FDA may get US$50 million for food safety from US Senate

The US Food and Drug Administration may receive additional funding when the 2012 fiscal year starts October 1, 2011, as the Senate Appropriations Committee considers a bill that sets the organization's spending limit, according to reports. 

The report says the Senate's version of the budget bill would allocate approximately US$350 million more than the appropriations bill passed in the House in June. This would be nearly US$50 million more than FDA's fiscal 2011 budget allowed, due to Senate efforts to increase funding for FDA's implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. In contrast, the House bill would cut FDA's fiscal 2012 budget by 11%, or US$285 million, compared with fiscal 2011, including an US$87 million cut to food safety.