WASHINGTON—Speaking at the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chairwoman of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, said she believes Congress will pass a new law to overhaul the U.S. food-safety system by the end of this year.
"I have every confidence that we are going to pass food safety legislation and this legislation is going to get to the president for a signature and that that's going to happen this year," DeLauro said.
As reported by Reuters, the House passed its bill in July 2009, but the Senate bill has been held up by work on healthcare and financial regulatory reform. It also has been stalled by the U.S. Trade Representative's office, which wants to ensure reforms do not contravene trade agreements.
"Trade should never trump public health," she said. "We need to do something before the agreement is put into place that guarantees that the product and its process and its manufacture is equal to the process that exists in the United States."