Food Safety Bill Clears Congress

After a lengthy exchange of debates and rewrites, the U.S. House today passed the Food Safety Modernization Act by a vote of 215 to 144, leaving the bill only in need of a signature from President Barack Obama.

The Food Safety Modernization Act aims to bolster food safety through a variety of initiatives, including granting full authority for FDA to order product recalls, requiring food farmers and processors to keep traceability records, and increasing food facility inspections conducted by FDA.

Much of the nutrition industry is praising the long-awaited passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, but some organizations still hold concern over some language in the bill-namely, the Tester Amendment which grants compliance exemptions for qualified small businesses.