Introduction
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one of the most famous federal-level public health agencies in the United States. Similarly to other agencies, the FDA was established with little involvement from the U.S. government. In 1906, independent journalists exposed the status of food and drug safety in the country, forcing the authorities to tackle the issues revealed during investigations (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). The FDA has made a long way since those early days, becoming a powerful institution within the U.S. healthcare system.
This paper explores the modern-day FDA from three main points. The first section briefly overviews the FDA and its mission and goals. The second section explains what essential public health service the FDA fulfills and how it achieves the proclaimed health outcomes. In that regard, this paper aims to familiarize the reader with the FDA’s core function and the means of attaining public health goals.
Overview, Mission, and Goals
The FDA is not a part of the U.S. government. This role belongs to a larger structure, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In that regard, the FDA is one of the operating agencies under HHS management (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019).
The HHS outlines and controls the FDA’s mission, role, authority, and goals within the U.S. public health system. Generally, one can identify two key components of the FDA’s mission: food and drug safety (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). In particular, the FDA is responsible for protecting consumers by ensuring that food and drugs available to the public are safe. The public health agency includes subdivisions responsible for food safety, drug efficacy control, medical device testing, and drug safety approval (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). As such, the FDA pursues the goal of creating an overarching protective environment for consumers.
Given the massive scope of the FDA’s mission and goals, one can assume that all types of foods, drugs, and medical equipment available for purchase are safe. Essentially, the FDA performs a nationwide screening of all products that may directly affect consumers’ health. The agency remains vigilant and supervises everything, from trivial groceries to innovative drugs and vaccines.
In that regard, the FDA’s activities are not limited to the public health domain. The agency protects consumers’ rights by safeguarding people from potentially harmful products. Due to the FDA’s work, an average consumer may be confident in purchasing inherently safe goods. Therefore, the FDA is an essential part of the U.S. economy and public health system. Public health would be compromised, and consumer rights would be frequently violated without the FDA and its core mission.
FDA Public Health Service: Enforcement of Protective Regulations
The FDA operates under a standard protocol for public health agencies within the HHS structure. In particular, the FDA fulfills a specific essential public health service directly related to a corresponding core function. As a federal agency, the FDA enforces laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). This public health service includes various screening and regulatory activities. For instance, the FDA enforces full sanitary codes in the food industry, monitors the quality of medical services and products, reviews new drugs, and regulates the application of medical devices (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019).
The protocol is strict, comprehensive, and mandatory. To gain access to the market, the food and pharmaceutical industries must comply with the FDA’s decisions. The FDA conducts thorough pre- and post-approval safety checks for drugs. The food industry undergoes sanitary codes and follow-up examinations (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). As a result, the agency fulfills its expected essential public health service.
The FDA’s public service aligns with a specific core function. The National Academy of Medicine outlines core healthcare functions. The FDA aims to fulfill the core function of assurance (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). As an agency with federal-level powers, the FDA is expected to enforce legally binding rules and regulations rather than give recommendations. As such, the agency has access to powerful legislative tools to ensure compliance of business entities with policies beneficial to consumers.
Additionally, the FDA is expected to collaborate with other public health agencies to fulfill its core function. For example, the FDA cooperates with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the National Vaccine Plan, the FDA approves new vaccines introduced by pharmaceutical industry researchers. The FDA-NIH collaboration paved the way for the introduction of vaccines against pediatric pneumococcal disease, meningococcal disease, and human papillomavirus (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019).
The CDC-FDA collaboration is related to the surveillance and evaluation of potential adverse effects. In addition, the FDA works with federal agencies outside of the public health field. Cooperation with the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs allows the FDA to improve surveillance and adverse events reporting in the population groups these agencies serve (Riegelman & Kirkwood, 2019). In that regard, the FDA plays a vital role in joint nationwide research and control efforts in public health.
Overall, one can claim that the FDA has a two-pronged operation procedure. As a separate agency, the FDA fulfills the core function of assurance. The agency introduces strict standards for the food and pharmaceutical industries and oversees compliance through various screening procedures. As a part of the HHS, the FDA collaborates with federal public health agencies and U.S. departments from fields not related to healthcare to enhance the quality and coverage of surveillance. Through these means, the FDA ensures the fulfillment of its primary mission — protecting consumers from potentially unsafe foods, drugs, and medical devices.
Conclusion
In summary, the FDA’s mission lies in assuring food and drug safety across the U.S. territory. As a public health agency within the HHS structure, the FDA pursues creating a safe consumer environment. In particular, the FDA strives to ensure that all food, drugs, and medical devices in the U.S. market are inherently safe for consumers.
Regarding essential public health services, the FDA is authorized to introduce federal-level regulations for business entities. This authorization aligns with a core healthcare function of assurance; the FDA uses binding regulations to maintain control over the quality and safety of goods. Comprehensive standards and thorough checks throughout the product life cycle are the primary means of control deployed by the FDA. Finally, the FDA collaborates with federal-level public health agencies and various U.S. departments to increase the quality and coverage of protection offered to consumers in the U.S. territory.
Reference
Riegelman, R., & Kirkwood, B. (2019). Public health 101: Improving community health (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.