It answers questions such as:
How and where do I find out if a drug is approved for use?
Why are there still food recalls?
How do I report a pet food compliant?
You can also submit your own questions, provide feedback, and view interviews with FDA staff.
The resource is at www.fda.gov/FDABasics
Keep in mind that the information there about the FDA is written by the FDA. The agency does a lot of good work but there are also problems. This FDA site will not mention a lot of the major problems in the FDA and it is not beyond stretching the truth to the breaking point.
For example... This quote is from the "Supplements" area of their website.
Are dietary supplements approved by FDA?
No. Dietary supplement manufacturers and distributors are not required to obtain approval from FDA before marketing dietary supplements. Before a firm markets a dietary supplement, the firm is responsible for ensuring that
* the products it manufactures or distributes are safe
* any claims made about the products are not false or misleading
* the products comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and FDA regulations in all other respects
Saying that "any claims made about the products are not false or misleading" before the supplement is marketed is not even close to being true.
The truth is that the FDA does not enforce the accuracy of the ingredient labels of supplements. One study of Ginkgo Biloba supplements found none of brands contained as much Ginkgo Biloba as claimed on their ingredient label. Many brands of Ginkgo Biloba supplements contained no Ginkgo Biloba. This can be dangerous. I took OTC niacin for a few years because it was cheaper than the prescription niacin I had been taking. It turned out that the OTC niacin supplement I was taking to help control my cholesterol had little or no niacin in it. I have a few years of extra plaque in my arteries because the FDA did not ensure that "any claims made about the products are not false or misleading".
