On June 7, 2021, the FDA released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget request, outlining key investments for food safety. The request details how the FDA plans to use funds in FY 2022 to support food safety and nutrition. The budget provides increases to core food safety programs and outlines emerging issues of concern for the agency.

The agency’s FY 2022 Budget provides $1.6 billion in budget authority for food safety, an increase of $134 million from the previous year.

The agency’s press release states: “[o]f the increase of $134 million for food safety activities, $45 million is for efforts to support initiatives to advance the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, including $23 million for food safety requested as part of FDA’s Data Modernization and Enhanced Technologies initiative. The New Era initiative, announced in 2019, strives to leverage new technologies and approaches to create a more digital, traceable and safer food system.

The budget also supports critical food safety initiatives that include $20 million for Emerging Chemical and Toxicology Issues and $18 million for Maternal and Infant Health and Nutrition.

Additional funding will support the agency in keeping pace with the latest advances in science and technology and addressing issues of concern, such as maternal and infant health and nutrition and emerging chemical and toxicology issues. Likewise, without new resources for the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, the FDA's ability to maintain the safeguards needed to help keep foods safe will significantly lag behind rapid, sweeping changes in the marketplace, potentially putting consumers at risk.”