A long-overdue overhaul of U.S. food safety regulations looks to be inevitable after a Senate committee recently approved a bill to increase the federal government’s oversight of the food industry.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million people in the United States get sick, 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die from foodborne illnesses each year. And in recent years, disease outbreaks in contaminated peanut butter, peppers, tomatoes, ground beef and spinach, to name only a few, have made headlines and have led consumer groups to demand reform of the country’s ineffective food safety regulations.
The bill, which was approved by the House in July, will give the FDA the power to actually order food recalls (rather than merely recommending them as it can do now), increase inspection rates and require facilities to have a food safety plan. The legislation would also mandate inspections of all food processing plants every four years and high-risk plants every year. Currently, there is no regular schedule for food facilities.
There is some question as to how all this increased oversight will be paid for, but Sen. Tom Larkin (D-IA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which approved the bill, doesn’t think this is a deal-breaker.
“If this is for public protection, it’s something we should all pay for,” he said.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), a member of the committee, underlined the bill’s importance.
“There are very few things that are as important as ensuring that the food we eat and the food we serve our families is safe for consumption,” said Dodd.
Despite the bill’s support, it is likely that it won’t come to full vote in the Senate until next year after the health care debate has been decided.