The US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement Tuesday there are no nationwide food shortages, although some stores may temporarily have low supplies of some items before they can restock.
The agency said it is in close contact with grocery stores and food manufacturers to monitor the food supply chain for any possible shortages.
“While we are confident that stores will remain open and supply will continue to meet demand nationwide, we ask all Americans to only purchase enough food and essentials for the week ahead,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement from the agency.
In the statement, the agency said it was relaxing some of its requirements to limit disruptions in the food supply chain.
While grocery stores are “facing unprecedented demand,” the FDA is temporarily waiving its strict supplier verification audit requirements, if the supplier is using other appropriate methods, such as sampling and testing, to make sure food is safe.
With COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions in place, the FDA said it may make some audits “temporarily impractical to conduct.” The FDA said onsite audits will resume when it becomes practicable to do so.
“The policy released today will help to minimize disruptions so that the food industry can meet the demand while also continuing to conduct supplier verification activities that are designed to ensure food safety and following government travel restrictions and advisories,” Hahn said.
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