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Klobuchar Examines Federal Oversight of Food Safety in Wake of Peanut Products Recall

Highlights the Need for Change in the Oversight of Food Safety

February 5, 2009

Washington, D.C. – At an Agriculture Committee hearing today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted the need for change in the federal government’s oversight of food safety following the recent salmonella outbreak and recall of hundreds of peanut products.  The outbreak has sickened hundreds and been linked to eight deaths, including three nursing home residents in Minnesota.

“The first responsibility of a government is to protect its citizens,” said Klobuchar.  “But, when a government can’t even guarantee the safety of the food its citizens eat, it’s failing in its most basic responsibility.”

During the hearing, Klobuchar raised concerns with federal oversight of imported food.  Last year, jalapeno peppers imported from Mexico caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak. 

Klobuchar noted that studies show that we are more likely to encounter contaminants from foods from abroad than those grown in the United States.  Imports of food and seafood products have nearly doubled in the past decade.  Yet, the FDA inspects just one percent of the food imports entering our country. 

“The most egregious vulnerabilities and risks we face are with imported foods,” said Klobuchar. “I hope that, today, we will hear the hard truth about what it will take to better protect our food supply, both domestic and foreign.”

Klobuchar praised the key role of the Minnesota Department of Health in tracing the source of the current salmonella outbreak and last year’s outbreak from jalapenos. She recommended the state agency’s work as a national model.

On Monday, Klobuchar sent a letter to President Obama urging him to appoint a new commissioner for the Food and Drug Administration and begin the process of reforming the federal government’s food safety system.

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