Safe Food Act of 2007

The Safe Food Act of 2007 was introduced after deadly outbreaks of E. coli and other food-borne pathogens in the U.S. It would create a Food Safety Administration responsible for ensuring the security of the food supply from all forms of contamination.

House
The House version of the bill (H.R.1148) was introduced on February 16, 2007 by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) with 15 cosponsors (listed below), all Democrats. The measure was referred both to the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It is nearly identical to the Food Safety Act of 2005.



Senate
The Senate version (S.654) was introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on February 15, 2007. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and has since received two additional co-sponsors, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Durbin spoke out on the importance of the creation of a Food Safety Administration, stating "Currently, there are at least 12 different federal agencies and 35 different laws governing food safety. With overlapping jurisdictions, federal agencies often lack accountability on food safety-related issues."



Food Safety Act of 2005
On April 6, 2005, Rep. DeLauro introduced H.R.1507 along with 13 cosponsors:

The stated purpose of the bill was "to establish the Food Safety Administration to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes." The bill was referred to the House Subcommittee on Health. No further action was taken.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced a companion bill, S.729, with cosponsors Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). The bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. No further action was taken.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * processed food industry
 * U.S. Department of Agriculture
 * U.S. Food and Drug Administration

External resources

 * "Pet and Human Food Safety Act," Humane Society of the United States.
 * "Durbin, DeLauro Introduce New Food Safety Bill in Wake of Widening Recalls," Office of Sen. Dick Durbin, May 1, 2007.

External articles

 * Joseph S. Enoch, "Congress Pressing for Better Food Safety. Peanut Butter, Pet Food Poisonings Leave Tempers Short at House Hearing," ConsumerAffairs.Com, April 19, 2007.
 * Linda Young, "Food Safety Could Improve With More Oversight," All Headline News, May 17, 2007.
 * David S. Martin, "Lawmakers push for change in food safety oversight," CNN, May 18, 2007.
 * "Food safety network up for overhaul," UPI, May 18, 2007.