Senate Passes Food Safety Overhaul, Dramatically Strengthens the FDA

The New York Times is reporting that the Senate, as anticipated, passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) this morning, a move that Erik Olson, deputy director of the Pew Health Group, called "an historic moment." Assuming the Senate bill can be reconciled with a version passed by the House of Representatives last year, the Food and Drug Administration will acquire extensive food safety powers, including the ability to force companies to recall unsafe foods:

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's food-safety system, after recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach sickened thousands and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight.

The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety of foods. The bill is intended to get the government to crack down on unsafe foods before they harm people rather than after outbreaks occur.

Despite unusual bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and a strong push from the Obama administration, the bill could still die because there might not be enough time for the usual haggling between the Senate and House of Representatives, which passed its own version last year. Top House Democrats said that they would consider simply passing the Senate version to speed approval.

Both versions of the bill would grant the F.D.A. new powers to recall tainted foods, increase inspections, demand accountability from food companies and oversee farming. But neither version would consolidate overlapping functions at the Department of Agriculture and nearly a dozen other federal agencies that oversee various aspects of food safety, making coordination among the agencies a continuing challenge.

Read the full story at The New York Times.