In a rare show of bipartisan consensus, the U.S. Senate approved a sweeping food safety bill that tightens regulations and sets the first-ever standards for imports.
Though not as tough as the House bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., the Senate version is seen as a workable compromise ripe for quick passage.
One of the key provisions, as far as Florida farmers are concerned, is the first-ever set of safety standards for imported foods. The law requires importers to verify the safety of foreign suppliers and imported food, and allows the Food and Drug Administration to require certification for high-risk foods, and to deny entry to a food that lacks certification or that is from a foreign facility that has refused U.S. inspectors.
With a rising share of U.S. foodstuffs coming from overseas, domestic growers as well as consumers have become increasingly anxious about food-borne illnesses.
Currently, the FDA inspects only about 1 percent of imported food products.
The Senate bill, which passed 73-25, beefs up budgets for inspections.
In a recent House speech, Putnam said, Much of the current system was devised during the Teddy Roosevelt administration.And every year seems to bring a new food safety concern: One year its pistachio nuts or peanut butter, and the next its bagged spinach or Mexican jalapeno peppers.This year its eggs.
"The system needs to be modernized, streamlined and made more effective," said Putnam, whose family has owned citrus groves and ranches in Polk County for generations. The five-term congressman was elected Florida's agriculture commissioner this fall.
Food illnesses affect one in four Americans and kill 5,000 each year, according to government statistics.
Still, the safety package encountered opposition from tea party groups and others concerned about added costs and potential federal overreach.
The bill also was attacked by small farmers who argued that large agricultural companies and importers were primarily to blame for any problems.
In response, Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a farmer, added an amendment to exempt small farmers and those who sell directly to consumers at farmers markets and farm stands.
Though the Tester amendment loosened the more tightly crafted House bill, the Senate plan nevertheless, for the first time, grants the FDA the authority to recall food and gives the agency access to internal records at farms and food production facilities.
The measure is expected to add about $1.4 billion in regulatory costs over four years, a cost that proponents predicted would be at least partially offset by lower health-care spending related to food-borne illnesses.
Passage of the food safety law comes five months after Gov. Charlie Crist signed House Bill 5311, which eliminated state food safety inspections at Florida hospitals, daycare centers and nursing homes.
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Reach Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
