WASHINGTON, DC – As public confidence in our federal agencies has eroded when it comes to our nation’s food and consumer product safety systems, Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO) today joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and congressional leaders at a press conference today assuring the American people that protecting our food supply and consumer products are at the top of the House agenda. The press conference highlighted Democratic efforts to promote food and consumer product safety.

“Parents in this country feel they are under siege from all sides. On a daily basis, not only do we worry about the foods we are feeding our children, but we worry about the toys we let our kids play with,” said DeGette. “Thirty years ago, parents went to the store confident they were making safe and healthy choices for their children – confident in the inspections and oversight of our federal agencies. But that confidence has been shattered in recent years due to the outbreak of contamination in food and record-breaking level of product recalls.

“The bottom line is that our federal agencies are underfunded and unable to protect the health of the American consumer. These agencies need the tools and resources necessary to carry out the mission of ensuring the safety of our products.” 

Vice Chair DeGette has introduced two major pieces of food safety legislation, the SAFER Act [H.R. 3484], giving the government mandatory recall authority, and the TRACE Act [H.R. 3485], establishing a product tracing system for foods. The mandatory recall provisions encompassed in the SAFER Act have been included in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s food safety legislation, H.R. 3610, the Food and Drug Import Safety Act of 2007.

In addition, DeGette has introduced, along with Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the SAFE Consumer Product Act [H.R. 3691], legislation that takes critical steps to ensure the toys our children play with are safe by strengthening the authority and staff of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), including new requirements that all children's products be certified as having met rigorous product safety standards by independent third party laboratories. It also gives the CPSC enhanced authority to recall tainted toys and bans lead in children’s toys.