On the recordNovember 17, 2010
the United States has one of the best food safety systems in the world. However, even the best of systems have room for improvement. That is why my colleagues and I worked together over the past year to produce a bill that has broad bipartisan support. Food safety is not a partisan issue. We all want the safest food supply possible and the Food Safety Modernization Act makes significant improvements in that direction. This is not a perfect bill. If it were solely up to me, there are several provisions that I would have done differently. However, this bill provides real improvements for our food system by placing a greater emphasis on prevention and targeting government involvement to the areas of greatest need. The American food industry is made up of hundreds of thousands of processors, distributers, and retailers of all sizes, both foreign and domestic. When you say 'food industry' many think of the Nations largest food processors that carry the brand names with which we are familiar. In truth, 'industry' also consists of tens of thousands of small businesses across the country. It also includes over 2 million farmers, both large and small, in the United States that provide the food that we consume at our tables. This bill recognizes the diversity of all these individuals and organizations and protects their ability to continue to grow safe food for our families.
