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https://www.commondreams.org/news/government-funding-bill-axes-food-inspection-regulations

Following ‘Lobbying Blitz,’ Senators Sneak Provision Killing Food Safety Rules Into Shutdown Bill

“The next time you go to a restaurant and then uncontrollably vomit and diarrhea in your pants, you should send a note of thanks to the Republican and Democratic senators,” said David Sirota, founder of The Lever.

STEPHEN PRAGER
Nov 12, 2025

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As The Lever reported Tuesday, senators inserted language into the bill that would gut food safety regulations that prevent illness and death, as well as regulations on ultraprocessed foods

The changes come “amid a lobbying blitz and a flood of campaign cash” from the food and restaurant industries which have spent more than $13 million lobbying the White House, Congress, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year.

Amid a surge of product recalls for bacteria like Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli, the number of dangerous cases of foodborne illness doubled last year, according to the Public Interest Network. These illnesses annually result in around 53,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.

Nevertheless, The Lever reports that the “new funding bill blocks federal rules designed to trace sources of outbreaks, and to prevent contamination of produce.” One provision bans the use of funds to administer or enforce the FDA’s “Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods,” published in November 2022.

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