Food safety bills should prioritize health, not industry profits

The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing today on food regulation and oversight. Under consideration are proposals that would make our food safer by closing loopholes in the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system. Others, however, would cement industry control of the review process by effectively taking away the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorities to regulate chemicals in food and blocking states’ ability to enact stronger food protections.

“Americans shouldn’t have to worry if their food is safe. But under the current chemical safety system, over 1,000 ingredients got into our food with zero safety review,” said Joanna Slaney, Vice President for Political and Government Affairs. “We need to fix our failing food safety system, not rig it further to pad industry profits at the expense of our health.”

The hearing agenda includes three bills – The Grocery Reform and Safety Act, The Food Chemical Reassessment Act and The Baby Food Safety Act – that would help fix America’s broken food safety system by strengthening safety standards and requiring stronger evidence before ingredients are allowed on the market.

Conversely, the FRESH and Affordable Foods Act would undermine food safety by further eroding FDA’s already weak oversight, giving FDA authority to make independent safety decisions to industry and blocking states from developing more stringent food chemical safeguards than the federal government.

For more information about these proposals, please reach out.