Senate Passes Food Safety Bill
By Grace Thompson on 12/01/2010 @ 10:00 AM
In the last several years, thousands of Americans have gotten sick from contaminated food. Headlines about dangerous spinach, peanut butter, and eggs prompted the President and Congress to draft legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to inspect domestic and international food products, as well as recall food when a contamination occurs.
According to The New York Times, “Part of the problem is the growing industrialization and globalization of the nation’s food supply. Nearly one-fifth of it, including as much as three-quarters of its seafood, is imported, but the Food and Drug Administration inspects less than one pound in a million of imported foods. The bill gives the agency more control over food imports, including increased inspection of foreign processing plants and the ability to set standards for how fruits and vegetables are grown abroad.”
Yesterday the Senate passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, 73 to 25. This victory was praised by consumer groups as well as public health and family advocates. President Obama was encouraged by this news saying “With the Senate’s passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, we are one step closer to having critically important new tools to protect our nation’s food supply and keep consumers safe.” However, the House still needs to pass this legislation. The House and Senate have two different versions of the bill, we hope for a speedy reconciliation process.
Click here to see how your Senators voted!
Click here to view the Washington Post’s slideshow, “The Nation’s Food Recalls: Pain, Death and Anger”
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