US food safety law expected in 2010

The chairwoman of the U.S. House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a recent interview, “I have every confidence that we are going to pass food safety legislation and this legislation is going to get to the president for a signature and that’s going to happen this year.” Although the House has passed a food safety bill, progress has been delayed in the Senate.
Among other changes, the bill intensifies restrictions on imported food products. It demands that non-U.S. farmers, processors and manufacturers apply equivalent practices and inspection procedures to those mandated in the U.S. The law would include mandatory recall authority for the Food and Drug Administration and intensified inspection of food production plants.