How old is fda

Its jurisdiction encompasses most food products other than meat and poultry ; human and animal drugs; therapeutic agents of biological origin; medical devices; radiation-emitting products for consumer, medical, and occupational use; cosmetics; and animal feed.

The agency oversees items accounting for 25 cents of every dollar spent by consumers. John P. What began as the Division of Chemistry became the Bureau of Chemistry after July , but the modern era of the FDA dates to the passage of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, known by many as the most important date in the history of the agency.

From to , there were numerous attempts to pass laws concerning the regulation of domestically produced foods, and eventually drugs, Dr. Swann said.

Called the father of the FDA, Dr. Wiley demonstrated his concern about chemical preservatives in foods by calling them adulterants.

The act, which the Bureau of Chemistry was charged with administering, prohibited the adulteration and misbranding of foods and drugs. Although the act did not establish standards for food, it did enforce the labeling of ingredients. The food or drug label could not be false or misleading, and the presence and amount of 11 dangerous ingredients, including alcohol, heroin, and cocaine, had to be listed.

After Dr. Misbranding was a source of considerable controversy in the regulation of drugs, and the bureau lost a lot of egregious cases. Proving fraudulence was difficult, Dr. Swann explained, but the seizure of misbranded and adulterated drugs increased substantially in the s and s. Gina G. Salome R. Christine T. Cielo R. Auralynn V. Quick Menus. Recent Posts.

Quick Links. S Food and Drug Administration U. Contact Information. Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Mobile: Email: [email protected].

All Rights Reserved. Meanwhile, "patent medicines" started being sold in catalogs for a variety of ailments. This industrialization put a new veil between consumer and product: Besides artful labels and hyped slogans, there was no way of knowing what a product really contained.

Naturally, manufacturers began to exploit this ambiguity. Using spices or additives, canners could mask the taste of expired meat and other substandard ingredients. Many patent medicines ended up relying on large quantities of morphine or cocaine to give users a high instead of actually healing them. The federal government largely took a hands-off approach to food and drug safety at this time.

It didn't help that manufacturers had a significant influence on Congress through aggressive lobbying. But there was resistance from within: One of the most powerful advocates of food and drug regulation was Harvey Wiley , who served as head of the USDA's Bureau of Chemistry. Wiley tapped into a network of powerful support: millions of American women who feared for the safety of themselves and their families. Led by activist Alice Lakey, these women formed an unstoppable crusade of lobbyists.

Wiley himself credit the club women of the country for turning the tide of public opinion in favor of the 'pure food' bill," FDA historian Wallace Janssen wrote in The FDA has maintained its watch over the American consumer for a century. One of its most famous accomplishments was its rejection of thalidomide , a widely used drug that was later revealed to cause significant birth defects.