US Senate passes the Food Safety Modernisation Act

The US Senate has passed the Food Safety Modernisation Act of 2010. This bill directly enlarges FDA’s legal and regulatory authority over food in nearly every sector.

The bill will substantially increase the regulatory compliance burden on foreign food manufacturers, farms and food importers without a proportional effect on food safety. In addition to representing huge projected government spending, this bill will cause producers to raise food prices and it will noticeably slow food imports without a significant improvement in food safety.

Benjamin L England, a 17-year FDA-employee veteran and Food and Drug Law consultant and lawyer, warns food importers about the new US Senate Bill 510 that is predicted to create unrealistic import requirements in the near future.

The bill will increase the price of food - indirectly, in the form of huge taxpayer expenditures and directly, in the form of higher prices - without a proportional improvement in food safety. It creates the perception of regulatory improvements, without cost-benefit analysis and without addressing FDA’s inability to manage or support its current food safety regimen.