Food Safety Bill Has Strong Support

Washington D.C.—Legislation granting the FDA new powers to oversee the nation's food supply elbowed its way onto Congress' crammed calendar Thursday with bipartisan support and rare agreement between consumer groups and an industry stung by product recalls.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), would require the FDA to step up inspections of food facilities and to issue new rules to improve the quality of imported food and to combat contaminants in fresh produce. The measure also would give the agency authority to recall products on its own, instead of relying on industry cooperation.

The reason for a sense of urgency is evident from opinion polls. A July survey for the Pew Charitable Trusts found that nearly 90% of voters favored new food safety measures similar to those found in Durbin's bill and a slightly more expansive proposal that the House passed over the summer.

"There's broad public support. It would be a quick win for both parties," said Erik Olson, director of chemical and food safety programs in Pew's Health & Human Services Policy program. "This is a rare situation where the industry is shoulder to shoulder with consumers."

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg strongly endorsed the legislation that would give her agency new tools to improve food safety, but she warned that Congress still must find a way to pay for them if consumers are to benefit.
The far-reaching overhaul seeks to transform the FDA from an agency that reacts to outbreaks of food-borne illness to one that keeps them from happening by setting new quality standards, increasing inspections and requiring more and better record-keeping by food producers.

But the changes would require significant additional manpower and costly new computer systems, Hamburg told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "We are concerned that the bill does not provide a guaranteed consistent funding source to help FDA fulfill its new responsibilities," she said.

A version of the proposed beefing up of the FDA's food safety system passed the House in July. The Senate's companion bill got its first hearing by the health committee Thursday.

Read the LA Times articles by Andrew Zajac at LA Times.