Food Marketing Institute Extremely Disappointed Senate Will Not Act on Food Safety Legislation Before November Elections

ARLINGTON, VA — September 16, 2010 — The Food Marketing Institute released the following statement from President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie G. Sarasin:


“We are extremely disappointed that the U.S. Senate will not act immediately to take up the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act before the midterm elections.


The most important goal of America’s food retailers and wholesalers is to provide nutritious, safe, high-quality and affordable food. We all have a responsibility to work together to improve the safety of our food supply. We believe the focus should be on trying to prevent problems before they occur by providing FDA the necessary resources and authority to help the agency protect our food supply.


We commend the work done by Senators Durbin and Gregg, Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi and the others who played a vital role in creating a bipartisan bill. We will continue to urge the Senate to take up this very important legislation as soon as possible.”

About FMI

As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain — from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services — to amplify the collective work of the industry. www.FMI.org