DeLauro, Advocates Push for Single Food Safety Agency, Release Findings on Food Safety
WASHINGTON, DC (June 20, 2019) — Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) held a Congressional Food Safety Caucus briefing with the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Consumer Federation of America on the current state of food safety in America and the urgency of creating a single food safety agency.
"Protecting our nation's food supply from unsafe and contaminated food is an important, extensive, and at times complicated task," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I believe it is a primary responsibility of this government. However, nearly a decade since we passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, our food supply is still plagued by large food outbreaks that cause foodborne illness. In the last year, we have seen numerous high-profile outbreaks and recalls, including contaminated romaine lettuce, large ground beef recalls, and the largest egg recall in nearly a decade."
"For consumers and businesses alike, food safety is a problem we must be focused on addressing," continued DeLauro. "One problem in particular that I believe demands our attention is how hopelessly fragmented and outdated our food safety system is. I am proud to be reintroducing legislation with Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois to create a single, independent food safety agency. Our bill ensures we have a single agency accountable for food safety, research, prevention, inspections, investigations, and labeling. We need a commonsense, 21st century way of ensuring food safety and a single food safety agency is it."
DeLauro released an Overview of Food Safety in the United States at the Food Safety Caucus briefing finding that:
- Federal food safety oversight is fragmented;
- Food outbreaks and foodborne illnesses have increased; and
- FDA inspections of imported food have decreased.