Food and Drug Administration
| U.S. Food and Drug Administration | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Silver Spring, MD |
| Type: | Federal agency |
| Top official: | Robert M. Califf |
| Year founded: | 1930 |
| Website: | Official website |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a United States federal agency responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for food, drugs (including tobacco), cosmetics, and medical devices. The agency is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Commissioner of Food and Drugs is appointed by the President on the advice and consent of the Senate.[1]
Mission
On its website, the FDA describes its purpose in the following way:[1]
| “ | The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
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History
The United States Food and Drug Administration was established in 1930. On its website, the FDA claims to be "the oldest comprehensive consumer protection agency in the U. S. federal government." The agency traces its contemporary regulatory functions to the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act, which "prohibited interstate commerce in adulterated and misbranded food and drugs."[3]
Work
| Administrative State |
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| Read more about the administrative state on Ballotpedia. |
The FDA has broad regulatory authority. On its website, the agency claims that most of its activity covers the following consumer products:[4]
- Foods
- Drugs
- Biologics (such as vaccines, blood, and cell tissues)
- Medical devices
- Electronics that emit radiation
- Cosmetics
- Veterinary products
- Tobacco products
Structure
The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is organized into nine center-level organizations and thirteen headquarters offices:[5][6]
- Office of the Commissioner
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
- Center for Devices and Radiological Health
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
- Center for Tobacco Products
- Center for Veterinary Medicine
- National Center for Toxicological Research
- Office of Regulatory Affairs
- Office of Operations
Leadership
The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration is Robert M. Califf. Califf was named director in February 2022.[7]
Budget
The following is a table of the approximate yearly budget of the FDA for fiscal years 2022-2023:[8]
| Annual budget of the United States Food and Drug Administration, 2022-2023 | |
|---|---|
| Fiscal Year | Total Budget |
| 2023 | $6,719,461,000 |
| 2022 | $6,250,481,000 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Food and Drug Administration' FDA. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Executive Branch
- Healthcare policy in the United States
External links
- FDA.gov
- FDA podcasts and news feeds
- New York Times news topic: Food and Drug Administration
- FDA on social media:
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 FDA, "What We Do," accessed February 22, 2024
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ FDA, "History," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ FDA, "What does FDA regulate?" June 10, 2016
- ↑ FDA, "FDA Organization," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ FDA, "About the Office of the Commissioner," accessed June 10, 2016
- ↑ Food and Drug Administration, "Robert M. Califf," accessed February 22, 2024
- ↑ Food and Drug Administration, "Operating Plan for FY 2023," accessed February 22, 2024
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