Statement of the Hon. Rosa DeLauro on Security Problems in USDA Iowa Lab

Statement of the Hon. Rosa DeLauro on Security Problems in USDA Iowa Lab

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today issued the following statement in response to news reports that the USDA's Ames, IA testing facility is not secure. The independent report came from the USDA's Inspector General. DeLauro is the author of the Safe Food Act, a bill that would create a single food agency in Congress. The bipartisan bill was introduced in the 106th and 107th Congress and will be re-introduced with an overhaul of the current food safety inspection laws in the 108th following the April recess.

"I am seriously concerned at the news reports that the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) mad cow disease testing lab in Ames, Iowa is not secure. This is an extremely dangerous pathogen which has the potential to create havoc on our food supply if it falls into the wrong hands. It should go without saying that this facility should be equipped with state-of-the-art security measures. It is even more disturbing that the USDA was warned of potential problems of storing dangerous pathogens in this facility.

"This is another example of the problems that stem from our disjointed, fragmented food safety system. Yesterday, the GAO recommended the creation of a single-food agency to regulate our inspection system, a step I have been advocating for years. I am hopeful that USDA will act swiftly to correct this security breach and work with us to update our food safety inspection system."