Food safety bill offers FDA more clout in contamination battle

Public health trumped politics in the U.S. Senate when a food safety bill really passed Tuesday. A spate of food-borne illnesses in the last year has shed light on the have to provide the FDA with much more resources to detect and prevent contaminated food. Elevated inspections and mandatory recalls written to the food safety bill are funded to the tune of $1.4 billion.

Food safety bill endures lame-duck session

As Congress has been doing nothing for the end of the year, the food safety bill surprisingly passed by U.S. Senate with a 73-25 vote. The FDA has to inspect, every three year, processing plants for food and farms that have a high risk of contaminants. The Food Safety Enhancement Act demands this. Until now, the FDA, when it has conducted examinations at all, has done so about once a decade. The Food and Drug Administration can force recalls to take place in corporations with the food safety bill. There will be no more waiting for companies to do it themselves. Imported foods, of which the FDA currently inspects about 1 percent, will also be subject to stricter standards.

Food safety tainted by politics

There’s a lot of support for the food safety bill. Agribusiness and consumer advocate groups support it. The Senate waited on passing it for a year and a half due to politics even though the House approved it in July 2009. The food safety bill did not pass last fall because of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. It was said to become overreaching govt by Tea Party activists. Glenn Beck made his opinion on the food safety bill very clear. He said it forced customers to stop eating meat with prices being inflated. As the bill languished within the Senate, there were 85 recalls of FDA-regulated foods associated with 1,850 food-borne illnesses.

Supporting bill is the food sector

It was great that the food safety bill approved. The agribusiness and small farms conflict didn't stop it. Small farmers refused to be held to the very same standards as major corporations. Of course agribusiness didn't agree. It said nobody should be excluded. Many large agricultural groups no longer supported it after Sen. John Tester, D-Mont., exempt small farmers with an amendment. Clear regulations and the food sector having amounts is something that even large corporations with recalls have said they’ll appreciate.

Details from

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112906058.html

USA Today

usatoday.com/yourlife/food/safety/2010-11-29-foodsafety29_ST_N.htm

Des Moines Register

desmoinesregister.com/article/20101130/BUSINESS01/11300359/1001/NEWS/Food-safety-bill-snagged-by-money-