A US Senate bipartisan committee reached a compromise on the groundwork of a new food safety bill that sets the stage for the full Senate to fill in the details later this year.
The bill would give the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to order a food recall, as opposed to just requesting one. FDA is also looking to increase the frequency of inspections at processing plants and other facilities. And, in a move possibly linked to the 2007 melamine contamination of dog and cat food that sickened and killed thousands of pets, the bill includes the stipulation that importers must verify the safety of their foreign suppliers, and businesses that manufacture and process food must have plans in place to prevent adulteration.
No date for a full Senate vote has been set.
