Food, Health and Safety Issues Continue to Attract Congressional Attention

As members of the 111th Congress actively consider how to address food-safety issues and debate in committee whether splitting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in two would best reform federal oversight, new bills addressing food health and safety continue to be introduced. The most recent include:

• H.R. 1324 – Introduced March 5, 2009, by Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), this bill would update national school nutrition standards for foods and beverages not included in school meals. The proposed legislation, with 101 co-sponsors, was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
• H.R. 1332 – Introduced March 5, 2009, by Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif.), this measure, titled the “Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards, and Targeting Act of 2009” or “Safe FEAST Act of 2009,” would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by strengthening FDA’s authority to inspect records during food-related emergencies, recall contaminated products, accredit food-testing laboratories, and regulate food imports, among other matters. Referred to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Agriculture.
• H.R. 1398 – Introduced March 9, 2009, by Representative Jim Matheson (D-Utah),this bill, titled the “Labeling Education and Nutrition Act of 2009” or the “LEAN Act of 2009,” would require fast-food restaurants to conspicuously disclose calorie and other nutritional information in their facilities. A companion bill (S. 558) was introduced in the Senate. The House proposal has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
• S. 593 – Introduced March 12, 2009, by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), this measure, titled the “Ban Poisonous Additives Act of 2009,” would prohibit the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage containers. One-year waivers would be allowed for manufacturers that show they cannot remove the chemical from their products, but such products would have to display prominent warning labels and the manufacturers would be required to submit plans to remove the chemical. Referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
• S. 619 – Introduced March 17, 2009, by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), this bill and its companion (H.R. 1549), titled the “Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2009,” link the declining effectiveness of antibiotics in humans to their routine administration in feed to livestock and would limit their use in animal husbandry. The Senate bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.