The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved legislation that would subject companies and individuals who knowingly violate food safety standards to tougher penalties, including fines and prison sentences ranging up to 10 years, and would raise specified offenses from misdemeanors to felonies. The proposal is aimed at curbing the distribution of tainted food products. Current law provides for a maximum fine of $10,000 and a maximum prison sentence of three years.
Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement, "The Justice Department must be given the tools it needs to investigate, prosecute, and truly deter crime involving food safety." And, he added: "Current statutes do not provide sufficient criminal sanctions for those who knowingly violate our food safety laws. This bill significantly increases the chances that those who commit food safety crimes will face jail time, rather than a slap on the wrist, for their criminal conduct."
The measure was seen as a possible addition to a broader food-safety measure backed by consumer advocates and certain industry groups that would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to order recalls of contaminated food and test for tainted products. However, that broader, long-delayed bill to enhance FDA oversight is not expected to be considered until the upcoming lame duck session.
Although Leahy thinks it's appropriate to include his measure in the broader food-safety package, he would have no objections to the Senate passing the legislation as a stand-alone measure, a committee spokeswoman said.
.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
