Food Safety Modernization Act : A Step in the Right Direction

The Food Safety Modernization Act was passed by Congress in December of 2010 and signed into law by President Obama in January 2011.  This Act provides safety for whistle blowing employees who provide information that their companies are violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (this law gives the FDA most of its regulatory power).  Also, the Food Safety Act will also increase the FDA's power.  Under this new law, the FDA will be able to demand a company issue a recall of harmful foods (before the FDA could only say pretty please and the companies could do whatever they wanted.)  Go here to see what other ways this Act will make our food safer.

According to FoodSafety.gov, the President and his staff are ready "to build a new system of food safety oversight – one focused on applying, more comprehensively than ever, the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems that can make people sick."(For the complete article go here.)  It is about time our food industry used a little common sense!  Companies are so worried about the bottom line that they would rather fill hamburgers with ammonia washed "meat product" than actually feed their cows grass!  I hope this Act will actually be put into practice and give the FDA the power it needs to regulate the food industry.  Because we obviously cannot trust business to regulate themselves.

~Hannah Frame