Food and Drug Administration: Laboratory Analysis of Product Samples needs to be more Timely.
Abstract
A primary responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to protect the American consumer from adulterated or misbranded (violative) products. The role of FDA's field laboratories in accomplishing this mission is critical. They test numerous samples of products for possible violations. When violative products are identified, FDA takes regulatory actions, including seizures, to remove them from the market. Removing violative products from the market through seizure takes time. As the time frame for action increases, so does the amount of violative products reaching the consumer. This report discusses (1) the timeliness of field laboratories in processing product samples to determine if they are violative and (2) measures that can be implemented to bring about improvements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA173014
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office