USDA terminates two longstanding food safety advisory committees
The agency notified members of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) that the committees had been eliminated on March 6.
NACMCF was created in 1988 by recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. It was established to provide impartial scientific advice and recommendations to the USDA and other government agencies on microbiological and public health issues related to food safety. The group met one to three times a year and had about 30 members, according to a USDA webpage on the committee.
NACMPI was established in 1971 to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on food safety policies, including those related to meat and poultry inspection, contributing to the USDA's regulatory policy development. The group met twice a year and had about 20 members, according to a USDA webpage on the committee.
The White House and the USDA have not made statements on the termination of the committees.