FDA Announces Meeting to Address Intentional Food and Drug Adulteration

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a public meeting slated for May 1, 2009, in College Park, Maryland, to discuss the economically motivated adulteration of foods and drugs, which the agency defines as the “fraudulent, intentional substitution or addition of a substance in a product for the purpose of increasing the apparent value of the product or reducing the cost of its production, i.e., for economic gain.” FDA is seeking public input on how the food, drug, medical device, and cosmetic industries, regulatory agencies and other stakeholders “can better predict and prevent economically motivated adulteration with a focus on situations that pose the greatest public health risk.” The agency will accept written or electronic comments until August 1, 2009. See Federal Register, April 6, 2009.