The “Safe Food Act of 2015,” introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) would create a single independent food safety agency by combining the food safety functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies. There currently are 15 federal agencies that have some role in food safety oversight. Durbin said, “The fragmented nature of our food safety system has left us more vulnerable to the risk of foodborne illness. It has too often forced citizens to go it alone in the case of outbreak.”
The legislation would:
- Transfer and consolidate food safety authorities for inspections, enforcement and labeling into a single food safety agency
- Provide authority to require the recall of unsafe food
- Require risk assessments and preventive control plans to reduce adulteration
- Authorize enforcement actions to strengthen contaminate performance standards
- Improve foreign food import inspections
- Require full food traceability to better identify sources of outbreaks.