WASHINGTON In the wake of one of the largest foodborne illness outbreaks in U.S. history, two senators have introduced a bipartisan bill they say will help the Food and Drug Administration protect the country’s food supply.
Sponsored by Sens. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act would provide the federal agency with a range of new authorities, tools and resources to help strengthen its ability to address food supply threats, such as the recent salmonella outbreak that that has sickened more than 1,300 people since April. That outbreak has since been traced to jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in Mexico.
"The recent salmonella outbreak highlights the current vulnerability of our food supply and the need to modernize our food safety laws," Gregg said.
He said the bill targets four key areas in which the FDA needs improvement: foodborne illness prevention, foodborne illness detection and response, food defense capabilities, and overall resources.
Among other things, the measure would give the FDA the authority to set commodity-specific standards to improve fresh produce safety; require other countries to verify the safety of imported foods; establish an accreditation system to guide third-party inspectors; and issue mandatory recalls of food products when companies fail to act voluntarily.
The measure also would increase funding for the FDA's food-safety activities, some of which would be derived from targeted fees for domestic and foreign facilities.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; Chris Dodd, D-Conn.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.