Consumer Food Act

Summary

Consumer Food Act - Title I: Food Surveillance - Requires, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, that a food processor develop, implement, and maintain safety assurance procedures for each establishment which he owns or operates. Exempts a food processor from such requirement if the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare determines that such processor is unlikely to create or contribute to a significant risk of adulteration because of the nature or volume of his food processing. Requires the Secretary to prepare each year a safety assurance assessment report concerning existing and potential risks of adulteration. Requires the Secretary to issue regulations establishing safety assurance standards if he finds that food is being processed in such a manner as to present an unreasonable risk of adulteration. Provides guidelines for such regulations. Allows any person to commence a civil action for injunctive relief, on his own behalf, whenever such action constitutes a case against any person who is alleged to be in violation of any such regulations. Authorizes the Secretary to appoint committtees to study and report to him with respect to existing and potential hazards to health and safety related to food. Requires a food processor upon learning that there is, with respect to food processed by him, an unreasonable risk of adulteration to immediately notify the Secretary of such risk, if such food has left his control. Enumerates classes of food processing which are exempt from such provisions of this title as relate to safety assurance procedures and safety assurance standards. Authorizes and directs the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to establish a uniform system of coding applicable to packaged foods. Stipulates that such system will permit the identification of (1) the identity of each food manufacturer, (2) the identity of each individual food, (3) the lot number of the food, and (4) the date packed. Requires that the immediate container of packaged food bear thereon the symbol or symbols established by such uniform system of coding. Exempts from such provision the manufacturing and packaging of packaged food in a retail establishment for consumption on or off the premises. Provides for the detention and seizure of food found by the Secretary to be in violation of this Act. Requires every person importing food into the United States to show that such food has been produced in accordance with the safety assurance procedures and in compliance with any applicable safety assurance standards established pursuant to this Act. Title II: Food Establishment Registration - Declares that it is necessary to provide for the registration and inspection of all establishments in which food intended for human consumption is manufactured, processed, packaged, or otherwise stored. Requires each food processor in any State to prepare and submit to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare a registration statement. Lists the information such registration statement shall contain. Declares such statements shall be available for inspection to any person without charge. Specifies classes of food processors which shall be exempt from filing such registration statements. Provides for the inspection of such establishments required to be registered. Title III: Food Labeling - Declares that a food shall be deemed to be misbranded if the label bears any information regarding the dating of the food for human consumption, unless such information is in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. Lists the requirements for regulations regarding the dating of such food. Declares that a food shall be deemed to be misbranded if it purports to be a food for human consumption for which any claim of nutritional value is made unless the nutrition information on the label is in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Secretary. Declares that food shall be deemed to be misbranded if the food is fabricated from two or more ingredients and its label fails to bear the common name of any such ingredient in the order of its predominance. Stipulates that spices and flavorings may be designated as spices and flavorings without naming each ingredient, if such information is available upon request from the manufacturer. Prohibits the serving of colored oleomargerine at a public eating place unless customers are notified that such oleomargerine is served. Prohibits the altering, or removing before the sale of a packaged food to the ultimate consumer, of any information required under this Act to be placed on the label of such food.

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2 official files

• Passed Senate amended

  summary · EN · 18 March 1976

  Open at official source

• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 11 February 1975

  Open at official source

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