Since the huge egg recall and food poisoning in the last few months, food safety has been a really hot topic in the US.

The Food Safety Modernisation Act has been in process for nearly twelve months and this significant incident has heightened the focus on it.

It will achieve an enormous amount and tighten up food safety across the country whilst giving food safety authorities more power and responsibilities. The problem is that it is going to cost around $US 1.6 billion over the next five years and who knows what after that.

At least one Senator is holding up the Bill until it is determined where the money is coming from. There is even talk that this Bill is now dead and there must be work on developing a new and more affordable one.

It is believed that as many as 325 000 people in the US are hospitalised every year for food poisoning and around 5000 die. It is estimated that cost of food poisoning to the US is up to around $US34 billion per year. There is belief by many that the $US 1.6 billion for the new bill is a small price to pay.

The increasing concern that many have is that if it has now taken nearly 12 months to reach a point where this bill is dead, how long will it actually take until there is "modernisation" of food safety in the US?