Consumer Food Safety Act of 2003

Bill: 108-hr-1496
Sponsor: Rep. Pallone, Frank, Jr. [D-NJ-6]
Introduced: 2003-03-27 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Agriculture in foreign trade
Authorization
Business records
Citizen lawsuits
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Civil actions and liability
Collection of accounts
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Consumer complaints
Consumer education
Damages
Defective products
Department of Health and Human Services
Disciplining of employees
Discrimination in employment
District courts
Economics and Public Finance
Employee training
Evidence (Law)
Exports
Federal aid to research
Federal-state relations
Fines (Penalties)
Food industry
Food safety
Foodborne diseases
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Grocery trade
Health
Health education
Imports
International Affairs
Judicial review
Jurisdiction
Labeling
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal fees
Licenses
Medical research
Packaging
Public service advertising
Quality control
Reciprocity
Restaurants
Science, Technology, Communications
Signs and symbols
State employees
State laws
Trade agreements
Whistle blowing

Summary:
action_date: 2003-03-27
text: Consumer Food Safety Act of 2003 - Declares that persons who produce or process food for human consumption are responsible for preventing or minimizing food safety hazards.
Mandates a national program to protect human health by ensuring that the food industry has effective safety programs for food consumed in the United States.
Mandates regulations: (1) setting standards for sanitation and tolerances for biological, chemical, and physical hazards; (2) requiring process controls, recordkeeping, and sampling; (3) providing for agency records access; (4) unannounced inspections at least quarterly of processing and importing facilities; and (5) tolerances (including indicators) for contaminants.
Authorizes assistance to a State in planning and implementing a food safety program.
Mandates a comprehensive and efficient system to ensure imported food safety.
Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter into an agreement with any nation desiring to export food to the United States. Sets forth requirements for the agreement, including reciprocity.
Mandates: (1) inclusion of food in an active surveillance system and more accurate assessment of the frequency and sources of U.S. human illness associated with food; (2) establishment of guidelines for a sampling system; and (3) ranking of food categories based on their hazard to human health and approaches to minimize hazards.
Requires: (1) a national food safety public education program; (2) regional and national food safety advisories; (3) standardized written and broadcast advisory formats; and (4) incorporation of State and local advisories into the national program.
Provides, if there is a reasonable probability that the food would present a public health threat, for voluntary and mandatory recalls.
Authorizes the Secretary to impose traceability requirements on a type or class of food when necessary to assure the protection of public health.
Authorizes civil actions and monetary penalties for violations of this Act.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-04-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2003-03-27
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2003-03-27
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2003-03-27
text: Introduced in House