According to the Christian Science Monitor, 5 food scares rattled America and the Food and Drug Administration. Here are the 5 most highly profiled food scares:
eggs (August 2010), peanuts (December 2009), Spinach (August 2007), lettuce (October 2006), and beef (February 2008)
The one piece of legislation that seems to have bipartisan support has hit a snafu reported by foodsafetynews.com :
A serious constitutional snafu is threatening to derail pending food safety legislation, which passed the Senate by a 3-1 margin early Tuesday.
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, S. 510, would be the most significant update of food safety laws in over seven decades, but it has become clear that the Senate made a potentially critical error by including a provision that would allow the FDA to impose fees on importers, and on companies whose food is recalled because of contamination.
Article 1, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution says all revenue-raising measures must originate in the House. This error will almost certainly mean that the legislation will have to be reconsidered in the Senate, a major setback considering the precious floor time it could take to jump though the necessary procedural hoops: namely circumventing Sen. Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) filibuster threat.
The way forward for the beleaguered legislation–which seemed to catch a big break with its 73-25 passage in the Senate this week–remains highly uncertain.
Part of the problem with food safety has been that Congress lacks the ability to recall unhealthy food. Currently, only companies can issue recalls. The new act gives the Food and Drug Administration the power to recall and more power to enforce food safety.
Several TV personalities have voiced an opinion on the Food Safety Act. Glenn Beck has warned his minions that it is a way for the government to control the population and that it will lead to starvation. He feels that the sheeple know more about food safety than the government.
John Stewart addresses this serious issue as only John Stewart can:
Hopefully the kinks can be ironed out of this legislation and S. 510 can move forward.
