The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has fired thousands of federal employees since its creation last month after the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, including 700 workers in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Additionally, the Trump administration has delayed the implementation of new FDA standards for foods that can be labeled "healthy," including many types of seafood. The final rule, which was published with an effective date of Feb. 25, 2025, has been delayed until April 28, 2025, in line with a presidential memorandum issued Trump's first day in office requiring a freeze on all federal regulations pending review, the agency said in an official announcement and further elaborated in the Federal Register.

On Monday, Feb. 24, the FDA -- which regulates food safety, drugs, medical devices and tobacco -- moved to rehire around 300 of those fired, according to the Associated Press. At least 10 FDA employees responsible for reviewing the safety of new ingredients were offered their jobs back, the AP reported.

The firings came as part of the Trump administration's effort, led by DOGE head Elon Musk, to cut federal spending by downsizing its employee headcount. The firings mainly affected probationary workers who had been in their positions for less than a year. 

On Feb. 17, Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, resigned in protest of the "indiscriminate" firing of 89 Human Foods Program staffers, including employees with "highly technical expertise in nutrition, infant formula, and food safety response," according to his resignation letter, obtained by CBS News.

"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. It has been increasingly clear that with the Trump Administration's disdain for the very people necessary to implement [that] agenda, however, it would have been fruitless for me to continue in this role," Jones wrote.

The fired workers were sent an email saying their performance was "not adequate to justify further employment by the agency," but many had good to excellent performance reviews, according to The New York Times. 

Robert Califf, the former FDA commissioner who led a revamp of the department over the past two years during the Biden administration, denigrated the staff cuts, which he said would harm the efficiency of the agency and undermine Trump administration goals, such as the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda of Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

"It's despicable to treat fellow human beings this way and a sign of immaturity of the people doing it," he said, according to The New York Times.

The FDA and its parent agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, did not respond to requests for comment from the AP and The New York Times.