Donald Prater Named FDA Acting Deputy Commissioner for Food

U.S. Food and Drug Administration has named Donald A. Prater as acting deputy commissioner for food, placing him in charge of the agency’s Human Foods Program and all FDA nutrition and food safety activities. Prater brings nearly 27 years of FDA experience, most recently serving as principal deputy associate commissioner for food since 2024. His appointment follows leadership changes at the agency after Dr. Marty Makary’s resignation as FDA commissioner and the appointment of Kyle Diamantas as acting commissioner.

Throughout his FDA career, Prater has held several leadership positions, including acting director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and associate commissioner for imported food safety. He has also served as a senior advisor on human and animal food safety and implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Prater earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1996 and began his FDA career at the Center for Veterinary Medicine in 1999.