The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved by voice vote a proposal by panel Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) that would impose tougher penalties for violators of food safety standards, a proposal first approved by the panel last year. The bill would increase criminal penalties for companies and individuals that knowingly contaminate the food supply by distributing misbranded or tainted food products.
The bill "increases the sentences that prosecutors can seek for people who violate our food safety laws in those cases where there is conscious or reckless disregard of a risk of death or serious bodily injury," Leahy said. He called current statutes insufficient, adding that, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, violations rarely result in imprisonment.
"The threat or the reality of jail time tends to focus people's attention far more than a fine does," Leahy said. "And too often, those who are willing to endanger our children in pursuit of profits view such fines or recalls as merely the cost of doing business."
