New Food-Safety Laws Approved

The House approved the first major changes to food-safety laws in 70 years Thursday, giving the Federal Drug Administration the authority to recall tainted foods and conduct frequent inspections of food processing plants.

The bill passed the House on a vote of 283 to 142. Many of those who opposed the changes cited provisions that would add bureaucracy for farmers. The Senate is expected to take up the issue next fall. President Obama, who voiced his approval of the bill, has expressed concern about the safety of peanut butter eaten by his 8-year-old daughter. Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement in support what she called a “bi-partisan, landmark” bill. “American families have felt great urgency about the need to strengthen food safety standards. Congress has responded quickly with strong legislation that will protect lives and prevent illness,” she said.

If the measure is passed, the FDA will conduct inspections at “high-risk” food processing plants every 6 to 12 months. Risk determinations will most likely be based on plants that have recalled products in the past or carry food items that spoil easily. All other food processing plants would be inspected every three years, and warehouses for packaged foods every five years. Currently, processing facilities might be checked every ten years or longer. A yearly fee of $500 would be paid by the plants to help the FDA carry out the investigations.

Other provision include a mandate that processing plants develop safety plans to head off problems, and more inspection requirements on imported foods.

The new safety regulations also give the FDA power to recall contaminated foods. Now, it can only ask companies to conduct voluntary recalls of tainted products. Meat and poultry are not included in new legislation, since these products are overseen by the Department of Agriculture.

However, the FDA would be given authority over 80 percent of the foods Americans currently consume. Food illnesses sicken one in four in the U.S. and kill 5,000 each year, government statistics show.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the bill’s author and chief sponsor, has been trying to change food safety regulations for the past 20 years. “Americans are dying because the Food and Drug Administration does not have the authority to protect them, and American producers and agriculture are being hurt,” Dingell said. “This will fundamentally change the way in which we ensure the safety of our food supply.”

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