The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the Food Safety Accountability Act of 2010

The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday unanimously voted to send legislation to strengthen penalties for companies and individuals that knowingly violate food safety standards and endanger American lives by placing tainted food products on the market. The Food Safety Accountability Act is authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who chairs the Committee.

The Food Safety Accountability Act increases criminal penalties for any individual or corporation that knowing distribute adulterated or misbranded food products. The legislation will make such an offense a felony, rather than just a misdemeanor. The bill establishes fines and prison sentences up to 10 years for violating food safety standards.

“The Justice Department must be given the tools it needs to investigate, prosecute, and truly deter crime involving food safety,” said Leahy. “The Food Safety Accountability Act will be an important step toward making our food supply safer. The Senate should pass this legislation without delay.”

Leahy is urging the adoption of the Food Safety Accountability Act following a recent national recall of eggs linked to hundreds of cases of salmonella poisoning across the country. The legislation is cosponsored by Judiciary Committee members Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).