<Li> Reported by the joint conference committee on December 21, 2010; agreed to by the House on December 21, 2010 ((2)) and by the Senate on December 19, 2010 (Passed by Voice Vote) </Li> <Li> Signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011 </Li> <P> The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011 . The FSMA has given the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authorities to regulate the way foods are grown, harvested and processed . The law grants the FDA a number of new powers, including mandatory recall authority, which the agency has sought for many years . The FSMA requires the FDA to undertake more than a dozen rulemakings and issue at least 10 guidance documents, as well as a host of reports, plans, strategies, standards, notices, and other tasks . </P> <P> The law was prompted after many reported incidents of foodborne illnesses during the first decade of the 2000s and was largely crafted by members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association . Tainted food has cost the food industry billions of dollars in recalls, lost sales and legal expenses . </P>

When was the food safety modernization act passed