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Indiana Accident News

House Passes Landmark Food Safety Bill

Posted on Dec 31, 2010

Although many were expecting this winter’s lame duck congress from passing much relevant legislation, lawmakers were able to push through a historic food safety bill that will give the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) more power, hold large food companies more accountable for their products, and make food throughout the country safer for consumption.

The food safety bill has struggled in the Senate for the last year, but was quickly and suddenly passed through a vocal vote on Sunday, December 26. It was then passed by the House by a vote of 215 to 144 and will be signed into law by President Obama in the coming days. While the majority of lawmakers and food companies believe it is a huge victory for consumers, some fear that the bill will harm struggling smaller food businesses, such as local farmers. The FDA believes that the new laws will go far in preventing the increasingly common food scares that the United States has seen in recent years, including tainted spinach, tainted peanuts, and other food poisoning issues. These salmonella and E. coli outbreaks have been expensive, harmful to consumers, and very damaging to the food industry in general.

Under the new bill, the FDA will, for the first time in history, have the power to recall foods, not just to ask food companies to participate in voluntary recalls. In addition, the FDA will have the power to regulate the most potentially dangerous fruits and vegetables in the market and inspect problem production plants every three years. Finally, the bill will require food markets and grocery stores to alert consumers of recent food recalls and take tainted foods off of the shelves.