Statement by Francesca Grifo, Union of Concerned Scientists

WASHINGTON (November 30, 2010) – The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which the Senate passed this morning by a 73 to 25 vote, would go a long way to protect American families from tainted food, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The group said the legislation is “good news for every American who eats.”

UCS experts pointed out that the reforms in the new bill are badly needed. Nearly a third of 1,700 federal food safety employees responding to a 2010 UCS-sponsored survey reported personally experiencing instances where “public health [had] been harmed by businesses withholding food safety information from agency investigators” over the previous year. About a quarter of respondents also said that they had personally experienced instances where corporate interests weakened agency policies or actions at the expense of consumer protection.

The following is a statement by Francesca Grifo, director of the UCS Scientific Integrity Program.

“This bipartisan legislation is good news for every American who eats. It would help restore American families’ trust in the U.S. food supply by holding the food industry more accountable for the safety of its products.

“The legislation would give the FDA the authority for the first time to force companies to recall contaminated food, and would allow the government to stop the distribution of tainted food much more quickly than in the past.

“The legislation also would reduce undue corporate influence over federal food safety agencies. Current law makes it possible for manufacturers and distributors to withhold information from federal health officials about food safety problems. This legislation would help the FDA trace outbreaks to their source. By giving the FDA more authority, information and resources, this bill would strengthen the government’s ability to protect the food supply.

“It’s now up to the House to pass this legislation and deliver it to the president in time for him to sign it before the new year. We can’t think of a better way to start off 2011 than that.”

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C.