Title 21Food and DrugsRelease 119-73

§379j–31 Authority to collect and use fees

Title 21 › Chapter CHAPTER 9— - FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VII— - GENERAL AUTHORITY › Part Part C— - Fees › Subpart subpart 6— - fees related to food › § 379j–31

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Starting in fiscal year 2010, the Secretary (the head of the Food and Drug Administration) must charge and collect yearly fees from certain people and companies to pay for specific food-safety work. The fees cover: follow-up inspections and checks after a problem is found at a domestic or imported facility; work the FDA does when a company doesn’t follow a recall order (like technical help, checks, and public notices); the running costs of the voluntary qualified importer program; and reinspections of importers. The Secretary must set each year’s fees so they equal the Secretary’s estimate of 100% of the costs for those activities and publish the fees at least 60 days before the fiscal year starts. For the importer program, the fee must reflect how many importers sign up and may include a reasonable surcharge in the first 5 fiscal years after January 4, 2011 to recover startup costs. If fees collected were too high one year, the extra can be credited to the next year. The Secretary must publish small-business fee guidelines within 180 days after January 4, 2011, allow public comment, and only change small-business fees through formal rulemaking. Key limits and rules: defined terms — Reinspection: a follow-up check after a problem was found; Reinspection-related costs: expenses to arrange, do, evaluate, and collect fees for reinspections; Responsible party: the person or entity defined elsewhere as responsible for the facility. If non-fee FDA food-safety funding for a year is at least the FY2009 level adjusted by the yearly Consumer Price Index change (compounded and never negative), fees must be refunded for that year. Fee collections are capped so recall-related fees can’t exceed $20,000,000 and reinspection-related fees for domestic and importer reinspections combined can’t exceed $25,000,000 (but fees may still be charged to new cases after a cap is reached). Fees must be collected as the Secretary says, unpaid fees become government claims after 30 days, the Secretary must report fees collected within 120 days after the fiscal year, and Congress can appropriate the fee amounts the Secretary determines.

