Jim Jones, head of the food division at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has officially resigned, Bloomberg News first reported. Jones’ departure comes just a few days after the Trump administration fired thousands of federal workers, including several recently hired employees who work in the agency’s centers for food, medical devices and tobacco products.
In his resignation letter, obtained by Bloomberg News, Jones cited “indiscriminate” layoffs to 89 staff members, including key technical experts. “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,” Jones wrote.
Jones became head of the FDA’s food division in 2023. He oversaw several major initiatives, including the Biden administration's ban on Red No. 3 dye and the FDA’s investigation of applesauce contaminated with elevated levels of lead and chromium.
In response to Jones’ resignation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News in a statement, “There are a number of bureaucrats who are resistant to the democratic process and mandate delivered by the American people.”
“President Trump is only interested in the best and most qualified people who are also willing to implement his America First Agenda on behalf of the American people,” Leavitt said. “It’s not for everyone, and that’s okay.”
At this time, "it’s unclear whether Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has an immediate replacement for Jones," NBC News’ Berkeley Lovelace Jr. reported.
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