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06-21-2009, 10:33 PM #1
Beefing Up Food Industry Regulations
June 18, 2009
Beefing Up Food Industry Regulations
By Jorina Fontelera
Food safety is back in the spotlight with a new bill that gives the FDA more authority to inspect food processing plants, institute recalls and impose penalties.
New strains of E. coli bacteria infecting the nation's food; chickens collapsing and dying because of fast weight gain due to antibiotics; and a food supply run by corporations — these are just a few of the issues addressed in the somewhat controversial documentary Food, Inc., released last Friday, that lead to harmful effects on public heath, the environment and worker and animal rights, Reuters says.
The documentary comes on the heels of the recent rash of salmonella outbreaks, from last year's incident that was traced to jalapeno peppers, which sickened more than 1,000 people, to this year's outbreak from peanut products, which sickened 650 and killed nine.
It is no wonder consumers are more suspect about the safety of their food. According to a recent study by the University of Minnesota's Food Industry Center, only 22.5 percent of consumers were confident that the food supply is safer now than in 2008. Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the safety of the United States food supply has not improved over the past three years and, in the case of salmonella, infections may be increasing.
The CDC estimates that roughly 76 million people in the U.S. suffer food-borne illnesses annually, the New York Times reports. Of those affected, 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die.
These findings demonstrate the need to thoroughly overhaul the way the global food industry is regulated, the New York Times reports top government health officials as having said. "As the supply chains get longer and longer, there's more opportunity to introduce contaminants that have a public health effect," Dr. Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) food center, explained to the Times.
Consumer groups and safety advocates have also been clamoring for increased monitoring of the food supply by the FDA. A separate New York Times article cites safety advocates saying that the recent problems highlight the inadequacy of government oversight, the FDA's in particular.
Last month, a bipartisan coalition of senators proposed legislation to give federal authorities more power to inspect food processed in the U.S. and abroad.
According to the draft proposal, the legislation would allow the FDA to order food recalls, impose new civil penalties and require companies to follow food-safety standards. The FDA would also have to inspect so-called high-risk food facilities at least once a year, with low-risk facilities being inspected once every 18 months to three years. Food producers, manufacturers, processors, transporters or holders would be required to keep detailed records to help the FDA more quickly trace the distribution of tainted foods and track the course of the contamination.
Farms that raise meat and poultry and other facilities regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture are exempt from the legislation.
Yesterday the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the proposal, the Wall Street Journal reports. To help fund the work, the bill would require approximately 378,000 food facilities, including 223,000 overseas, to pay an annual registration fee of $500. In the initial draft of the bill, the fee was $1,000, which many in the food industry opposed.
After revising the fee, both consumer groups and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which initially opposed the bill, were largely pleased as it meant more inspections and the registration fee was halved, the Wall Street Journal says.
Margaret A. Hamburg, the new commissioner of the FDA, lauded the safety overhaul as "a major step in the right direction," another New York Times article adds.
According to the Journal, the House has yet to schedule a vote on the legislation. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has introduced the food-safety legislation to the Senate but it remains unclear when it will be considered.
Resources
What Food Activists Ignore
by Rebecca Ruiz
Forbes, June 11, 2009
Film Aims to Expose Dangers in U.S. Food Industry
by Christine Kearney
Reuters, June 9, 2009
Consumer Confidence in Food Safety Plunges in Wake of Peanut-Butter Contamination...
University of Minnesota's Food Industry Center, Feb. 23, 2009
U.S. Food Safety No Longer Improving
by Gardiner Harris
The New York Times, April 9, 2009
Outbreaks Put Worry on the Table
by Andrew Martin and Gardiner Harris
The New York Times, May 11, 2009
Summary of Discussion Draft of the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009
May 26, 2009
H.R 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009
June 17, 2009
Bill Boosting FDA Oversight Of Food Wins Panel Approval
by Jane Zhang
The Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2009
Food Industry Opposes Fee for More Inspections
by Jane Zhang
The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2009
F.D.A. Chief Lauds Food Safety Bill as the 'Right Direction'
by Gardiner Harris
The New York Times, June 3, 2009
http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/ ... y-fda.html
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06-22-2009, 11:53 AM #2working4changeGuest
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