Within the last week 39 State Attorneys General and seven Governors have urged the House of Representatives to reject this wrongheaded legislation. Republicans (and some Democrats) in Congress are putting the convenience of the food industry ahead of their constituents' health and safety. The so-called National Uniformity in Food Act would nullify more than 200 state laws dealing with shellfish safety, restaurant hygiene, milk pasteurization, and so on. It would even get rid of state warning notices about the risks to pregnant women of alcohol consumption. This bill is only fairly called a "uniformity" bill in that it would force states to do a uniformly poor job in protecting consumers where the Food and Drug Administration fails to act.

If these Members of Congress truly wanted to advance food safety they would fully fund the FDA's Center for Food-Safety and Applied Nutrition, which the President proposes further shrinking of next year.

The Senate should block this reckless rollback of food-safety laws.