Following a directive by Congress, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the UDSA undertook an evaluation of the response of the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Agency to COVID. The OIG report has now been released. The focus of the investigation was the response of the Agency following the Presidential Executive Order in April 2020 mandating that meat-packing and chicken plants should remain in operation. It was determined that FSIS spent $22 million on funding under the CARES Act to pay for personal protective equipment for inspectors and staff. It is noted that during the early period of the COVID outbreak, inspectors, along with the plant workers were infected with COVID and fatalities occurred among the FSIS workforce. The report also determined that FSIS provided guidance to plants and tracked cases among workers.
The evaluation resulted in recommendations for tracking and reporting health outcomes in any future pandemic. The FSIS agreed to comply with suggestions including responsive action initiated by the Office of the USDA Chief Financial Officer.