WASHINGTON — Grocery Manufacturers Association here Wednesday said it was opposed to new fees for food-safety inspections that were included in draft legislation in the House.
Introduced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the draft for the Food Safety Enhancement Act proposes a $1,000 annual fee to be paid by food-manufacturing facilities to fund increased government inspections.
“We are concerned that the draft legislation released by Chairman Waxman proposes significant new fees on food companies and ultimately consumers at a time when they can least afford it and in the face of an unprecedented increase in appropriated funding for FDA food safety activities,” Pamela G. Bailey, president and chief executive officer, GMA, said in a prepared statement. “In addition, like many consumer groups, we are concerned about the inherent conflict of interest created by asking industry to fund government inspections.”
She noted that GMA “shares the broad goals” of the draft legislation and seeks to work with the FDA on measures that focus on prevention of food-borne illness outbreaks.
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