Have you been concerned about the plethora of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks that have affected everyday foods like spinach and tomatoes, and yummy treats like cookie dough?  Well, hopefully your fears will soon be allayed, as tonight the House of Representatives passed legislation to reform the food safety system.  Earlier this evening I received an email from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit organization that has been an advocate for nutrition and health and other issues related to the sciences, saying the following:

Great news on the food safety front!  Tonight the House of Representatives took the first step toward improving the safety of the foods we eat by passing the Food Safety Enhancement Act.

After countless Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks prompting recalls of spinach, tomatoes, peanuts, and, most recently, cookie dough, consumer confidence is at an all-time low while industries and farmers suffer major financial losses.  But if passed by the Senate and signed by the President, the Food Safety Enhancement Act would dramatically increase the frequency of inspections of the farms and processing facilities that produce our foods.  Passing this bill in the House is a huge victory for public health.

This is great news, especially after reading news that 22 percent of New York restaurants had not been inspected by the city’s health department in 2008.  That’s about one in five restaurants.  Gross!  According to the NY Times article, beginning next July all NY restaurants will need to post a sanitary grade in their windows.  That should be interesting!

It’s good to know that something is being done about the recurring food safety issues in our country.  Let’s hope the Senate feels the same way.

FYI: The CSPI’s newsletter, Nutrition Action Healthletter is great!  It’s filled with wonderful nutrition and health information, and you don’t have to be an RD to read it.  Check it out!