Legislation designed to address “systematic problems” in the US food safety regime through the establishment of a separate Food Safety Administration was unveiled in Washington DC yesterday (4 February).
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The Food Safety Modernization Act, which has been put forward by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, was prompted by a number of recent nationwide food safety scares. A salmonella that has sickened more than 500 people and is linked to eight deaths is currently sweeping the US.
“This salmonella outbreak represents the full-scale breakdown of a patchwork food safety system. And it should act as the final wake up call,” DeLauro said at a press conference.
“That is why, today, I am introducing the Food Safety Modernisation Act to separate food safety regulation from drug and device approvals.”
Under the proposal, FDA would be split into an agency responsible for food safety (the Food Safety Administration) and another responsible for regulation of drugs and devices.
The Food Safety Modernization Act would establish a farm-to-fork system for protecting foods that are currently regulated by FDA.
The act would also look to change the focus to preventing disease-causing contamination. It would require food producers to: control health hazards in their operations; meet federal standards for preventing or removing contaminants and pathogens from food; and be subject to regular inspections by federal officials based on the risk profile of the products they produce.
When prevention fails, the Food Safety Administrator would have “sufficient enforcement authority”, including authority to order recalls, seize unsafe food and impose fines.
