Sunday Edition: H.R. 7567 | Food Safety News
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Published:
- Some 200 employees of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service are being transferred from Washington, DC to locations in Iowa, Georgia and Colorado. A new National Food Safety Center will be established in Urbandale, IA, and will become the agency’s largest office in the United States. The Consumer Federation of America says the reorganization will likely result in a diluted version of the utilities currently provided.
- Two more consumer groups call on Congress to reject the FDA Review and Evaluation for Safe, Healthy and Affordable Foods Act, or FRESH Act. The Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports have both expressed opposition to the bill on the grounds that it would weaken regulations governing food chemicals. Currently, companies can choose to submit information on substances that are “generally recognized as safe (GRAS)” and start using them in foods once the FDA issues a “no questions asked” letter. These chemicals are not subject to FDA inspection, testing, or oversight.
- A report published by the European Food Safety Authority calls for continuous monitoring of imported foods for pesticide residues based on recent sampling results. Food arriving in EU member states, Iceland and Norway from other countries has recorded violations of maximum residue limits (MRLs) and non-compliance rates three to four times higher than food grown there. Overall, the health risk to consumers is low because the levels of individual pesticides in foods are low.
- Officials in a region in southwest Sweden received more than 300 reports of suspected food poisoning linked to two sushi restaurants. The underlying cause is norovirus, but the source of infection has not yet been identified. Restaurants closed on April 21 at the request of the authorities.
TOPIC OF THE DAY: HR 7567
The lower house of Congress passed HR 7567 to replace the expiring Farm Bill in a bipartisan vote of 224 to 200. The $278 million bill now goes to the Senate.
With the 2018 Farm Bill expiring on September 30, 2026, the upper house is required to pass a new farm bill to be signed by the President.
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