Everyday children from Nevada, just like my friend Rylee Gustufson, a bright teenager from Henderson, eat lettuce, spinach, or eggs. They eat these foods at home and at school. We tell them that vegetables are good for them and will make them strong. But a raw spinach salad made Rylee so sick she spent months in the hospital and is still suffering from the effects of an E.coli infection. The system to prevent contaminated food from ever getting as far as Rylee's kitchen table failed. That's why I led the Senate in passing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This bill will protect families like Rylee's from encountering contaminated food and will respond to outbreaks with more efficient information sharing that will protect consumers.
While America has one of the safest and most abundant food supplies in the world, each year one in four people are sickened by food-borne illness and as many as 5,000 people die from food poisoning. I have met with families who have been seriously sickened by the food they've eaten. Some people, like Linda Rivera who got E.coli from contaminated cookie dough, have been hospitalized for weeks and months. Some came very close to death. The FDA does not have the authority or resources to keep up with the modern advances and expansion that our food processing, production, and marketing sectors have made.
This is why today's vote was so significant. By passing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act we now have the ability to improve this food production and distribution system while minimizing burdensome regulations on small companies. This bill gives the FDA mandatory recall authority of contaminated foods. It also sets up a system to allow FDA to trace-back food so that we can find out where the contaminated food came from and quickly stop it from reaching grocery store shelves. This legislation strikes the right balance between assuring consumers that food is safe without overburdening family farmers with new regulations. Additionally, it makes no changes to the current Organic Program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, so that farmers can continue to produce healthy, organically grown foods.
I thank Moms Rising for their tremendous advocacy on behalf of all Nevadans who have been impacted by food-borne illness. They have spent countless hours making calls and sending letters to Senators urging them to support these important changes, and sharing the terrible experience of moms, dads and children who have been affected by unsafe food. I have been grateful to work with Moms Rising to pass this legislation that will protect American consumers.
This blog is part of the Peaceful Revolution series that explores innovative ideas to strengthen America's families through public policies, business practices, and cultural change. Done in collaboration with MomsRising.org, read a new post here each week.
Elizabeth Hitchcock: In The Public Interest : Senate Passes Historic Food Safety Bill
If I'd read that before I posted yesterday, I wouldn't have posted what I posted.
Farmers' markets are safe, small organic growers aren't going to be crushed. You can go on eating locally produced food if that's your habit.
PBS Need to Know (summary)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/the-daily-need/a-look-at-the-long-awaited-food-safety-bill/5462/
Senate bill
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111Y34h26::
House bill
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:1:./temp/~c111aO3E9m::
How to reach your legislator to make your views known:
U.S. Senators
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
House of Representatives
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml
Thanks, Senator Reid, for your help.
When I learned that David Kessler, as the head of the FDA, had to climb in dumpsters to find out the ingredients in restaurant food, I realized that food regs in the good ole US of A were far too Kafkaesque. I pray with all my heart for the health of my 9 year old and all of us that you are resoundingly successful in this endeavor.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602711.html
And another thing, when will the Government come in and shut down those pesky neighborhood gardens? Why should some people be able to grow their own food, when other's do not have the means?
It's just common sense.
Or is it for the children? I can't remember to easily these days.....
Guess it's 1 step forward and 3 steps back for Dem leadership - again.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/-201012-1.html
Of course, I've not seen a tea partier yet that really knew the Constitution, so I'm skeptical this bill does any such thing.
http://www.examiner.com/public-health-in-san-antonio/vegetable-recall-from-san-antonio-plant-1
(last sentence - 4th paragraph)