Sponsors (16)
The bill strengthens outbreak detection and federal–state coordination to protect public health but increases federal access to farms, creating operational costs, enforcement exposure, and confidentiality concerns for farm operators.
State, local, and federal public health agencies can collect on-site microbial samples from farms and food facilities to identify and contain foodborne outbreaks faster, enabling targeted interventions that reduce illnesses among consumers and farm workers.
FDA, USDA, and state authorities have clarified coordination for outbreak investigations, improving efficiency, reducing duplication of effort, and speeding response actions.
Farms that refuse federal access for on-site sampling can be treated as committing a prohibited act, exposing operators to civil or criminal enforcement actions.
Concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) operators and farm workers must allow federal on-site sampling, which can interrupt operations and impose additional compliance costs.
Farm operators and relevant state agencies may face confidentiality, reputational, or business risks because collected sampling data will be shared among federal and state agencies despite FOIA exemptions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows FDA to request microbial sampling at concentrated animal feeding operations during public-health investigations and makes refusal to allow sampling a prohibited act.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Rosa L. Delauro · Last progress January 31, 2025
Authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to request and conduct microbial sampling at concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to support foodborne illness outbreak investigations, root-cause analysis, or other public health needs. Operations must provide reasonable access for sampling under reasonable conditions, and refusal to allow sampling is made a prohibited act under federal food law. The measure requires sharing sampling data with USDA and relevant state and federal public health agencies while preserving Freedom of Information Act exemptions, clarifies it does not change jurisdiction over foods regulated by USDA, and does not provide new funding for sampling or enforcement activities.