The US Senate has this week passed the proposed FDA Food Safety Modernisation Act (S. 510) by a vote of 73 to 25, with the Act now moving on to the House of Representatives for consideration.
However, the United Fresh Produce Association has expressed its disappointment at the news, pointing to apparent flaws in the legislation that it says could compromise consumer confidence.
'We are disappointed that the Senate continues to ignore the egregious loopholes allowed in this legislation that will erode consumer confidence in our nation's food safety system,' said Robert Guenther, United Fresh senior vice-president of public policy. 'Now, when going to a supermarket, restaurant, farmers market of roadside stand, consumers will be faced with the question of whether the fruits and vegetables offered for sale adhere to basic food safety standards or not.'
According to Mr Guenther, the Senate has chosen to ignore a science and risk-based approach in favour of the inclusion of a provision that will exempt certain segments of the food industry based on size of operation, geographic location and customer base.
'This provision creates a gaping hole in the ability of consumers to trust the safety of all foods in the commercial marketplace,' he noted.
As the Act moves to the House of Representatives, United Fresh has strongly encouraged the House leadership to request a conference to reconcile differences between the House-passed food safety legislation the 'flawed' Senate bill.
'The House bill makes no arbitrary exemptions from basic food safety standards – this principle is at risk of being discarded for temporary convenience to pass a bill, but it is a fundamental mistake that will come back to haunt consumers, the food industry and even those producers who think they are escaping from food safety requirements,' Mr Guenther explained. 'The House should give due diligence to conference these bills, not accept a flawed agreement that flies in the face of sound science.'
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