Bill giving FDA new powers to oversee food supply has wide support

Bipartisan food safety legislation sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin has gained momentum despite Congress's packed agenda, with rare alignment between consumer groups and an industry battered by recalls. The bill would require stepped-up FDA inspections, new rules for imported food and fresh produce contaminants, and grant the agency independent recall authority instead of relying on industry cooperation. "Hardly a week goes by that there isn't a report of an outbreak of food-borne illness or death in America," Durbin stated. "The current system really just reacts to food illness." A July Pew survey found nearly 90% of voters favor reforms similar to the legislation. The food industry has paid heavily for outbreaks: $100 million lost in the 2008 jalapeño pepper recall, similar losses from the 2006 spinach recall, and Kellogg lost $70 million from the peanut recall. "This is a rare situation where the industry is shoulder to shoulder with consumers," said Erik Olson of Pew's Health & Human Services Policy program. Marler emphasizes a critical but overlooked provision: funding for state and local health departments to improve surveillance. "Assuming proper funding—and that's a big assumption—the focus on money flowing to state and local health departments would allow you to do more rapid surveillance," he explained. "They would have more information sooner and illness and business disruption would be reduced." The legislation's major unresolved question is funding, with House estimates at $3.7 billion over five years.