Food and Drug Administration - Regulation of food safety

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was initiated in 1906 when Congress passed the Food and Drug Act and charged the agency with prohibiting the interstate transport of adulterated or mislabeled foods or drugs. Chemists and inspectors were hired, and they set about the task of protecting the public from the unhealthy practices of the food industry. However, they soon ran up against a problem that continues to this day: The food and beverage industries are huge and politically powerful, and they fought back against regulation by this upstart agency. A controversial addition to the FDA's authority was nicknamed the "Delaney clause." The law established a "zero tolerance" policy for any additive or pesticide residue in processed food that was found to cause cancer.

Consumer groups opposed the Delaney clause, claiming it did not protect the public because of the many loopholes that the clause contained. The agriculture industry opposed it because it barred the use of possibly safe pesticides. The fight raged on for years in Congress and in the courts. Finally, Congress passed reform legislation for food safety in 1996. The Delaney clause was gone but in its place came powerful new protections for consumers.

Today's FDA is one of the United States's largest government agencies. It is responsible for promoting health by reviewing research and approving new products, ensuring that our foods are safe and properly labeled, and working with consumer groups and scientific experts. As part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the agency works closely with Congress, many other federal agencies, and state and local health agencies to assure the safety of our food supply. Despite its size, the FDA has not been able to keep pace with the growth and complexity of the food production industry. Many domestic food processing plants are not visited by an inspector more than once every five years.

The FDA is also charged with inspection of the imported food supply, which has grown rapidly in recent decades. Many of these imported foods come from countries with inadequate controls over production methods, yet it is impossible for the FDA to inspect all foods entering the United States. In 2006, FDA inspectors sampled less than 3% of the food shipments that arrived at American ports.

In addition to the FDA's primary goal of preventing any contamination of our food supply, the FDA is also active in responding to evidence of any failure of the safety network.

It works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in cases of suspected disease outbreaks related to food sources. Computer networks among the 50 states are available to react quickly in the event of food-related illnesses. Efforts are underway to expand the FDA's reach in light of the increasing seriousness of growing food scares and to deal with the ever more complex food supply system.