July 2016

Border Wars: What Are the Boundaries between FDA and USDA?

Posted on Jul 30th, 2016 by Norm Howe

The responsibilities of the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture would seem to be clear cut.  FDA is responsible for Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics while USDA is responsible for agricultural products, right?  But an agricultural product can become a food, drug, or cosmetic.  Where in the supply chain does a product make the transition from one jurisdiction to the other?  Well, it turns out to be right in the middle of your sandwich.  If it's an open-face sandwich, it's regulated by USDA.  If it's closed-face, it's FDA.