US food industry welcomes Senate passage of food safety bill
The House is expected to pass the bill later today.
CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Pamela Bailey called the bill’s passage “an early Christmas present” for Americans and urged the House to quickly follow suit.
“This landmark legislation provides FDA with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help strengthen our nation’s food safety system by making prevention the focus of our food safety strategies,” she said. “The food and beverage industry is committed to partnering with Congress, the Administration and the FDA to strengthen and modernize our nation’s food safety system.”
Meanwhile, consumer advocacy group the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) applauded Senators Reid (D-NV) and McConnell (R-KY) for coming to an agreement so that the bill could be passed with unanimous consent.
“In an era of rank partisanship, CFA is grateful to Senators from both parties who joined forces to pass this legislation,” the organization said in a statement.
The food safety bill’s passage looked uncertain after the appropriations act to which it was attached was scrapped late on Thursday. But after McConnell and Reid struck a deal, it passed within minutes.
The bill had survived a filibuster attempt in which Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) outlined serious concerns with the bill, including how it would be funded; a constitutional snag when it emerged that the Senate had included funding provisions that by law should have originated in the House; and heated debate over the Tester-Hagan amendment – which was adopted to exempt smaller food processors from the legislation – as well as Senator Dianne Feinstein's (D-CA) amendment to disallow the use of bisphenol-A, or BPA, in some products. This latter amendment was eventually dropped.
“S. 510 was down but never out,” said director of the Food Policy Institute at Consumer Federation of America Chris Waldrop.
