PROVIDENCE, RI - At a Stop & Shop in Providence today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) joined with local grocers and farmers to discuss the latest efforts to improve food safety and protect the public from food borne illness.

Reed, a member of the Senate Health Committee, supports common-sense legislation that will make the food supply safer for consumers, hold producers accountable, and protect the livelihoods of Rhode Island family farmers.

The bill has been thwarted by Republicans to date, but when the U.S. Senate returns after the November elections, one of the first pieces of business they'll take up is a bill granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stronger oversight of food production and processing standards.

Mandating preventive control systems for food manufacturers will help stop contamination from occurring and uncover problems before the foods get into the chains of distribution.

"Food safety is an important public health and economic issue. The folks here at Stop & Shop have a strong safety record. They and their employees do everything they can to ensure each and every product they stock on their shelves is safe for consumers. But they need the federal government to do its part to help. That "Grade A" on a carton of eggs should mean something. This bill will help prevent food that doesn't meet health safety standards from making it onto shelves in the first place. It will grant the FDA new recall authority, so when problems arise the FDA can quickly order tainted food off the market," stated Reed. "I am also committed to passing common-sense food safety rules that recognizes small local farms that sell directly to consumers and local restaurants."

"This legislation provides the necessary structure and programs to more effectively and efficiently deal with food safety issues while at the same time putting in place the necessary pieces to prevent these issues from occurring as we go forward. This will serve to help restore consumer confidence in the food industry in our state and nationally," said Steve Arthurs, President and CEO of the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association.

"Family farmers play an important role in Rhode Island's economy and preserving open spaces. We appreciate Senator Reed's efforts to improve food safety in a common sense way that will help keep small family farms in business for future generations," said Louis Escobar, owner of Escobar's Highland Farm in Portsmouth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year there are 76 million cases of food-borne illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act contains several key provisions to:

Improve inspection: Will provide the FDA additional resources to hire new inspectors and requires FDA to inspect food facilities more frequently.

Strengthen preventive controls: Will require facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food to have in place risk-based preventive control plans to address identified hazards and prevent adulteration, and gives FDA access to these plans and relevant documentation. These requirements do not apply to restaurants or most farms.

Impose mandatory recall authority: Will give the FDA the authority to order a mandatory recall of a food product if the food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death and a company has failed to voluntarily recall the product upon FDA's request.

Increase Surveillance: Will enhance surveillance systems to detect food-borne illnesses.

Establish a new "traceback" system: Will require the FDA to establish a pilot project to test and evaluate new methods for rapidly tracking foods in the event of a food-borne illness outbreak.

The House of Representatives passed its version of food safety reform last year. Senator Reed and members of the Senate Health Committee unanimously approved the legislation last November.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed cloture on the food safety bill last week, a move that will ready the measure for a vote by the full Senate after the midterm election.

The bill is supported by several major food, health, and consumer protection organizations, including the Center for Science in the Public Interest; the Consumer Federation of America; the Grocery Manufacturers of America; the National Association of County and City Health Officials; the National Restaurant Association; and the Trust for America's Health.