The Senate has approved what’s being called the biggest overhaul of the nation’s food safety system since the 1930s. In a 73-to-25 vote, the Senate authorized the expansion of Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority and new restrictions on farmers and food companies. The bill allows the FDA to order recalls, instead of leaving it up to corporations to do so voluntarily. The bill also requires mandatory safety plans, increases FDA oversight, and makes it easier to determine the source of contamination. The House passed its version of the measure over a year ago, but it stalled in the Senate until the recent salmonella outbreak that led to the recall of over 500 million eggs. More than a dozen people have died and thousands have been sickened in recent national outbreaks of food-borne illness. The House version imposes tougher conditions than the Senate’s, but House leaders say they will likely accept the Senate version to avoid a lengthy conference process.