President Barack Obama has signed a $1.4 billion overhaul of the nation's food safety system requiring more government inspections at food processing facilities and allowing federal regulators to order the recall of unsafe products.
Conservative lawmakers, sensitive to public frustration over high levels of government spending, are balking at the price tag. Obama has said food safety is a priority for him.
Obama signed the bill into law Tuesday, a day before a more Republican and less White-House friendly Congress returns to Washington.
The law emphasizes prevention to help stop outbreaks of foodborne illness before they occur. It requires food manufacturers to prepare detailed food safety plans and to tell the Food and Drug Administration what they are doing to keep the food safe at different stages of production.
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