3 Factors Holding Up the Food Safety Reform Bill (S. 510)

Update 12/21/10: It took more than a year-and-a-half of pushing, but on December 21, 2010, Congress finally passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510). The move came after more than 1,800 Change.org members signed our petition asking Congress to pass the food safety reform bill. You can read more about this victory here.

The Senate teased us yesterday with promises of a vote on the much-debated FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510). The bill promises to overhaul America's food safety system and prevent large-scale food contamination outbreaks like this summer's salmonella scandal. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised — the legislation's been stalled in the Senate since the summer of 2009 — but yesterday has come and gone and there's still no vote on food safety reform.

According to the Des Moines Register, the Senate will put off its food safety debate until after the Thanksgiving recess. Talks will resume on November 29th, with a vote (hopefully) forthcoming. In the meantime, consumers will go into their celebrations worried if yet another food item will join the eggs, celery, and cheese that have been recalled recently due to contamination.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) has been kicking around for more than a year now, and we've yet to see any overhauling of the country's woefully inadequate food safety system. So what's the hold up? Read on for three big issues that are keeping S. 510 on lockdown.

The Tester-Hagan Amendment

The Senate recently voted to include the Tester-Hagan amendment as part of S. 510's final manager's package. The amendment exempts small farmers and producers from some of the regulations and more frequent inspections that would go into effect under S. 510. The reasoning goes that small-scale producers — like those who sell their wares at farmers' markets and roadside stands — simply lack the resources to comply with beefed-up regulations. Plus, it's mainly industrial ag operations that are responsible for food contamination outbreaks, so the small, local guys shouldn't be penalized for doing things the right way. As Marion Nestle notes, Big Ag is majorly ticked, and 19 produce groups sent a letter to the Senate arguing against the inclusion of the Tester-Hagan amendment. You can bet that this controversy and Big Ag lobbying is holding up passage of comprehensive food safety reform.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK)

As Change.org has reported before, one of S. 510's most vocal critics is a member of the Senate. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has refused to support the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act on the grounds that it's too expensive. Coburn has also argued before that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a troubled agency that shouldn't be given more power. According to Nestle, Coburn is now attempting to block S. 510 by pushing through an amendment that bans all earmark spending through 2013. You can ask Coburn to reverse his stance and support S. 510 by signing our petition here.

Sheer Contentiousness of the Issue

Part of the reason the FDA Food Safety Modernization is taking so dang long is that it's a divisive issue even amongst the sustainable food community. While pretty much everyone would agree that America's food safety system is flawed (salmonella-loaded eggs, anyone?), some argue that strengthening government oversight isn't the way to fix this crippled system. Others say that the legislation doesn't give the FDA enough power. While some contest that S. 510 would kill the locavore movement, others argue that without S. 510, food just might kill us. It's a hugely complex, hot-button issue, a fact that has undoubtedly had a hand in delaying movement on this bill.

If the Senate votes in favor of S. 510, it would still need to be merged with the House's version of the bill (unless the House accepts the Senate's version as-is). Only then would the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act get signed into law.

The one silver lining of yet another delay on this bill is that it gives consumers more time to speak up. If you think America's food safety system needs an overhaul, sign our petition asking Congress to vote in favor of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.

Photo credit: Masahiro Ihara via Flickr