Washington, D.C., December 20, 2010 – The American Public Health Association is
extremely pleased that the Senate last night passed the bipartisan FDA Food
Modernization Act (S. 510), important public health legislation that would
grant the Food and Drug Administration greater regulatory authority over the
nation’s food supply and begin to address the dangerous gaps in our nation’s
food safety system. APHA is hopeful food safety champions in the House of
Representatives will pass the bill this week and send it to the president for
signature.
After facing a series of legislative
setbacks, the Senate approved a long overdue food safety bill that aims to improve
the capacity and coordination of federal, state and local government agencies,
which are at the frontlines of preventing, detecting and responding to
outbreaks
“Every year, millions of
Americans suffer needlessly from contaminated food outbreaks, a widespread
problem due in large part to our nation’s woefully outdated food safety
system,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD,
FACP, FACEP, (E), executive director of APHA. “The final passage of this bill will
be a major public health victory that will help limit foodborne disease and
keep our families safe.”
When enacted, the bill would
make significant strides to protect the health of all U.S. families
by establishing a comprehensive plan to improve the safety of our nation’s
food. The bill would also offer grants to enhance education, training and
technical assistance to help agencies comply with the new requirements. APHA looks
forward to when the president signs the legislation into law.