Which department enforces the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act?

The correct answer is the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act through its Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA is responsible for ensuring that food, drugs, and cosmetics are safe for public consumption and meet legal standards.

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was established to provide the FDA with authority to regulate food safety, pharmaceutical efficacy, and the safety of cosmetics; therefore, HHS, the agency under which the FDA operates, is the key enforcement body.

Other departments, such as the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture, focus on entirely different mandates and do not entail the specific oversight and regulatory responsibilities that the FDA requires under this act. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare was reorganized in 1979 into HHS, which means it is no longer a current department, and thus not responsible for enforcing the act today.