Health Law

Florida Tomato Safety Law Passes House - to Governor

By David Babcock

A quick update on a story I posted on before.  The tomato food safety bill that passed the Florida State Senate in March has now passed the house, and is now headed to Governor Crist for signature.  It was reported that the bill continues to receive virtually unanimous support:

The measure, which was written with the help of local tomato farmers, passed 114-0 with just a brief explanation from its sponsor.  The bill has already passed, 35-1, in the Senate, and now goes to the governor for his approval.  Local tomato farmers favored the measure because it sets food safety standards that would apply to everyone who grows, distributes or handles tomatoes.

The bill follows on the heels of a 2008 outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul, which for a time was linked to tomatoes by public health officials.  The outbreak had significant economic consequences for Florida tomato growers.

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on April 16, 2010 (boomark / email).