What does the FDA do?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating animal drugs, feeds/foods, devices, and most animal health products.
- Makes sure animal drugs are safe, effective, labeled, packaged, and appropriately made. If the drug is for a food-producing animal (e.g., cattle, swine, chickens), the center makes sure food products made from treated animals—meat, milk, and eggs—are safe for people to eat;
- Provides education about regulated products to the public, veterinary professions, animal producers, and the animal health industry;
- Monitors animal food and medicated feed for safety;
- Tracks reported quality concerns and side effects of regulated products (e.g., drugs, devices, animal food) on the market;
- Conducts research on drugs, devices, and animal food for supporting policies and regulations;
- Collaborates with relevant FDA Offices and Centers and relevant international regulatory organizations; and
- Helps make more animal drugs legally available for minor species, such as fish, hamsters, and parrots; and for minor (infrequent and limited) uses in a major species, such as cattle, turkeys, and dogs.
The FDA website is vast and full of resources for veterinarians and animal owners alike. We encourage all veterinary personnel to familiarize themselves with its valuable resources!
FDA Resource Pages
- For Veterinarians
- Animal Drugs
- Animal Food & Feed
- Animal Medical Devices
- For Industry
- For Consumers (Excellent resource for veterinarians to share with their clients!)
- Recalls & Withdrawals
