Pelosi Statement on FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today after the House passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This legislation includes a sweeping overhaul of our nation's food safety system and works to more effectively prevent, detect, and respond to food-borne illnesses. The Senate passed the bill on Sunday; the House passed this afternoon by a vote of 215 to 144 and it now goes to President Obama for his signature into law:

"Today, the House acted to give America's parents the confidence that the food they serve their children is safe. With recent outbreaks of food-borne illness from common foods such as spinach, tomatoes, peanut butter, and cookie dough, the urgency of addressing this challenge could not be greater. And with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, we will fundamentally change the way we protect public health and the safety of our food supply.

"This legislation will work to prevent food contamination before it occurs, steering away from our current focus on responding after an outbreak. It improves our ability to detect and respond to food-borne illness, increases the number of inspections the FDA must conduct, and, for the first time, requires importers of foreign food to verify that products grown and processed overseas meet U.S. safety standards.

"I applaud of all my colleagues who voted for this critical bill. On behalf of our nation's children, in the name of the health and well-being of all Americans, we have passed a major overhaul of American food safety that will protect lives and prevent illness."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House