By a 283-142 vote on July 30, the House of Representatives passed ambitious food safety legislation, answering passionate pleas to provide the Food and Drug Administration with a new mandate and new tools to provide oversight to food safety.
The vote came a day after the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 narrowly failed to win passage under a rule that required the legislation to win 286 votes.
“We supported passing the bill,” said Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, D.C. “It is not a perfect bill, but it is the best we were going to get out of the House.”
Stenzel said any further delay would hurt the ability to get a food safety bill through the Senate and signed by President Obama in 2009.
United Fresh and other produce associations have advocated strong federal oversight of produce safety since 2007 and the aftermath of the 2006 foodborne outbreak linked to spinach.
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Highlights of Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009:
- Creates an update registry of food facilities;
Requires annual registration fee of $500 per food facility;
Requires safety plans for food facilities;
Increases inspections for highest-risk facilities to once every six to 12 months;
Directs FDA to issue regulations for fruit and vegetable production and harvesting;
Directs FDA to issue traceability regulations; and
Grants FDA new authority to subpoena records related to possible violations. |
Bipartisan support was observed in both days of debate.
Adam Putnam, R-Fla., praised the effort of Jim Costa, D-Calif., in helping to put together a bill that brings together America’s producers and consumers.
However, Putnam said a number of features of the bill — particularly language relating to the FDA’s power to quarantine food and mandate traceability — need further work.
“We believe we have met the concerns of agriculture,” said Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., said growers in his home district of Salinas believe national food safety standards are vital.
“There is nothing in this bill that is overly burdensome for farmers, small or big,” said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.
Stenzel said he believes the bill is fair to both imported and domestically produced fruits and vegetables.
In floor debate, Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla., called the bill woefully inadequate and said it doesn’t hold the FDA accountable.
Even after changes that limit the intrusion of the federal government on the farm, Lucas said the bill goes too far in the direction of trying to produce food “from the bureaucrat’s chair in Washington, D.C.”