Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the manager's amendment to the pending FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, S. 510. The amendments reflect bipartisan revisions to the version of the bill that was cleared by the HELP Committee in November of 2009. This is the first significant action on the bill since November, as the bill was reportedly passed over during the spring to address the health care and financial reform bills, and then stalled earlier this summer due to controversial proposals to add amendments banning bisphenol-A and exempting small farmers from some provisions.

The manager's amendment does not change any of the key features of the earlier version of the bill, nor does it represent a significant policy change. The amendment does, however, contain changes that would be of interest to the members of the food industry who will be expected to comply with the new regulatory scheme. The key changes are summarized in the memorandum prepared by ABA FDA Counsel Covington and Burling.

[S. 510 Food Safety Short Summary] 
[S. 510 Manager's Amendment]
[Covington & Burling Memorandum]