Food and Drug Administration

Food and Drug Administration

History

One of the oldest comprehensive consumer protection agencies developed by US federal government is Food and Drug Administration. The basis of formation of agency can be associated to the appointment of Lewis Caleb Beck in 1862. Beck was responsible for analyzing the chemical composition of agricultural products (FDA, 2013). While working for the safety of chemical product, the early scientists of FDA found interest and started working in the area of food safety. In the same year, Charles M. Wetherill began analyzing samples of soil, fertilizers as well as food. The first project reported in the area of food administration was the chemical study of grape juice which was used in the process of wine making. Another report dealing with use of chemical preservatives for preserving food items was also published in 1862. In 1873, the FDA report dealt with analysis of cereals, opium and wine. In 1874,

Despite the initial release valuable food safety reports, United States did not recognize the need of regulating national food and drug matters. On the contrary, food and drug administration laws were passed in the Great Britain no later than 1860. In US, the modern regulatory functions of the agency began working by 1906, particularly with the passage of Pure Food and Drugs Act. However, the agency began working with the name “Food and Drug Administration” in 1930.

Role of Agency

Since 1906, the roles and responsibilities of the agency have gone through numerous major changes, incorporating the social, political, cultural and economic changes that have take place over the period of past century. For example, the consumer protections laws which had been practiced before 50 years have gone through various stages of evolution. However, the core objective of the agency has been to ensure comprehensive health care of public. The major roles include governing the manufacturing, import and sale of the consumable products. The FDA mainly deals with the matters of food products, medical tools, pharmaceutical drugs, medical tools, tobacco products and cosmetics.

In addition to the above discussed responsibilities, FDA is also responsible for approving the sale of any new product (Higgins, 1999). The FDA not only looks for the contents and composition of the product, but also the labeling and packaging. FDA approves that the product is fit for sale and consumption only upon receiving sufficient evidence about extensive testing of the product. The major aim of FDA behind monitoring the food products and making recalls is to ensure the safety of public.

Another important role of FDA is to ensure that medicines and veterinary drugs are safe and affordable for public. FDA attempts to review and approve the medicine before they are made available for the public consumption, in the shortest possible time. These products undergo rigorous testing of FDA; FDA also publishes the test results and makes them available to the public. This helps in keeping the public informed about the facts of drugs and medicine, while they make any important medical ...