Food safety bill clarified

A COMPREHENSIVE bill to reform the Food & Drug Administration's authority on food safety cleared the House Energy & Commerce Committee on a voice vote last Wednesday, and it now heads to the House floor for action. The bill was praised by Democrats and Republicans alike. They noted the committee's leadership worked with both sides of the aisle and stakeholders to forge compromises that drew bipartisan support. Many called it a "model" of bipartisan collaboration for dealing with politically sensitive issues. The committee vote came on a new 133-page version of the bill, which, as unveiled June 17, is a substitute for previous versions. The substitute included compromises that were agreed upon in the wake of an early-June markup of the bill in the health subcommittee. In what was a major issue, the bill survived an attempt to add language that would ban the subtherapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock production. That amendment was offered by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) to give voice to the issue, but she withdrew it without pressing for a vote. House Energy & Commerce Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D., Cal.) pledged to support future action on antimicrobial resistance but praised Schakowsky for withdrawing the amendment from the food safety bill, noting that "it is contentious, and a compromise could not be reached for this markup." Waxman's committee expects to take up a comprehensive bill to reform FDA's authority on drugs and medical devices later this year. An animal health industry insider told Feedstuffs any bill that deals with FDA's authorities is a potential target for the inclusion of amendments that attempt to ban the subtherapeutic use of livestock antibiotics. That could include the current bill on health care reform that is moving in the Senate...Feedstuffs