Food and U.S. Drug Administration

Food and Drug Administration, U.S. (FDA), federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, set up to enforce the laws maintaining standards in the sale of food and drugs. Originally concerned largely with preventing adulteration and poor food hygiene, the FDA is now also involved in testing the safety, reliability, and usefulness of drugs and chemicals, and assessing the effects on health of “accidental additives” such as pesticides.