The Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 is the most important of the pure food and drug acts passed and administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Food and drug laws were enacted to ensure the safety, proper labeling, and purity of foods, drugs, vaccines, devices, and cosmetics. The 1938 act is a revision of the first food and drug law, enacted in 1906, which brought attention to many abuses in the form of poor health practices and excessive pricing. The 1938 revised law and subsequent amendments, give consumers greater protection from dangerous and impure foods and drugs; they require labeling that discloses the nature of the contents of the package when the buyer cannot see the product or judge its composition and value. They also provide safeguards against the...