FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration)

Forensic science can involve the examination of foodstuffs and other items used by consumers. If contaminated or faulty, these items can cause illness or death.

Various federal government agencies participate in the regulation of consumer goods, which can involve the forensic determination of the circumstances surrounding accidents, illness outbreaks, or deaths. Principal among these is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mandate is the regulation of the development, sale, and distribution of food products, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, and medical equipment. The FDA's reach is extensive; one-fifth of all consumer dollars spent in the U.S. purchase a product regulated by the FDA. The goal of the FDA is to protect consumers by ensuring the safety of food and drug products sold in the U.S.

The FDA traces its history to 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln created a chemistry division under the Department of Agriculture. Congress created the modern FDA in 1906 with the passage of the Food and Drugs Act. The 1906 law gave limited power to the FDA to monitor the safety of food and drug products. In 1938, Congress expanded the power of the FDA by passing the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This act granted the FDA the power to test drugs and determine their safety and efficacy before allowing companies to sell the new drugs. The act also granted the FDA authority to regulate cosmetics.

While the FDA's primary task is to ensure food and drug safety, in recent years the agency has taken on an increased role in addressing the deliberate contamination of foods. The FDA is leading efforts to develop and produce vaccines and, in conjunction with agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, takes a role in the forensic investigation of food-borne outbreaks, especially if the outbreak can be traced to a breach in the food chain from the field to the consumer.