FDA Seeks Eight Per Cent Budget Uplift to Improve Food Safety Standards

11 Feb 2016 --- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked for a year-on-year eight per cent increase in its overall budget in the year ending September 2017 as it looks to improve food safety both domestically and food coming into the US.

The regulator, which protects and promotes public health in the US, has requested an overall budget from the US government of $5.1 bn for the period October 2016 to September 2017.

The eight per cent increase is due to a number of factors, including $268.7m in user fees for projects tied to a number of areas including the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA) as well as attempts to improve medical product safety and quality.

An increase in over $18m is also earmarked for the continued implementation of the FDA’s new Food Safety System.

The FDA said this will help establish improved safety standards for produce farms. The funding, the FDA said, will also enable it to hold importers accountable so it can verify that imported foods meet US safety standards, as well as conduct food safety audits of foreign food facilities.

It has also requested extra funds to address public heath safety concern liked with antimicrobian drug use in animals to better protect antibiotic effectiveness for both human and animal populations.

The FDA said it was also seeking $75m in funding to support the National Cancer Moonshot project, the ambitious programme to wipe out the disease spearheaded by vice president Joe Biden.

“The FDA continues to work to obtain the most public health value for the federal dollar as we address expanded regulatory responsibilities and scientific challenges,” said FDA Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. “The agency remains fully committed to meeting the needs and high expectations of the American people regarding the products we regulate, as well as advancing the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.”