Full Legal Text

Title 21, §379j–31

Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)For fiscal year 2010 and each subsequent fiscal year, the Secretary shall, in accordance with this section, assess and collect fees from—
(A)the responsible party for each domestic facility (as defined in section 350d(b) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title) and the United States agent for each foreign facility subject to a reinspection in such fiscal year, to cover reinspection-related costs for such year;
(B)the responsible party for a domestic facility (as defined in section 350d(b) 1 of this title) and an importer who does not comply with a recall order under section 350l of this title or under section 350a(f) of this title in such fiscal year, to cover food recall activities associated with such order performed by the Secretary, including technical assistance, follow-up effectiveness checks, and public notifications, for such year;
(C)each importer participating in the voluntary qualified importer program under section 384b of this title in such year, to cover the administrative costs of such program for such year; and
(D)each importer subject to a reinspection in such fiscal year, to cover reinspection-related costs for such year.
(2)For purposes of this section—
(A)the term “reinspection” means—
(i)with respect to domestic facilities (as defined in section 350d(b) 1 of this title), 1 or more inspections conducted under section 374 of this title subsequent to an inspection conducted under such provision which identified noncompliance materially related to a food safety requirement of this chapter, specifically to determine whether compliance has been achieved to the Secretary’s satisfaction; and
(ii)with respect to importers, 1 or more examinations conducted under section 381 of this title subsequent to an examination conducted under such provision which identified noncompliance materially related to a food safety requirement of this chapter, specifically to determine whether compliance has been achieved to the Secretary’s satisfaction;
(B)the term “reinspection-related costs” means all expenses, including administrative expenses, incurred in connection with—
(i)arranging, conducting, and evaluating the results of reinspections; and
(ii)assessing and collecting reinspection fees under this section; and
(C)the term “responsible party” has the meaning given such term in section 350f(a)(1) of this title.
(b)(1)Subject to subsections (c) and (d), the Secretary shall establish the fees to be collected under this section for each fiscal year specified in subsection (a)(1), based on the methodology described under paragraph (2), and shall publish such fees in a Federal Register notice not later than 60 days before the start of each such year.
(2)(A)Fees amounts established for collection—
(i)under subparagraph (A) of subsection (a)(1) for a fiscal year shall be based on the Secretary’s estimate of 100 percent of the costs of the reinspection-related activities (including by type or level of reinspection activity, as the Secretary determines applicable) described in such subparagraph (A) for such year;
(ii)under subparagraph (B) of subsection (a)(1) for a fiscal year shall be based on the Secretary’s estimate of 100 percent of the costs of the activities described in such subparagraph (B) for such year;
(iii)under subparagraph (C) of subsection (a)(1) for a fiscal year shall be based on the Secretary’s estimate of 100 percent of the costs of the activities described in such subparagraph (C) for such year; and
(iv)under subparagraph (D) of subsection (a)(1) for a fiscal year shall be based on the Secretary’s estimate of 100 percent of the costs of the activities described in such subparagraph (D) for such year.
(B)(i)In establishing the fee amounts under subparagraph (A)(iii) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide for the number of importers who have submitted to the Secretary a notice under section 384b(c) of this title informing the Secretary of the intent of such importer to participate in the program under section 384b of this title in such fiscal year.
(II)In establishing the fee amounts under subparagraph (A)(iii) for the first 5 fiscal years after January 4, 2011, the Secretary shall include in such fee a reasonable surcharge that provides a recoupment of the costs expended by the Secretary to establish and implement the first year of the program under section 384b of this title.
(ii)In establishing the fee amounts under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide for the crediting of fees from the previous year to the next year if the Secretary overestimated the amount of fees needed to carry out such activities, and consider the need to account for any adjustment of fees and such other factors as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(iii)Not later than 180 days after January 4, 2011, the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register a proposed set of guidelines in consideration of the burden of fee amounts on small business. Such consideration may include reduced fee amounts for small businesses. The Secretary shall provide for a period of public comment on such guidelines. The Secretary shall adjust the fee schedule for small businesses subject to such fees only through notice and comment rulemaking.
(c)(1)Fees under subsection (a) shall be refunded for a fiscal year beginning after fiscal year 2010 unless the amount of the total appropriations for food safety activities at the Food and Drug Administration for such fiscal year (excluding the amount of fees appropriated for such fiscal year) is equal to or greater than the amount of appropriations for food safety activities at the Food and Drug Administration for fiscal year 2009 (excluding the amount of fees appropriated for such fiscal year), multiplied by the adjustment factor under paragraph (3).
(2)If—
(A)the Secretary does not assess fees under subsection (a) for a portion of a fiscal year because paragraph (1) applies; and
(B)at a later date in such fiscal year, such paragraph (1) ceases to apply,
(3)(A)The adjustment factor described in paragraph (1) shall be the total percentage change that occurred in the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (all items; United States city average) for the 12-month period ending June 30 preceding the fiscal year, but in no case shall such adjustment factor be negative.
(B)The adjustment under subparagraph (A) made each fiscal year shall be added on a compounded basis to the sum of all adjustments made each fiscal year after fiscal year 2009.
(4)(A)Notwithstanding any other provision of this section and subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary may not collect fees in a fiscal year such that the amount collected—
(i)under subparagraph (B) of subsection (a)(1) exceeds $20,000,000; and
(ii)under subparagraphs (A) and (D) of subsection (a)(1) exceeds $25,000,000 combined.
(B)If a domestic facility (as defined in section 350d(b) 1 of this title) or an importer becomes subject to a fee described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (D) of subsection (a)(1) after the maximum amount of fees has been collected by the Secretary under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may collect a fee from such facility or importer.
(d)Fees authorized under subsection (a) shall be collected and available for obligation only to the extent and in the amount provided in appropriations Acts. Such fees are authorized to remain available until expended. Such sums as may be necessary may be transferred from the Food and Drug Administration salaries and expenses account without fiscal year limitation to such appropriation account for salaries and expenses with such fiscal year limitation. The sums transferred shall be available solely for the purpose of paying the operating expenses of the Food and Drug Administration employees and contractors performing activities associated with these food safety fees.
(e)(1)The Secretary shall specify in the Federal Register notice described in subsection (b)(1) the time and manner in which fees assessed under this section shall be collected.
(2)In any case where the Secretary does not receive payment of a fee assessed under this section within 30 days after it is due, such fee shall be treated as a claim of the United States Government subject to provisions of subchapter II of chapter 37 of title 31.
(f)Not later than 120 days after each fiscal year for which fees are assessed under this section, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, to include a description of fees assessed and collected for each such year and a summary description of the entities paying such fees and the types of business in which such entities engage.
(g)For fiscal year 2010 and each fiscal year thereafter, there is authorized to be appropriated for fees under this section an amount equal to the total revenue amount determined under subsection (b) for the fiscal year, as adjusted or otherwise affected under the other provisions of this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 350d(b) of this title, referred to in subsecs. (a)(1)(A), (B), (2)(A)(i) and (c)(4)(B), was redesignated section 350d(c) by Pub. L. 111–353, title I, § 102(b)(1)(B), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3887.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Construction

Nothing in this section to be construed to apply to certain alcohol-related facilities, to alter jurisdiction and authorities established under certain other Acts, or in a manner inconsistent with international agreements to which the United States is a party, see section 2206, 2251, and 2252 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

21 U.S.C. § 379j–31

Title 21Food and Drugs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73