Hill Heat

Subcommittee hearing of the $7.2 billion Food and Drug Administration budget request.

Witness:

• Dr. Robert M. Califf, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Food and Drug Administration

The FY 2025 President’s Budget provides $8.0 million for Modernization of Cosmetics Implementation, for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). These resources will be used to hire additional staff for continued strategic coordination and implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA). Resources will be used for activities to develop proposed and/or final regulations (for Good Manufacturing Practices, asbestos testing of talc-containing cosmetics products, and disclosing fragrance allergens on labeling) and compliance policies. Funds will also be used to maintain and update submission platforms to address MoCRA provisions for registration, product listing, and adverse event reporting, as well as review of such information to ensure industry compliance with those requirements. The new funding would also support hiring additional experts to manage critical projects such as assessments of the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in cosmetic products. FDA will hire staff across OCS and the Office of Cosmetics and Colors to enable FDA to work toward a modernized cosmetics regulatory program.

In May 2023, FDA shared testing results for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 186 samples from two regional collections from the Total Diet Study (TDS).31 PFAS was detected in two cod and two shrimp samples, and one sample each of tilapia, salmon, and ground beef. For the samples where PFAS was detected, each type of PFAS for which there are toxicological reference values (TRVs) was assessed individually. FDA has concluded that exposure to the PFAS at the levels measured in the seven samples are not likely to be a health concern for young children or the general population. These data are consistent with previous TDS testing results; no PFAS have been detected in over 97 percent (701 out of 718) of the fresh and processed foods tested from the TDS. At least one type of PFAS was detected in 44 percent (14 out of 32) of the TDS seafood samples and in 74 percent (60 out of 81) of the samples from the 2022 targeted seafood survey. FDA is committed to maintaining the availability of safe seafood, as it provides key nutrients for children and adults. The Agency will continue to engage with industry and apply the latest science to increase our understanding of the levels of PFAS in seafood, the reasons for the differences within and across types of seafood, and to help identify strategies that can reduce PFAS in seafood. In addition, FDA is available to provide technical assistance to industry as laboratories work to expand their analytical capabilities to test for PFAS in seafood. Since 2019, FDA has expanded its testing methodology from 16 to now 30 types of PFAS in 2023. The Agency is also expanding its research effort by using high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). This will allow FDA to determine which additional types of PFAS, beyond those tested for with the current method, are present in foods and should be included in targeted methods going forward. As part of FDA’s technical assistance to states, the Agency is contributing to research to understand how PFAS is taken up by plants, and how PFAS concentrations vary between plants and parts of a plant. This is an area of research that may help make significant reductions in PFAS exposure from food. For example, by studying PFAS uptake, researchers may help identify plants that can be safely grown in contaminated soil without PFAS uptake to the edible portion of the plant.