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The FDA is a US regulatory agency responsible for ensuring the safety of consumer products, with 25 cents of every dollar spent going towards FDA-regulated products. Established in 1906, it has undergone refinements to handle new threats and public health problems. The agency has several departments, including drug development, food safety, cosmetics, and medical devices. It periodically reviews existing products and evaluates labeling and advertising claims. The FDA has the power to recall dangerous products and issue warnings. Proposals have been made to reform the organization due to conflicts with the USDA.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a regulatory agency in the United States responsible for ensuring the safety of a number of consumer products. The agency estimates that for every dollar Americans spend, 25 cents of that dollar goes to products regulated and managed by the FDA. This organization has a huge reach and plays a vital role in numerous industries, from pharmaceuticals to the practice of veterinary medicine.
This agency is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It was established in 1906 under the Federal Food and Drugs Act, an act of Congress passed to address growing consumer concern about food and drug safety in America. With the publication of The Jungle and numerous other texts revealing the seedy side of the products Americans ate, drank, and used on their bodies, consumers were in an uproar in the early 1900s, and the FDA was the government’s attempt to reassure customers . In the process of establishing the FDA, the US government created the first agency dedicated to consumer protection.
In the FDA’s early years, a number of flaws within the organization were revealed, as is often the case when new government agencies are established. The FDA was overhauled in 1938 with the Pure Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, and further refinements were made to the agency over the course of the 20th century as new threats and public health problems emerged.
There are several departments in the agency that handle issues such as drug development, food safety, cosmetics, blood products, medical devices, vaccines, veterinary medicine, and radiation-emitting products. In addition to reviewing new products before they go on the market to determine their safety, the FDA also periodically reviews existing products, and the agency evaluates the labeling, advertising, and other claims about the products it regulates. In all cases, the aim is to ensure that consumers have access to safe products and accurate information about them.
Thousands of people work for the FDA, from research chemists to field inspectors. The agency has the power to recall products it deems dangerous and to issue additional warnings as new evidence about existing products emerges. Every time someone takes an aspirin, takes a pet to the vet for a vaccine, or applies lipstick in the United States, among other things, they’re taking advantage of FDA-regulated products and services.
Some proposals have been made to reform the organization of the Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA handles inspections of meat and poultry, which can lead to some conflict between the two agencies. At a company that makes frozen pizzas, for example, the FDA inspects the cheese pizzas, but the USDA inspects the meat-based versions, which can lead to errors and misidentifications of health risks.
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