Why America Needs a Strong FDA.

This article comments on the United States Food and Drug Administration(FDA). The author contends that the FDA is one American idea that garners too little credit for a century of arduous public health surveillance, regulation, and scientific inquiry. It may be suggested that the FDA is a model for American civic life. The history of the FDA is discussed, including is current state and the scandals that have erupted in recent months. Two episodes have shaped the agency in its history. The Pure Food and Drug Act was signed into law by U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. All federal agencies were deregulated in the 1980s. The issue of trust is a challenge that the agency must face in regaining the confidence of the public.