• Home
• About Amy
• Serving Minnesotans
• About Minnesota
• Issues/ Legislation
• Media Center
• Contact Amy
• FAQ

News Releases

Klobuchar Says the Food Safety System Needs Reform

Plans to introduce legislation in the next few weeks

February 16, 2009

Saint Paul, M.N. – In response to a nationwide salmonella outbreak caused by contaminated peanut butter, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar today convened a roundtable with Minnesota experts to discuss reforms needed to overhaul the federal government's food safety system.

Among the roundtable participants were family members of two Minnesotans who died from salmonella-tainted peanut butter.

“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 this most basic responsibility.”

A member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Klobuchar said she plans to introduce legislation within the next few weeks to improve the nation’s food safety laws.  She is considering proposals to provide the government with mandatory recall authority; revamp food testing requirements; expand the safeguards for imported food; strengthen the relevant criminal statutes; and improve coordination between state and federal agencies.
 
The salmonella outbreak – which has sickened hundreds and been linked to nine deaths, including three Minnesota residents – has been traced to a peanut processing plant in Blakely, Georgia.  In possibly the largest food recall ever, more than 1,800 different products have been recalled because they contained peanut butter or peanut paste from the contaminated processing plant.
 
Klobuchar pointed out that on 12 separate occasions in the past two years, food samples at the Blakely processing plant had tested positive for salmonella.  But neither the company nor the private lab that did the testing nor the state food inspectors were required to report these test results to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The FDA can’t be an effective watchdog if it’s blind, with no access to food safety testing results,” said Klobuchar.  “This is one enormous loophole that needs to be closed.”

Klobuchar noted that the Government Accountability Office has identified oversight of food safety as one of the top 10 “high-risk” areas that should command the urgent attention and action of the federal government. 

“Even though the new president and Congress face many challenges,” Klobuchar said, “I believe food safety should be a priority item on Washington’s agenda this year.”

Earlier this month, Klobuchar wrote to President Obama urging him to nominate a new permanent FDA Commissioner as soon as possible and begin the process of reforming the federal government’s food safety system. 

She is also seeking answers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about the safeguards in the National School Lunch Program.  Last week, it was reported that 18 Minnesota schools and school districts still had peanuts in their inventories which had come from the Blakely peanut plant.

Today’s roundtable participants who joined Klobuchar included:

• Jeff Almer, son of Shirley Almer, of Perham, who died on Dec. 21 from salmonella poisoning
• Lou Tousignant, son of Clifford Tousignant, of Brainerd, who died on Jan. 12 from salmonella poisoning
• Dr. Kirk Smith, Supervisor, Foodborne Diseases Unit, Minnesota Department of Health
• Ben Miller, Supervisor, Response Section of the Dairy & Food Inspection Division, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• John Hanlin, Vice President of Food Safety, SUPERVALU
• Professor Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota
• Professor Craig Hedberg, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota

 

###