U.S. Food and Drug Administration
About FDA
For more than 100 years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has worked to protect and promote public health. The agency regulates the safety, effectiveness, and quality of human and veterinary medicines, biologics, and medical devices, and oversees the safety of the U.S. food supply, cosmetics, radiation-emitting products, and tobacco products.
FDA is part of the Department of Health and Human Services and employs more than 18,000 people across all 50 states and internationally. The agency evaluates product approvals, enforces standards, issues guidance, conducts inspections, and monitors post-market safety to reduce risk and increase public confidence in regulated products.
Contact: 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20993; 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).
Mission
The FDA's mission is to protect and advance public health by:
- Ensuring safe and effective medical products reach patients
- Protecting the safety of the food supply
- Promoting innovation and transparency in regulation
- Responding to public health emergencies and monitoring products after approval
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