The US government shutdown, which extends into its 30th day, has meant that routine restaurant inspections are being put on hold, reducing consumer confidence and impacting sales. Restaurants that rely on federal workers are also under the pump.
“We are in uncharted territory,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. “This is a watershed moment in the life of this agency.”
Restaurants near national public sites are feeling the squeeze most acutely. A decline in tourist numbers to sites in cities such as Washington DC means that restaurants are struggling to get the necessary amount of customers through in order to make ends meet. Furthermore, restaurants in DC who rely on the lunch rush from federal workers are being declined a valuable income stream, as furloughed workers remain at home – sales have decreased as much as 40 percent for some.
Further than bureaucratic hurdles, the Trump shutdown has raised fears of an economic downturn, causing consumers to tighten the purse strings. As usual in times of economic worry, dining out and entertainment are the first things people look at in order to trim down.
While USDA has tried to keep restaurant inspections running throughout the shutdown, they cannot force their workers to carry out the inspections without pay. While all inspections were halted following the shutdown, by the third week Dr Gottlieb announced that the agency would resume inspections for high-risk industries such as cheese, seafood and infant milk.
“We'll also do compounding inspections this week,” he said. “And we started sampling high risk imported produce in the northeast region today. We'll expand our footprint as the week progresses. Our teams are working.”
