U.S. House Passes Bill Overhauling Food-Safety Laws

The U.S. House voted to overhaul the nation’s food-safety laws in the wake of high-profile outbreaks of food-borne illnesses that sickened, killed and left industries fighting to woo back wary customers. The chamber approved on a 283-142 vote today a $3.5 billion measure that would direct the Food and Drug Administration to write new regulations to safeguard the food supply, require more frequent inspections of processing facilities and force companies to keep better records to help regulators trace outbreaks. The plan would be partly financed by a $500 annual fee on food producers. The FDA, which has the authority now to recall a handful of products such as infant formula, would get expanded power under the bill to have more tainted items yanked off store shelves. The agency would also be allowed to impose quarantines restricting the movement of food deemed a threat to public safety. Food processors would have to be inspected more frequently, with those deemed the riskiest examined at least once a year. Produce and processed foods would have to bear labels identifying their countries of origin. The bill also requires factories to register annually with the government, which Dingell said is “very important because without that, Food and Drug doesn’t know who is doing what.” The measure directs the Health and Human Services secretary to determine by the end of this year whether bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastic food containers, presents a risk to infants, pregnant women or young children. It also calls for a study of whether antibiotics used in animals contributes to antibiotic resistance in humans. The $500 fee, which would be indexed for inflation, would generate an estimated $1.4 billion over the next five years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Companies owning multiple facilities subject to the charge would pay no more than $175,000 annually. Farms and restaurants would be exempted from the fee...Bloomberg