(CNSNews.com) - A food safety bill making its way through the House of Representatives will result in higher costs for consumers, says a food industry group.
 
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has scheduled a June 3 hearing on the bill, which -- according to Democrats -- gives the Food and Drug Administration the authority and money it needs to better ensure the safety of the nation's food supply.
 
The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 would create a registry of all food facilities serving American consumers. All food facilities operating in the U.S. or importing food into the U.S. would be required to register annually with the Food and Drug Administration.
 
An annual $1,000 registration fee would "generate revenue for food safety activities at the FDA," according to a summary of the bill.
 
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) says it agrees with the "broad goals" of the bill, but it also expressed concern about imposing significant new fees on food companies, which will be passed on to consumers -- "at a time when they can least afford it," GMA said.
 
“In addition, like many consumer groups, we are concerned about the inherent conflict of interest created by asking industry to fund government inspections," said GMA President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey.

GMA said Congress has increased food-safety spending from $439 million to $649 million over the last three years: "If Congress enacts the FY 2010 request proposed by FDA and the Obama Administration, FDA's food safety appropriations would increase to $783 million -- an increase of more than 78% in just four years," the group noted.
 
The extra money would allow the FDA to more frequently inspect every food manufacturing facility in the nation, but is that necessary?
 
GMA says "prevention of contamination" should be the foundation of food safety strategy. The industry particularly supports a requirement that all food companies have a comprehensive food safety plan in place. But GMA also wants the federal government to focus its inspections on facilities that pose the greatest risk of contamination.
 
"Because consumer confidence is the foundation of everything we do, manufacturers take food safety very seriously and invest their reputations and resources in producing safe products," Bailey said. But she also said the industry wants to avoid provisions that increase the cost of food without improving the safety of the food supply.

In addition to creating a food registry – and a $1,000 annual registration fee – the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 would give the FDA the authority to:
 
-- specify minimum requirements for food safety plans;
-- issue regulations for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables;
-- increase inspections of food facilities;
-- improve the “traceability” of food by requiring companies to keep complete records of a food’s origin and distribution history;
-- issue mandatory recalls of tainted foods and impose stricter criminal and financial penalties on facilities that fail to comply with safety requirements;
 
The bill also creates a dedicated corps of inspectors to monitor foreign food, drugs, and cosmetics intended for American consumers; grants the FDA new authority to subpoena records related to possible violations; and provides protection for whistleblowers who bring attention to important safety information.