Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations

[ProSense]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food-safety system, after recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach sickened thousands and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight.

The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety of foods. The bill is intended to get the government to crack down on unsafe foods before they harm people rather than after outbreaks occur.

Despite unusual bipartisan support on Capitol Hill and a strong push from the Obama administration, the bill could still die because there might not be enough time for the usual haggling between the Senate and House of Representatives, which passed its own version last year. Top House Democrats said that they would consider simply passing the Senate version to speed approval.

<...>

“This is an historic moment,” said Erik Olson, deputy director of the Pew Health Group, an advocacy group. “For the first time in over 70 years, the Senate has approved an overhaul of F.D.A.’s food safety law that will help ensure that the food we put on our kitchen tables will be safer.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/health/policy/01food.html

[MineralMan]

1. Good news.

This bill has been the subject of a great deal of misinformation promulgated by some. I'm glad to see it is finally making progress.

[MadMaddie]

2. Who were the 25 that voted against it?

Well I should have known...
<snip>
The staunch opposition of Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican
<snip>

[Lasher]

4. Senate Roll Call Vote 257

Here ya go: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=2&vote=00257

There were 25 nay votes and 2 not voting. All were Republicans.

[Robbien]

3. The FDA doesn't enforce the laws currently on the books

These may just be more laws the FDA will ignore.

[notesdev]

5. They don't ignore them

They selectively enforce them against their chosen targets.

Are you now or have you ever been against the expansion of the bureaucracy?

[Earth_First]

6. Woo-Hoo! Chalk up another win for industrialized food production!

:sigh:

[pinto]

7. Haven't seen the details of the final bill, but Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance has a mixed comment

mentioned in the Times piece -

Judith McGeary, executive director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, an advocacy group that sees government regulation as a threat to small farms, said she was satisfied with changes made to the bill to reduce paperwork for small farmers and exempt them from some requirements.

“We still have concerns about the scope of the power that F.D.A. has and its tendency to write rules and regulations that favor agribusiness instead of small farmers,” Ms. McGeary said.

:shrug:

[ixion]

10. exactly. A win for Big Food, and a slap to the family farm

as usual. :grr:

[pinto]

8. Interesting Whistleblower Protections section -

SEC. 1012. WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS.

`(a) In General- No entity engaged in the manufacture, processing, packing, transporting, distribution, reception, holding, or importation of food may discharge an employee or otherwise discriminate against an employee with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because the employee, whether at the employee's initiative or in the ordinary course of the employee's duties (or any person acting pursuant to a request of the employee)--

`(1) provided, caused to be provided, or is about to provide or cause to be provided to the employer, the Federal Government, or the attorney general of a State information relating to any violation of, or any act or omission the employee reasonably believes to be a violation of any provision of this Act or any order, rule, regulation, standard, or ban under this Act, or any order, rule, regulation, standard, or ban under this Act;

`(2) testified or is about to testify in a proceeding concerning such violation;

`(3) assisted or participated or is about to assist or participate in such a proceeding; or

`(4) objected to, or refused to participate in, any activity, policy, practice, or assigned task that the employee (or other such person) reasonably believed to be in violation of any provision of this Act, or any order, rule, regulation, standard, or ban under this Act.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:2:./temp/~c111NvXKRN:e357033:

[ProSense]

9. Interesting, thanks for the link. n/t

[Odin2005]

11. Big Ag wins, small farmers lose.

Laws like this are what causes folks in rural areas to hate "big government".