Supply Scan

Bryan Silbermann, president and CEO of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), said while his organization supported the original Senate bill and has long backed efforts to modernize food safety laws to protect public health and enhance consumer confidence, “unfortunately, recent language added to that bill did not align with PMA’s fundamental position of risk- and science-based food safety efforts, resulting in our recent opposition.

“We stand firm that the entire produce industry must be committed to providing safe fruits and vegetables, no exceptions, because pathogens don’t discriminate based on company size, commodity or distance to market.”

Other critics of the legislation include some small-farm advocates and organic food producers who say that they’ll be buried under the paperwork requirements. Also at issue is the fact that the legislation doesn’t consolidate overlapping—and duplicative—duties of the more than 10 federal agencies responsible for food safety.