The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of the oldest consumer protection agencies in the United States (formed in 1927), ensures that foods are safe and wholesome, that medicines and medical devices are safe and effective, that cosmetics and products which emit radiation are harmless, and that products are honestly labeled and packaged. FDA is also responsible for feed and drugs for pets and farm animals.

Each year, the agency monitors the manufacture, import, transport, storage, and sale of $1 trillion worth of goods. It regulates almost 95,000 businesses in the United States. Headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, it is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service division. FDA has more than 9,000 employees working in district and local offices in 157 cities nationwide. Agency staff include 2,100 scientists working in 40 laboratories nationwide, and 1,100 investigators and inspectors who visit 15,000 facilities each year...