S. 654 would establish the Food Safety Administration to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination.
Detailed Summary
Safe Food Act of 2007 - Establishes the Food Safety Administration to administer and enforce food safety laws. Directs the Administrator of the Food Safety Administration to: (1) promulgate regulations to ensure the security of the food supply from all forms of contamination; (2) implement federal food safety inspection, enforcement, and research efforts to protect the public health; (3) develop consistent and science-based standards for safe food; and (4) prioritize federal food safety efforts and deployment of resources to achieve the greatest possible benefit in reducing food-borne illness.
Transfers to the Administration all functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws.
Requires the Administrator to: (1) administer a national food safety program based on an analysis of the hazards associated with different food and the processing of different food; (2) establish standards for processors of food and food establishments; (3) establish a certification system for foreign governments or food establishments seeking to import food to the United States; (4) establish requirements for tracing food and food producing animals from point of origin to retail sale; (5) maintain an active surveillance system of food, food products, and epidemiological evidence; (6) establish a sampling system to monitor contaminants in food; (7) rank and analyze hazards in the food supply; (8) establish a national public education campaign on food safety; and (9) conduct research relating to food safety.
Sets forth provisions regarding prohibited acts, administrative detention, condemnation, temporary holds, recall, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistle blower protection, and civil actions.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 2/15/2007: Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Points in Favor
(Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should pass!)
Points Against
(Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should not pass!)
Visitor Comments
Tisa Smith
I think the events of the past few months have shown us how ineffective our current safety mechanisms are - it's time for a serious change. That's why I support this bill. I only hope that it will see its way out of committee this year.
Rhode Island Safe Food Initiative
The safety of our nation's food supply is increasingly at risk. This legislation will address many of the problems plaguing our current fragmented and antiquated federal food safety system by establishing a single Food Safety Administration and modernizing, consolidating, and strengthening Federal food safety laws and their enforcement. Please support the Safe Food Act of 2007 so that an effective Food Safety Administration may be established to resolve the growing, but preventable, epidemic of foodborne illness. brown.edu/Project/IsYourFoodSafe