We all remember the Blue Bell ice cream recall from earlier this year. But most don’t know that congress passed a White House bill in 2010 that would have prevented the deadly Listeriosis outbreak. However, according to a POLITICO investigation, congress and the Obama administration have yet to put the law into effect 5 years later.
The law mandates more inspections and much tougher anti-contamination standards. It also emphasizes preventing outbreaks rather than chasing them down after they occur.
Funding for the law is still $276 million behind where it needs to be. Obama’s new budget calls for $109 million increase to implement the law next year. But it’s unlikely that a Republican congress focused on squeezing the federal budget will even allow that much.