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Senate votes to give FDA more power with passage of food safety bill

1 min read

By Rebecca Pollack Scherr 05/26/16

Restaurant and Foodservice

The Senate today passed a $1.4 billion food safety bill, by a vote of 73 to 25, which would give the Food and Drug Administration more government oversight.

Here are some key points to the Food Safety Modernization Act:

  • The FDA would be able to recall tainted foods. (Right now, the FDA has to urge businesses to make voluntary recalls.)
  • Bigger food processors and manufacturers would have to register with the FDA and outline their hazard prevention plans.
  • The FDA will have to create new rules for produce safety and set stricter standards for imported foods.
  • Inspections of domestic and foreign food facilities would increase, especially at the high-risk operations.

For more coverage of food safety, read tomorrow’s issue of Restaurant SmartBrief.