Legislative Agenda

Food Safety

In the last couple of years we've seen Salmonella in our peppers and peanut butter and E. coli in our spinach. We've also seen chemically tainted pet food, milk products, and seafood from China.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates these foods and 80 percent of our food supply, including virtually all food imports, but it's clear the FDA does not have the authority and resources it needs to keep up. The agency is underfunded and overwhelmed. It operates under an obsolete, largely reactive 1938 law.

That's why I introduced the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that gives the FDA the new authorities and resources it needs to stop food safety problems before they start. I have worked closely with several Senators, from both parties, to develop this legislation.

For the first time in history, our bill gives the FDA a mandate to inspect facilities and prevent contamination. The bill:

• Increases the inspections at all food facilities and requires annual inspections of high risk facilities.
• Requires the food industry to develop plans that identify hazards and implement the right preventive measures.
• Enables the FDA to more effectively respond to an outbreak by giving the agency new authorities to order recalls, shut down tainted facilities, and access records.

This bipartisan bill is proof that food safety isn't a Democratic issue or a Republican one. Everyone eats. All Americans have a right to know that the food we buy for our families and our pets is safe. We shouldn't have to worry about getting sick, or worse. If there's a problem, our government should be able to catch it and fix it before people die.

Read about the bill >>

Read Sen. Durbin's explanation of why we need to reform the FDA >>