Food production facilities would face more federal scrutiny and new government fees under draft food-safety legislation proposed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The draft is the latest in a string of attempts to move all-encompassing food safety legislation, which many lawmakers have been demanding for years. Recent food scares have intensified the pressure.
The draft would create an up-to-date registry of all food facilities that serve American consumers and impose an annual $1000 user fee on those facilities. Registered facilities would be required to pay the Food and Drug Administration for any costs associated with re-inspections and food recalls.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association has voiced its concern that the draft legislation proposes significant new fees on food companies and ultimately consumers at a time when they can least afford it, and in the face of an unprecedented increase in appropriated funding for FDA food safety activities.