Funding for FCN Program Not Included in FY 2022 Omnibus Spending Bill

The Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2022 (H.R.2471) was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 15, 2022. The $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill will fund the government through FY 2022.  Of significance, the bill does not include a line item ensuring funding for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Contact Notification (FCN) program. It also does not include language requiring FDA to undertake additional post-market surveillance of specific chemicals. Under the bill, FDA would receive $3.3 billion in discretionary funding, a $102 million increase above the enacted level for FY2021.

An area that the bill does address is plastic waste reduction. In Section 210 (p. 1178) it states that all agencies and offices funded by the Act shall coordinate with food service provider(s) to eliminate or reduce plastic waste—including waste from plastic straws, explore the use of biodegradable items, and increase recycling and composting opportunities.