Food Safety Report Runs on Empty

WASHINGTON,DC – Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) madethe following statement as the Interagency Working Group on ImportSafety released its initial report, Protecting American Consumers EveryStep of the Way: A strategic framework for continual improvement inimport safety.

"The Working Group's report has failed toproduce even a single recommendation on how to make our food importsystem more secure," said DeGette. "The twelve different agenciesinvolved in drafting this report illustrate why the system is broken. We need one single federal agency to oversee our nation's food supply.

"Wealready know what is wrong with our food safety system in the UnitedStates. Domestically, giving the federal government mandatory recallauthority supported by a national food tracking system will furtherprotect American consumers from harmful contamination of their foods,"said DeGette.

DeGette introduced two pieces of food safety legislation last week. The SAFER (Safe and Fair Enforcement & Recall)Act gives the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Foodand Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to force a recall ofcontaminated foods. Under current law, recalls are completelyvoluntary even when public health is at risk. The United States is oneof the only industrialized countries in the world that lacks this basicrecall power, despite having the ability to recall toys and many otherproducts. The TRACE (Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere)Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a producttracing system for all food products from their origin to the market,enabling faster recall in the event of contamination.

DeGette is also a leading cosponsor of The Food Safety Act of 2007, which creates a single food safety agency to oversee our nation's food supply.