In the wake of a massive recall of a major infant formula brand, New Haven U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro is proposing an overhaul to the federal food regulation process: a new Food Safety Administration to prevent food-related illness and contaminations.
DeLauro introduced the Food Safety Administration Act on Wednesday alongside Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. The bill would establish a new agency devoted to revising and enforcing food safety metrics, as well as investigating and managing instances of food poisoning.
“Right now, there are no food policy experts in charge of food safety at the FDA,” DeLauro said in a press release. “That is unacceptable and contributes to a string of product contaminations and subsequent recalls that disrupt the supply chain, contribute to rising prices, and in many cases, result in consumer illness and death.”
DeLauro cited the recent infant formula crisis as an instance of the Food and Drug Administration’s failure to adequately safeguard food systems.
In May, on the heels of the formula crisis, DeLauro proposed a separate bill to allocate $28 million in emergency funding toward the Food and Drug Administration’s data collection and inspection efforts regarding infant formula. That bill passed the House of Representatives but has not been weighed by the Senate.