Lawmakers Push Food Safety Bills After 'Frontline' Investigation

The “Meat and Poultry Recall Notification Act,” from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), would strengthen authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to recall contaminated meat and poultry.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)

Lawmakers in the Senate and House introduced two separate food safety bills recently in the wake of FRONTLINE’s investigation into the food safety system, “The Trouble with Chicken.”

The “Meat and Poultry Recall Notification Act,” from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), would strengthen authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to recall contaminated meat and poultry.

Currently, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which operates under the umbrella of the USDA, can only require a recall if meat or poultry contains a contaminant or pathogen that the agency already bans — for example, E.coli 0157

Gillibrand’s bill would give the FSIS broader authority to require a recall if a company’s product was known to be contaminated and it refused to comply with an initial request.

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