Insights and Stories of Leah Douglas

Apr. 21, 2025 at 4:57 pm CDT

Washington | Reuters – The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for testing of fluid milk and other dairy products due to reduced capacity in its food safety and nutrition division, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The suspension is another disruption to the […]

By Leah Douglas

Apr. 4, 2025 at 10:29 am CDT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation.

By Leah Douglas, Reuters

Apr. 3, 2025 at 11:33 am CDT

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Fox News on Thursday that the administration is "months away" from making a decision about whether to make payments to farmers to offset any impact from tariffs.

By Leah Douglas, Reuters

Mar. 18, 2025 at 9:32 am CDT

Chicago/Washington | Reuters – The Trump administration said on Mar. 17 that it plans to permanently allow U.S. poultry and pork processing plants to operate more quickly, raising concerns among advocacy groups about worker health and food safety. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decision is a victory for meat companies and industry associations […]

By Leah Douglas, Tom Polansek

Mar. 10, 2025 at 11:09 am CDT

Farmers and food organizations across the country are cutting staff, halting investments and missing key funding amid a USDA freeze on a broad swath of grants, more than two dozen farmers and agricultural support groups in seven states told Reuters.

By Leah Douglas, P.J. Huffstutter, Reuters, Tom Polansek