THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release January 4, 2011
Statement by the Press Secretary
On Tuesday, January 04, 2011, the President signed into law:
H.R. 2751, the “FDA Food Safety Modernization Act,” which modernizes the food safety system to better prevent food-borne illness and better respond to outbreaks.
I must
You guessed it – Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-. The recent Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- Outbreak linked to sprouts served at Jimmy John’s restaurants is the third I 4,[5],12:i:- outbreak in the last two years.
Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- Infections Linked to Alfalfa Sprouts sold at Jimmy John’s
From November 1 to December 21, 2010
It has been a very long process. It now goes to the President to sign. below is me in Spring 2008 making my pitch before the Committee that the Bill eventually came from. Here is what I said to the LA Times today after the Bills passage:
“In a bad economy, with the kind of
So, says the headline this morning. Apparently, the U.S. Homeland Security Department this year identified a terrorist plan to contaminate salad bars and buffets at restaurants and hotels with lethal materials. The strikes involving ricin and cyanide would have occurred during one weekend at a significant number of establishments. The plot was “credible,” according to an intelligence insider. Here to me is the take-away quote:
“Initially it would look very much like food poisoning,” said Susan Ford, a pharmaceutical sciences professor at St. John’s University in New York.
Go figure? This should sound familiar to readers of this blog in August 2008 – Keep reading – “Who Poisoned our Peppers?:Continue Reading Terrorists Seek to Poison Food at U.S. Restaurants, Hotels
Perhaps the President will bring the Bill with him to Hawaii for Christmas – It’s a short flight from Seattle. Thanks to Republican and Democratic Staff for this great Summary of the House and Senate version of the Bill:
Noteworthy
· S. 510 is intended to respond to several food safety outbreaks in recent years by strengthening the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and redoubling its efforts to prevent and respond to food safety concerns.
· The legislation expands current registration and inspection authority for FDA, and re-focuses FDA’s inspection regime based on risk assessments, such that high-risk facilities will be inspected more frequently. The bill also requires food processors to conduct a hazard analysis of their facilities and implement a plan to minimize those hazards.
· The bill requires FDA to recognize bodies that accredit food safety laboratories domestically and third-party auditors overseas. The bill enhances partnerships with state and local officials regarding food safety outbreaks, and establishes a framework to allow FDA to inspect foreign facilities.
· The bill does NOT change the existing jurisdictional boundaries between FDA and the Department of Agriculture, and includes protections for farms and small businesses.
· The bill gives the FDA the power to order mandatory food recalls, in the event that a food company cannot or does not comply with a request to recall its products voluntarily.Continue Reading Food Safety Bill Leaves Senate with Unanimous Consent, House Vote Tuesday
I just received this message from the Senate floor:
“Prior to adjourning, the Senate passed H.R.2751, as amended by the text of S. 510 (with Tester/Hagen Amendment) minus the offending blue slip provisions. The House now needs to vote to pass. It then needs to be signed by the President.”
Interestingly, I had been working
It is Saturday morning and I am watching and listening to the ongoing debate on the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal which seems like it might pass. The “Dream Act” on the other hand seems like it will not overcome a Republican filibuster, and then there is the pesky thing called “START” – Senator Kyle
In one of those moments when I thought; “I should have done that first,” Jim and Angela have done a great job and making Food Safety Law more that a bit(e) interesting. As I said in the foreward:
“For those not acquainted with my neighborhood, Food Safety Law will help you navigate the roads and
It is late here in Washington D.C. (also known as an alternative universe). It snowed all day making getting to meetings with Senate and House Members (and a few reporters) somewhat problematic (except for riding the cool trains between House and Senate offices and the Capitol). In the last two days I have spent my
Being in DC for several days can turn nearly anyone into a “policy wonk.” This is even more so when you are meeting with Congressmemebers, Senators, Staff and Reporters on the progress of Food Safety Legislation. With the CDC numbers that came out yesterday, revising the numbers of foodborne illnesses, and this report, there is
