DELAURO: AUDIT OF FOOD SAFETY RECALLS SHOWS NEED FOR INVESTMENT, NOT BUDGET CUTS

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement today in response to the audit by the Office of the Inspector General the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s response to 17 recent food safety recalls.

"With 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations, and over 3,000 deaths each year caused by foodborne illnesses, it is critical that the FDA have the tools and authority it needs to protect American consumers. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law last year, is a great first step towards strengthening and modernizing our food safety system, but the Office of Inspector General's report clearly shows that there is room for significant improvement in the FDA's recall of unsafe food, specifically imported food.

"That is why I am so concerned with the drastic budget cuts included in the House majority's budget for FY2012. The Agriculture Appropriations bill, passed just last week, included a cut of more than $280 million in funding for the FDA. I believe that we need to invest in the FDA to protect the health of consumers and the safety of our food products. But these cuts will tie the FDA's hands, restricting their oversight and effectiveness, and asking them to do more with less—this is about life and death. We must do better. I will keep fighting to provide the FDA with the funding and resources it needs to protect consumers."