Senate Bill No. introduced by D. Emrich establishes a new Panel on Food Safety within the Department of Agriculture, consisting of three scientifically qualified members appointed by the governor. This panel is tasked with evaluating the cumulative effects of food additives and colors, and it will advise the Department on limiting the availability of foods containing additives or colors deemed to have negative toxic effects. The panel will meet quarterly and members will serve without compensation, although they may receive reimbursement for expenses.

The bill also amends existing laws regarding food additives, granting the Department of Agriculture the authority to adopt rules for limiting food additives based on recommendations from the newly created panel. Specifically, it allows the Department to enforce rules in collaboration with the United States Food and Drug Administration to restrict food containing harmful additives identified by the panel. Additionally, the bill modifies the language in Sections 50-31-108 and 80-1-102 of the Montana Code Annotated to reflect these changes, including the requirement for the panel to provide data supporting the necessity of any proposed regulations.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 50-31-108, 80-1-102
SB0155_1(1): 50-31-108, 80-1-102
SB0155_1(2): 50-31-108, 80-1-102
SB0155_1(3): 50-31-108, 80-1-102
SB0155_1: 50-31-108, 80-1-102