My Letter to Congress: S.510 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

I am writing as your constituent in the 1st Congressional district of Ohio. I am writing as your constituent in the 1st Congressional district of Ohio. I oppose S.510 - FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

Sincerely,
Cristine Ihle

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Dear Ms. Ihle:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act. On December 19th, I joined with my colleagues in the Senate to pass a comprehensive food safety bill by unanimous consent. This legislation was signed into law by President Obama on January 4th, 2011.

This new law gives the FDA new authority and resources to improve our nation?s food safety system and better protect Ohioans from preventable foodborne illness outbreaks. Now, this new law will increase the frequency of inspections in all food facilities, allow the FDA to recall dangerous food products, and establish a comprehensive traceability system to quickly and accurately trace the source of tainted food in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak.

Improving the FDA?s ability to better ensure the safety of our nation?s food supply is a high priority for me, but ensuring that new requirements are not overly burdensome on small farms and businesses is also critical. Throughout the debate on food safety, I heard concerns from Ohioans who were worried about creating new and un-called for requirements for farmers, which is why I supported provisions in the legislation that provide special considerations for family farmers, natural resource conservation, organic farming, and local and regional food enterprises.

Unfortunately there have been many false claims circulating about this law. Contrary to those claims, this new law will not stop the production of organic food or of home gardens. Additionally, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act has received support from a variety of organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the National Restaurant Association, the Organic Trade Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Consumers Union, and the PEW Charitable Trust.

I appreciated hearing your views on this legislation. Thank you again for getting in touch with me.

Sincerely,

Sherrod Brown
United States Senator



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