Pelosi issues statement following House passage of food safety legislation

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this evening following House passage of H.R. 3082, Making Further Continuing Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Food Safety Enhancement Act. The bill, which passed the House by a vote of 212 to 206, funds the government for fiscal year 2011 and includes a sweeping overhaul of the nation's food safety system. It now goes to the Senate.

"Parents deserve to have confidence that the food they are feeding their children is safe. Yet recent outbreaks of food-borne illness from common foods – from spinach and tomatoes, to peanut butter and cookie dough – have left too many people feeling uncertain and scared.

"The landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act will fundamentally change the way we protect public health and the safety of our food supply, working to prevent contamination before it occurs. It also improves our ability to detect and respond to food-borne illness, and, for the first time, requires importers of food into the U.S. to verify the food meets U.S. safety standards.

"With our nation's children first in mind, Congress has passed a major overhaul of American food safety that will protect lives and prevent illness."