126th Morrison Congress

2nd Session

H.R. 126-026

Title of the Bill: FDA Food Safety Modernization Bill

Main Author(s): Rep. Josephine Chen (CT-5)

Co-Sponsor(s):

BE IT ENACTED BY THE MORRISON CONGRESS

1 SECTION 1: Findings
2 Congress makes the following findings:
3 1) CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that each year
4 roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are
5 hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases. All of these are caused by
6 the 31 pathogens and the unspecified agents transmitted through food,
7 United States [1]
8 2) Meat and poultry (a combination of four animal food categories[Beef, Game,
9 Pork, and Poultry) caused 29% of deaths in foodborne disease outbreaks [2]
10 3) If the government reduces foodborne illness by just 1 percent would keep
11 about 500,000 Americans from getting sick each year. Reducing foodborne
12 illness by 10 percent would keep about 5 million from getting sick [3]
13 4) In 2012, an outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a contaminated
14 compounded drug product resulted in the loss of 64 lives and caused more
15 than 751 illnesses [5]
16
17 SECTION 2: Purpose
18 This Bill is created to allow FDA to better protect public health and regulate the food
19 safety system.
20
21 SECTION 3: General Provisions
22
23 This Bill will guarantee that FDA is permitted to inspect and regulate food facility
24 a) The Secretary of Health and Human Services in FDA can mandatory recall
25 authority and request the company to remove any product
26 b) Each food facility is required to renew its U.S. FDA registration every two
27 years between September to December
28 c) Facilities that are outside the United States are required to designate U.S.
29 Agent for FDA communications
30 d) FDA will be allowed to suspend any food facility that may cause serious
31 adverse health consequences or death to humans (total 323.1 million people)
32 or animals [1]
33
34 This Bill will grant FDA the power to require and regulate any sanitary transportation
35 rule
36 a) For any failures of temperature control or potentially unsafe condition, food
 37 should not be sold unless a qualified individual proved that this does not
38 cause unsafe food [6]
39 b) If the products are shipped from bulk transport such as cargo, then the carrier
40 should provide detail about the most recent sanitization
41 c) All the carriers must be required to receive proper training on food safety
42 awareness and sanitary practices
43
44 SECTION 4: Definitions
45
46 Foodborne Illness: The illness that resulted from infection or irritation of the
47 gastrointestinal (GI) tract caused by food or beverages that contain harmful
48 bacteria, parasites, viruses, or chemicals [4]
49
50 Food Facility: Any operation that stores, prepares, packages, serves, vends, or
51 otherwise provides food for human consumption at the retail level.
52
53 Designated U.S. Agent: A person whos a resident of the United States or maintain
54 a physical place of business in the US needs to assist the FDA in communication
55 with your facility.
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Works Cited:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/2011-foodborne-estimates.html
2. https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/attribution-1998-2008.html
3. http://www.eatright.org/resource/homefoodsafety/safety-tips/food-poisoning/food-safe
ty-facts-and-figures
4. http://www.stopfoodborneillness.org/awareness/what-is-foodborne-illness/
5. https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/Milestones/ucm128305.htm
6. https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInfor
mation/SanitationTransportation/default.htm