Legislation To Overhaul America’s Food Safety System Nears Passage

Long-stalled legislation that would beef up U.S. food safety procedures by requiring more meticulous inspections of processing plants survived a technical vote in the Senate on November 17 and should have no problem reaching the floor for a final vote. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee had approved the bill unanimously a year ago but other, more pressing, legislative issues pre-empted the legislation. Senate Republicans joined Democrats to approve the procedural vote 74-25. Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, called it “shocking” that “the last comprehensive overhaul of America's food-safety system was in 1938 -- more than seven decades ago." The bill also gives the Dept. of Health and Human Services more power to initiate food recalls.