“The historic legislation directs the Food and Drug Administration, working with a wide range of public and private partners, to build a new system of food safety oversight-one focused on applying, more comprehensively than ever, the best available science and good common sense to prevent the problems that can make people sick,” says Margaret A. Hamburg, FDA commissioner.

“This is a historic victory for consumers, who can now look forward to a future of safer food,” adds Caroline Smith DeWaal, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) food safety director. “For too long, the FDA has been in reactive mode, chasing down contaminated food after people are already sick with E. coli, Salmonella or other dangerous pathogens. Now, by incorporating modern scientific and legal tools, the FDA will put the horse before the cart, requiring food manufacturers and farmers to implement plans aimed at preventing contaminated products. This is the most important food safety advance in 70 years.”