Washington, DC - Despite getting 280 votes from Members of both parties, H.R. 2749, the “Food Safety Enhancement Act” did not get the two-thirds vote needed to pass under suspension of the rules.  H.R. 2749 would better ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by improving inspections and oversight of the food we eat.  It is anticipated that the bill will be back on the House Floor tomorrow under a rule, which requires only a simple majority for passage.

The bill’s author, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15), made the following remarks after the vote:

“I am disappointed that the Food Safety Enhancement Act failed to pass the House today despite getting an overwhelming majority of the votes in the House.  With 280 votes, the bill clearly has broad bipartisan support and I am a little disheartened that Americans will have to wait a little longer now to feel safe about their food supply again.  This is also undoubtedly a disappointment to the tens of thousands of Americans who have been sickened or have lost loved ones because of unsafe food.   Those people were in my mind as I wrote this bill and I will not give up fighting for them.  I will work with all the interested Members and relevant stakeholders to try and address their concerns to ensure that this good bill gets back to the Floor soon.”
 
This bill would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) increased authority and resources needed to prevent food-borne illnesses from occurring. Specifically, the bill will:

• Increase the frequency of FDA inspections of food facilities;
• Prevent food safety problems before they occur by requiring food facilities to have safety plans in place to identify and mitigate hazards;
• Provide strong, flexible enforcement tools, including mandatory recall, stronger penalties for bad actors, administrative detention, and subpoena authority;
• Provide FDA tools to ensure imported products meet US safety standards;
• Significantly expand FDA traceback capabilities in the event of an outbreak of foodborne illness; and
• Most importantly, generate the resources needed to support FDA food safety activities.