Wednesday, the House of Representatives failed to get enough votes to fast track food legislation bill HR2749. Fast tracking would have passed the bill, under the suspension of House rules, with limited debate and no amendments. The supermajority was missed by only a few votes.
By Thursday, proponents of HR2749 reintroduced the bill with only minor changes and the resolution was passed with a supermajority 283-142. The bill only required a simple majority for passage.
Supporters of the bill praise it for its far reaching legislation that would tighten up oversight of food manufacturing and processing which in turn would decrease the incidents of foodborne illnesses and outbreaks such as the recent Peanut Corporation of America Salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds and killed as many as nine people.
“Americans are dying because the Food and Drug Administration does not have authority to protect them and American producers and agriculture are being hurt,” said Rep. John Dingell, “This will fundamentally change the way in which we ensure the safety of our food supply.”
The opponents of the resolution are concerned that the bill was designed with large manufacturers in mind and it would prove to be detrimental to small and organic farmers and that the bill is just more bureaucracy.
The bill now moves to the senate for a vote and if passed will go to the president’s desk. Obama has already stated his support for the bill.
While the bill’s bureaucracy may not be the final solution to combat food contamination, it is at least an attempt at a solution as the current state of the FDA is broken. With no reasonable alternative legislation offered up, I will be glad to see this bill put into action
Any reasonable step forward at protecting victims of food poisoning is a positive step. While the concerns of the bill’s opponents may be valid, small and organic farmers are not exempt from the responsibilities of keeping our food supply safe. They too will have to make sacrifices to keep Americans protected from preventable illnesses such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria and the myriad of other foodborne pathogens. These foodborne illnesses are simply unacceptable. The disease they bring and the complications they cause like hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), Reiter’s syndrome and death are an expense the citizens of America simply cannot afford.
