Senate Passes Historic Food Safety Bill

"This morning, the
U.S. Senate finally set aside partisan differences and passed historic
legislation to protect consumers from preventable food-borne illness.

"According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four Americans get sick, hundreds
of thousands are hospitalized, and more than 5000 people die each year from
eating contaminated food. It's unacceptable that this continues in
the United States
in the 21^st Century.

"The
House of Representatives passed its food safety bill more than a year ago. Since
then, there have been more
than 100 voluntary recalls of FDA regulated foods because of pathogens
like salmonella and E coli.

"Congress
should work quickly to finalize the bill and deliver it to the
President's desk without further delay."

The FDA
Food Safety Modernization Act will protect consumers by:

• Requiring
  the food manufacturers to have food-safety plans that will prevent
  contaminated food from reaching consumers.
• Setting
  responsible standards for produce safety, so parents can have confidence that
  fresh fruits and vegetables are nutritious and safe to serve to their
  children.
• Requiring
  more frequent inspections of food facilities to make sure they are following
  the rules.
• Setting
  standards for imported food to end the practice by foreign producers of
  dumping unsafe food on the American market.