WASHINGTON—The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, which would the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) significantly more funding and power to police food safety.
The bill would give FDA authority to order food recalls, impose new civil penalties and require companies to follow food-safety standards. It also would require the agency to inspect so-called high-risk food facilities at least once a year and make companies keep detailed records to help the FDA more quickly trace the distribution of tainted foods and track the course of the contamination, reported the Wall Street Journal.