History of FDA

FDA dates its origin to June 1906, when President Teddy Roosevelt signed the Food and Drugs Act and entrusted implementation of this law to the Bureau of Chemistry of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Bureau, the oldest U.S. consumer protection office, eventually became the FDA, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Over the years, FDA has provided Americans with increasingly comprehensive, science-based protections that ensure the highest quality of products essential for health and survival. Today, these products represent almost 25% of all consumer spending and include 80% of the national food supply and all human drugs, vaccines, medical devices, tissues for transplantation, equipment that emits radiation, cosmetics, and animal drugs and food. Additionally, in 2009, FDA was charged with implementing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

The FDA website www.fda.gov/about-fda traces the history of the Agency during its first 100 years. The FDAAA was honored to cosponsor the FDA centennial observance held at the Harvey W. Wiley Federal Building in College Park, Maryland on June 30, 2006. See remarks given by FDAAA President, Anthony Celeste http://www.fdaaa.org/history_of_fda/CelesteCentennialRemarks.pdf