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Amy in the News

As others see it: Keeping food safe

June 8, 2009

Bemidji Pioneer, Worthington Daily Globe
June 8, 2008

http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/23512/

Last winter’s peanut butter scare heightened Americans’ attention to food safety, bringing to the forefront an issue that has threatened to break through for several years — from tainted spinach to troubled red peppers.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., has taken a lead role in coming to grips with better measures of food safety and, most importantly, preventing foodborne illnesses in the first place.

On May 28, she announced she will introduce legislation to promote a more rapid and effective national response to outbreaks of foodborne sickness, like the recent outbreak of salmonella-tainted peanut butter.

The Food Safety Rapid Response Act of 2009 would strengthen federal, state and local capabilities for investigating outbreaks of foodborne disease and tracing the sources of contamination. Since Minnesota played a crucial role in discovering peanut butter as the latest outbreak source, Klobuchar would use Minnesota as a model for her bill.

In Minnesota, the state Department of Health, state Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota collaborated to solve the mystery. The Minnesota model includes a Team D — for “Team Diarrhea” — which is a group of investigators that races into action when there are suspected cases of foodborne illness in a state.

Minnesota’s Team D not only solved the peanut butter case, but also last spring solved the nationwide outbreak of salmonella as arising from jalapeno peppers from Mexico.

It is reassuring that a Minnesota senator is taking such decisive action from a state where food and agriculture are important commodities. Also a lead sponsor of the earlier Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 to revitalize the Food and Drug Administration, Klobuchar has demonstrated leadership in food safety issues.

Bemidji Pioneer