WASHINGTON—Reuters reported that a U.S. Senate committee approved an overhaul of FDA’s food-safety system. The full Senate likely won’t vote on the bill until 2010, according to Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, passed by the House of Representatives in July, focuses on prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks by giving FDA the power to order food recalls and expanding the agency's access to company records. The bill also requires all facilities to have a food safety plan in place and increases the frequency of food inspections.