothpaste, seafood and pet food, entered the U.S. from China.

The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents more than half of the FDA's 9,000 workers, is urging Congress to oppose the agency's plan.

"It is a disgrace given the recent crises we have experienced with our food supply and other imports," Colleen Kelley, the union's president, said in a statement Wednesday.

"The fact that the FDA started with one list, notified those employees that their jobs were in jeopardy and then withdrew those notices and notified a new group of employees demonstrates NTEU's point," the union's president added.

According to a presentation for FDA staffers in July, the positions under review are classified as "commercial" and do not have to be performed by government employees.

"We are obligated to support the competitive sourcing initiatives set forth by (the Office of Management and Budget) and (the Department of Health and Human Services) in response to the President's management agenda," Kelly, the FDA spokesman said Wednesday. "We have met this obligation since 2003 through a variety of actions that have saved the government $13.4 million."

The FDA earlier this month suspended a plan to close seven of its 13 field laboratories nationwide after the NTEU waged a campaign criticizing the shutdowns.

FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said the closures would streamline government inspection of food and other products.

However, Democratic lawmakers Rep. John Dingell and Bart Stupak, both of Michigan, questioned whether the plan was designed to privatize food inspection.

Von Eschenbach denied that assertion but later said the agency is considering allowing some private labs to test food for the government.