Safe School Food Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-506
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2003-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Agricultural surpluses
Auditing
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Defective products
Department of Agriculture
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Escherichia coli
Federal advisory bodies
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Food safety
Fruit
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Government publicity
Health
Law
Meat inspection
Planning
Poultry
Prosecution
Salmonella
School lunch program
Science, Technology, Communications
Seafood
Social Welfare
State officials
Vegetables

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-04
text: Safe School Food Act of 2003 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to revise and increase food safety requirements for the school lunch program under such Act and the school breakfast program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (school meals programs).
Revises requirements for State or local food safety inspections for school meals programs to increase their frequency to at least twice a year (currently once), and to require State audits and reports on such inspections.
Requires school meals programs to include food safety requirements in their procurement contracts. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to require: (1) each vendor providing food to school meals programs to supply the Secretary with contact information on each school food supplier of that vendor; and (2) as appropriate, pathogen testing during production of foods purchased for school meals programs.
Requires food safety planning by school meals programs, and provides training and technical assistance by the Department of Agriculture for such planning.
Directs the Secretary to give appropriate persons an opportunity for voluntary actions to recall and collect food products served in school meals that may present a threat to the public, or, if such actions are not carried out in the required period and manner, require such persons to carry out specified actions, including immediate cessation of distribution of the food product to schools. Directs the Secretary to coordinate such actions with the Secretary of Health and Human Services in case of such actions with respect to food products regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory committee to help implement an information-sharing database or other method to provide State food safety coordinators and other appropriate persons with up-to-date information regarding food safety concerns relating to food manufacturing, processing, and packing facilities that produce any food purchased or acquired for school meals programs, including recalls by and enforcement actions against the facilities.
Provides for designation of State food safety coordinators.
Requires the Secretary to carry out certain procedures and take certain actions under the commodities distribution program to ensure the safety of commodities that are to be donated to school meals programs.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3091-3093)
action_date: 2003-03-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3091)
action_date: 2003-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate