In an April 5, 2024 webinar hosted by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, James (Jim) Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), elaborated upon the agency’s recent request for $7.2 billion in funding as part of the Presidential budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025, and how portions of those funds will be allocated to meeting Human Foods Program goals.
According to Mr. Jones, although the FY 2025 budget request was mostly finalized prior to his joining FDA and the proposed reorganization of the agency’s Human Foods Program has not yet been implemented, he currently has authority over the Human Foods budget, regardless of which departments receive the money within the current FDA structure. He also shared that the agency fully expects to have its new, unified Human Foods Program up-and-running before FY 2026, and therefore the FY 2026 budget request will be drafted with the new structure in mind.