Brown And DeGette Team Up For Safer Foods

WASHINGTON – With the recent outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, today sent a letter to both the Senate and House Leadership and Agricultural Committee Leadership requesting the expedited consideration of legislation giving the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandatory recall authority.

 

Brown and DeGette write:

“We are writing to ask for your expedited consideration of the Safe And Fair Enforcement and Recall for (SAFER) Meat, Poultry, and Food Act of 2007 (H.R. 3484 and S. 3267), bills that would fix a glaring deficiency in our food safety system.  These bills would provide our two chief food safety oversight agencies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), with the authority to mandate food recalls when necessary. 

“We think most Americans would be alarmed to learn that the federal government doesn’t already have this reasonable power in their regulatory arsenal.  The top priority for both the FDA and the USDA should be to protect the public’s health, a mission that will sometimes require swift and decisive action that will not be to industry’s liking.  Mandatory recall authority will ensure that these agencies have the necessary leverage to demand that those private companies responsible for feeding our nation follow strict safety standards and that when mistakes are made the public’s safety is not compromised.”



Brown and DeGette’s legislation, The Safe and Fair Enforcement and Recall for (SAFER) Meat, Poultry, and Food Act of 2007 (S. 3267 and H.R. 3484), gives the USDA and the FDA the authority to mandate recalls of the foods under their respective jurisdictions. USDA has jurisdiction over meat and poultry while the FDA has jurisdiction over fruits and vegetables. DeGette’s legislation has been included in a discussion draft that is currently being considered by the Energy and Commerce Committee food safety proposal, the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008. Brown and DeGette introduced the SAFER Act to expedite passage of mandatory recall authority.

“The FDA has asked Congress to provide it with mandatory recall power, and we are heartened by the inclusion of FDA recall authority in various drafts of food safety legislation pending in both chambers.  However, it is imperative that both USDA and FDA be given this authority, and we cannot afford to continue to put the public’s health at risk by delaying any further.  Please consider pushing for the passage of both H.R. 3484 and S. 3267 as soon as possible,” the letter concludes. 

While recalls are currently voluntary at both agencies, the FDA has requested recall authority be mandatory. Mandatory recall authority would ensure that these agencies have the necessary leverage to demand that private companies follow strict safety standards and do not compromise the public’s safety in the event of contamination.

 
 

The SAFER Act is one provision of Brown’s Food and Product Responsibility Act, sweeping legislation authored by Brown in the Senate to give the FDA and USDA more resources to protect American consumers. In addition to DeGette’s SAFER Act, she has also introduced H.R. 3485, the TRACE (Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere) Act, giving the FDA and USDA the authority to develop a comprehensive food traceability system that tracks foods from the farm to the fork. She is currently working to include this bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s legislation as well.

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BrownDeGette Food Safety Letter 7.16 ( 07/16/08 01:15 PM PST )

Letter Sent to Senate and House Leadership and Agriculture Committee Leadership Urging Mandatory Recall Authority for USDA and FDA