US Senate food bill good first step, needs work: FDA

A Senate bill that would expand U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversight and give it the power to recall food is a step forward but needs to be stronger, the head of the agency told lawmakers on Thursday.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the FDA commissioner, said the legislation does not include several crucial measures, including giving FDA better access to company food records during routine inspections and enough money to do the job.

“The legislation is a major step in the right direction,” Hamburg told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “We are concerned that the bill does not provide a guaranteed consistent funding source to help FDA fulfill its new responsibilities.”

The U.S. food supply has been battered by a series of high-profile outbreaks involving lettuce, peppers, peanuts and spinach since 2006. Consumer groups, lawmakers and the Obama administration have demanded an overhaul of the antiquated food safety system and reform of the FDA.

The Senate bill is similar to legislation that passed the House in July, which gave FDA mandatory recall authority, increased the frequency of food inspections and required all facilities to have a food safety plan in place.

The FDA now can only recommend food recalls in most cases.

Hamburg urged the committee to adopt some of the same provisions as the House bill, including charging new fees for the higher inspection costs and giving it greater access to records at food production facilities.

The Senate bill would would allow FDA access to company records, but only in a food emergency.

The FDA, which oversees the bulk of the U.S. food supply, including fruits, vegetables and processed foods that do not contain meat, has pressed Congress for more funding and authority. An overhaul of the country’s food safety system would be the most sweeping reform in close to 50 years.

An estimated 76 million people in the United States get sick every year with foodborne illness and 5,000 die, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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* FDA chief says food safety bill must be stronger

* Tells Senate more money needed for extra safety nets

By Christopher Doering

WASHINGTON (Reuters)