Senate Passes Food Safety Bill

Washington, DCThe Senate passed legislation Tuesday that could put in place a sweeping overhaul of the national food safety system. The bill was prompted by the seemingly endless food recalls of recent memory, including tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach.

The legislation provides the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with greater powers to track and inspect products, including imported foods and to action on unsafe foods and their manufacturers before they reach the consumer, rather than waiting until an outbreak of food poisoning occurs.

Known as the Food Modernization Act, it also grants the FDA power to initiate recalls rather than letting companies decide whether or not to issue voluntary recalls.

"This bill will have a dramatic impact on the way the FDA operates – providing it with more resources for inspection, mandatory recall authority, and the technology to trace an outbreak back to its source," said Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill, who sponsored the bill.

The House of Representatives passed a similar bill last year, and if the Senate and the House can work out the legislation, President Obama can sign the bill into law.