The Pure Food and Drug Act led to the creation of which agency?

• A. The Food and Drug Administration
• B. The Centers for Disease Control
• C. The National Institutes of Health
• D. The Environmental Protection Agency

Answer: (A)

The question centers on how federal rules for foods and medicines were enforced, which required a dedicated agency to oversee compliance. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 set standards for labeling and safety of foods and medicines, creating a need for a federal body to enforce those rules. That role eventually evolved into the agency known today as the Food and Drug Administration, which began as the Bureau of Chemistry under the Department of Agriculture and was reorganized into the FDA in 1927 to oversee foods, drugs, and related products.

The other agencies listed have different purposes and histories. The Centers for Disease Control focuses on preventing and controlling disease, not regulating food and drug safety in general. The National Institutes of Health is primarily a biomedical research organization, not a regulatory agency. The Environmental Protection Agency was created to protect the environment, not to regulate foods and drugs.