"House Leaders Call for Closer Watch on Food Supply"

"The nation's complex food supply chain would become more transparent, inspections of food facilities would become more frequent and manufacturers would be required to take steps aimed at preventing food-borne illnesses under legislation proposed yesterday by key House leaders who have pledged to modernize the food safety system.

The bill, introduced by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman  Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) and  Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), would give the Food and Drug Administration broad new enforcement tools, including the authority to recall tainted food, the ability to 'quarantine' suspect food, and the power to impose civil penalties and increased criminal sanctions on violators."

Lyndsey Layton reports for the Washington Post May 28, 2009.