FDA Requests $318 million to transform food safety system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is requesting $4.03 billion to promote and protect public health as part of the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget – a 23 percent increase over the agency’s current $3.28 billion budget. Of this, $318.3 million is being requested for food safety initiatives.

The FY 2011 request, which covers the period of Oct.1, 2010, through Sept. 30, 2011, includes increases of $146 million in budget authority and $601 million in industry user fees.

The budget request reflects the FDA’s resolve to transform food safety practices, improve medical product safety, protect patients and modernize FDA regulatory science to advance public health. Funding in the FY 2011 request also supports new regulatory authority to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products received in June 2009.

The proposed budget includes support for the FDA’s investment in addressing the challenges of the 21st century, including a food safety system that focuses on prevention. The Transforming Food Safety Initiative reflects President Obama’s vision of a new food safety system to protect the American public. The FDA will set standards for safety, expand laboratory capacity, pilot track and trace technology, strengthen its import safety program, improve data collection and risk analysis and begin to establish an integrated national food safety system with strengthened inspection and response capacity.