On July 30, 2009 the House passed HR 2749, known as the Food Safety Act.  This bill is aimed at promoting food safety and creates sweeping new traceability requirements for the food supply chain and institutes increased facility inspections.

The bill requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create a system for tracking food along the food supply chain to ensure that recalls can be implemented more quickly.  It would also give the FDA the authority to impose civil and criminal penalties and to implement mandatory food quarantines for the first time.  Current law makes food quarantines voluntary.  The bill also increases the frequency of inspections at certain food facilities ranging from every six months to every five years depending upon the risk category - most distributor facilities would likely fall in the every five year category.

And, the bill’s call for increased FDA regulation would be paid for through the assessment of yearly registration fees on food facilities.  Fees would be set at $500 yearly per facility with an annual cap of $175,000 for a company owning multiple facilities.  

AWMA has attached a memo with this update outlining the major provisions of the bill affecting distributors.  In addition, AWMA has sent a letter to the Chairmen of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee where this bill has been referred expressing concern over the bills increased regulatory requirements.  A copy of that letter is also attached.

Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) has expressed interest in bringing his own food safety bill – S. 510 – to the Senate floor as quickly as possible upon the Senate’s return from the August recess.  AWMA members wishing to make their views known to the legislators may visit our Web site at www.awmanet.org to send a prewritten letter on this issue directly to your senator.
 

Memo outlining provisions:

sites/default/files/HR2749%20Memo.pdf

Letter to Chairmen of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee:

sites/default/files/letter%20to%20senate%20on%20food%20safety.pdf