Today the House subcommittee on health marked up the Food Safety Enforcement Act and then passed it with a voice vote. (Hat tip to Naomi Starkman.) The major change to the legislation was that the "user fees" in the bill were cut in half from $1000 per "food facility" (processing plants, warehouses... not farms and restaurants) to $500. The money generated from these user fees would help the FDA pay for the increased inspections called for the bill (but not cover the costs entirely). If passed, this will be the most significant food safety reform since 1938. While many on our side worry about the bill's impact on farms and small businesses, there's no doubt that the major corporations in control of the majority of our food supply need new laws in order to give us safer food.
Let's keep watching this to make sure that small farmers are protected and the rules to keep the big guys in line aren't watered down. The next step will be a vote by the full House Energy & Commerce Committee.
