The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to restructure its food division starting in October, a move meant to help the organization oversee human food supply chains and agricultural products more efficiently, Reuters reported.

As part of the reorganization, the FDA will create a unified Human Foods Program (HFP), adopt a new model for its field operations and include other modernization efforts. The implementation of the reorganization is currently set for October 1, 2024.

Reuters reported that the HFP will “take over the roles of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Office of Food Policy and Response, along with key functions from the Office of Regulatory Affairs, which will be renamed to the Office of Inspections and Investigations.”

According to a press release from FDA, the unified HFP will help the organization effectively realize the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, as well as better position the agency to uphold the safety of the nation’s food supply and respond to food-related emergencies, such as the 2022 infant formula shortages.

“This is a distinctive moment for the FDA. I’m very pleased to see that after a year and a half of arduous work and effort put into this transformative vision for the FDA Human Foods Program and the architecture of the agency, we are a step closer to seeing the largest reorganization of the agency in recent history come to life this fall,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “This reorganization has been a major undertaking for the FDA, and I am proud of what we will be able to accomplish more efficiently and collaboratively to better meet our public health mandate.”

A full list of the changes being implemented can be found in the Federal Register notice.