A Ray of Hope for the Fractured FDA

In response to recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, including salmonella-contaminated tomatoes, the Bush administration has asked Congress to add $275 million to the proposed 2009 budget of $2.4 billion for the Food and Drug Administration. The $2.4 billion allocation was a 5.7 percent increase over last year’s FDA budget. The Bush administration was implored for years to increase the FDA budget in response to recent health concerns, and to facilitate innovations in the agency’s food monitoring capabilities. In a recent Science Progress article, “Our Fractured Food Safety System,” Nancy Scola examines the deficiencies of the FDA and other agencies charged with protecting our food supply. She finds that many experts are critical of the current system, which silos responsibilities within agencies that should be interdependent, and creates unnecessary confusion over jurisdictions and responsibilities for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control, and the FDA.

Hopefully the most recent budget increase will alleviate some of the FDA’s shortcomings. According to a statement made by the FDA commissioner, “[t]he funds requested yesterday include $125 million to protect the food supply, $100 million for the safety of drugs and medical devices and $50 million to prepare the FDA’s workforce and laboratories for ‘areas of emerging science’ such as nanotechnology and gene therapies.”

Tags: FDA, funding

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