Representative DeGette Introduces Food Safety Bills to Improve Traceability and Recall of Contaminated Food
Representative DeGette Introduces Food Safety Bills to Improve Traceability and Recall of Contaminated Food
- Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) joined Senators Harkin (D-IA) and Schumer (D-NY) in introducing two separate bills on Thursday that would protect Americans from contaminated meat and poultry by improving product tracing and recall powers. The SAFER Food Act, authored by Rep. DeGette and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), would give the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the ability to enact a mandatory recall of tainted food products.
"It's absurd that we have mandatory recall authority for unsafe toys but not for unsafe foods," said DeGette. "This bill places public safety ahead of business interests by giving the USDA and FDA the ability to enact a mandatory recall of tainted food products."
Under current law, recalls of contaminated meat products are completely voluntary. The SAFER act would also require USDA and FDA officials to immediately notify state and local public health officials in the case of contamination, and allow access to industry distribution records to ensure faster and more effective recalls.
Senator Harkin added, "Part of the problem is that USDA and FDA don't have the tools they need to enforce basic sanitary standards. This bill aims to change that."
The TRACE Act, sponsored by Rep. DeGette and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) directs the Agriculture Secretary to develop a system to trace meat products from their animal sources to the consumer. This proposal will assist consumers and retailers in identifying and removing tainted products from refrigerators and store shelves.
"When contaminated meat is discovered, it is critical that we move quickly to identify both the origin and nationwide distribution of infected products," DeGette added. "We should be able to electronically scan a meat product's label and have immediate access to its entire distribution records for speedy and mandatory recall."
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/co01_degette/FoodSafety.html