U.S. committee charged with cutting at least US$1.5T from future federal spending should not count on any new food safety taxes, fees, says coalition of food and agriculture organizations

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , October 6, 2011 (Industry Intelligence) – A U.S. coalition of food and agriculture organizations said that a committee charged with cutting at least US$1.5 trillion from future federal spending should not count on any new food safety taxes or fees, Food Safety News reported Oct. 6.

The coalition sent a letter on Oct. 4 to the leadership of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, urging the committee to stay away from food safety taxes and fees.

The coalition is concerned about suggestions in the Obama Administration's 2012 proposed budget that more revenue be raised from food safety user fees. The industry groups say the exact nature of the fees for food safety is not yet known, but collections would begin in 2013.

The groups say Congress has previously rejected fees and the House-passed budget for 2012 does not authorize any new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act fees.

The primary source of this article is Food Safety News, Seattle, Washington, on Oct. 6, 2011.

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