Bill Would Tighten Safety Rules for Imported Food

WASHINGTON — Imported food would have to meet U.S. safety standards under a bill Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, introduced Wednesday.

Wading into a food fight that has long stymied other lawmakers, Costa and a Republican colleague offered a bill that they said would boost consumer confidence. At least in part, the legislation would lift other states to some food safety standards already imposed in Florida and California.

"We hope this will establish a gold standard for food safety, as well as a standard for our foreign food supplies," Costa said.

Speaking at a sparsely attended Capitol Hill news conference, Costa and Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., described their 46-page bill as a "landmark" effort to rewrite food safety standards.

Costa is a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Putnam, a member of the extended House Republican leadership, is a rancher who represents a largely rural Florida district.

Backed by farm industry groups such as the Western Growers Association and the United Fresh Produce Association, the new bill vies for attention with a more aggressive effort introduced previously by other House Democrats. To some extent, Costa's bill could be construed as the food industry's negotiating stance.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee will discuss today a broader food safety bill introduced by committee Chairman Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. That would impose a new $2,000 inspection fee on U.S. food-producing facilities, doubling the Food and Drug Administration's food safety budget.

Read the full Sacramento Bee story here.