By RACHEL LANE

D.C. Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Food inspections are still occurring, even a month after the federal government shutdown began.

Farmers, manufacturers, USDA inspectors and everyone in between continue to move forward with food production, awareness and safety. The number of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors working and the number of inspections being done are unknown, but all food is still receiving inspections from manufacturers.

The USDA inspects livestock-derived foods, meat, fish, eggs and dairy. Those Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors are working, said Patrick Delaney, communications director for U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). Peterson became the new chair of the House Agriculture Committee this year.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has tweeted that the Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation teams are available to respond to outbreaks: “Responding to outbreaks is a top priority and an excepted activity. Consumer protection is our top priority.”

The FDA inspectors are overseen by the Energy and Commerce Committee. No one from the committee of the FDA responded to a request for comment on this story.

Last week, inspections of high-risk foods and samplings resumed, by thousands of unpaid FDA inspectors. About 200 of the 550 food investigators have returned to work. An additional 450 FDA staff working to cover International Mail Facilities and ports of entry are also working.

“We’re deeply grateful for the FDA professional staff that continue to carry on this mission unpaid, while also incurring expenses on their personal government credit cards for travel. We’re doing everything we can to support them as they protect American consumers,” said Gottlieb.

“Food safety and inspection is one of the most important functions of the federal government, and we have complete confidence in the ability of FSIS and USDA to carry out these essential duties during the partial government shutdown,” said Colin Woodall, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc.

“Thanks to thousands of dedicated and professional FSIS inspectors, our beef supply chain continues to deliver safe, delicious and nutritious protein to millions of people around the world every single day.”

The biggest concern for the Grocery Manufacturers Assoc, (GMA) is how long it will take to replace government employees who are applying for jobs at this time, said Katie McBreen, vice president of communications and research. Additionally, once the government reopens and employees get back to work, it’s unclear how long it will take to get through the backlog of work, she said.

The GMA indicated that more than 35,000 social media posts show confusion and fear over food safety since the FDA routine inspections stopped on Dec. 29. “Food safety does not stop with the FDA and USDA inspections,” the GMA said in a statement. “American consumers should be confinement that they are being protected.”

Every registered manufacturer is required to have a food safety plan for their products. The presence of an inspector should not affect the extensive monitoring processes. While the FDA inspectors may not be on hand, most lines of defense are unchanged, GMA stated.

“The job of food safety is largely in the hands of manufacturers and it is a job they do very well. The government’s role is oversight and determining violations.”

If a threat to food safety is detected, the FDA and USDA will respond.

Indeed.com, a job search website, has reported that federal employee job searchers are up 17 percent since the start of the shutdown. Once the government reopens, there may be many job openings, some for highly skilled jobs such as food inspectors. Replacing the departing staff could take months, making the effects of the shutdown felt long-term.

“The question is how long they will be able to stay on the job. With morale undoubtedly shaken as the shutdown drags on and paychecks unissued, government workers are being forced to look into alternative employment,” the GMA stated.

“The true cost will be harder to quantify, with intangible losses in trust and talent likely to linger. It’s time to bring this shutdown to an end and start the process of restoring faith – in food safety and in government.”

By the Trump administration’s own estimates, the cost of the shutdown on the U.S. economy is swelling, and will likely be reduce economic growth 0.13 percent every week it goes on. Last year, by contrast, the U.S. economy rose about 2.2 percent in the first quarter.