The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking for $5.1 billion from President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2017 budget--8 percent more than the previous fiscal year’s budget.
Fiscal year 2017 covers the period from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. The FDA plans to spend the money on continued implementation of the agency’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The budget--which includes an additional $18.4 million in budget authority and an additional $193.2 million in user fees--would support state and federal efforts to establish enforceable safety standards for produce farms and also enable the FDA to continue progress to hold importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets U.S. safety standards, as well as conduct food safety audits of foreign food facilities.
Besides the FDA’s food safety and FSMA initiatives, the agency has requested that the remainder of the $5.1 billion budget be side aside for improving the safety and quality of medical products, cancer treatment research and the FDA’s building and facility infrastructure.