ARLINGTON, VA — September 20, 2010 — The Food Marketing Institute released the following statement from Jennifer Hatcher, senior vice president of government relations:

“We are extremely disappointed that the U.S. Senate has announced that it will not take up the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act before going to recess.

All of us — food industry, business groups, consumer groups — all believe this bi-partisan legislation should be passed by the Senate without further delay. This is a balanced bill focused on prevention. America’s consumers are counting on a public-private partnership to protect the safety of our food supply.   

The most important goal of America’s food retailers and wholesalers is to provide nutritious, safe, high-quality and affordable food. We all have a responsibility to work together to improve the safety of our food supply. We believe the focus should be on trying to prevent problems before they occur by providing FDA the necessary resources and authority to help the agency protect our food supply.

We commend the work done by Senators Durbin and Gregg, Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Enzi and the others who played a vital role in creating a bipartisan bill. We will continue to urge the Senate to take up this very important legislation as soon as possible.”