DeLauro: Indications of “Alarming Lack of Transparency” of Imported Food
Asks Vilsack forAnswers on Oversight of Imported Meat, Poultry Products
NEWHAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) is asking United States Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack to detail his department's effortsto ensure the safety of imported meat and poultry. DeLauro, a senior member of the committeethat funds the USDA, has long fought to ensure imported food products are safe.
"AFood Safety News reportindicates an alarming lack of transparency and dramatic change in the oversightof imported food by the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service)," DeLaurowrote in a letter sent today. "Thestartling decrease of in-person audits threatens confidence in the safety ofour food supply. And, the changes to FSIS' import program outside of the publiceye are disturbing both in content and in appearance."
DeLauroasked Vilsack to respond with information on the audit program by December15. Her questions to the Secretary arein the full letter, which is as follows:
November 2, 2012
TheHonorable Tom Vilsack
Secretary
U.S.Department of Agriculture
1400Independence Avenue, SW
Washington,DC 20250
DearSecretary Vilsack:
Iwrite today because of serious concerns about the United States Department ofAgriculture's (USDA) transparency and oversight of imported meat and poultryfood products.
Asyou know, one of the department's primary responsibilities is ensuring thesafety of meat and poultry products imported for consumption in the UnitedStates. Data from the department showsthat, in 2011, nearly 3.06 billion pounds of meat and poultry products wereimported from 29 countries. In ourglobal marketplace, ensuring the safety of imported meat and poultry productsis critical to the public health. Mostrecently, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) border inspectorsidentified E. coli contamination in products coming into the United States fromCanada. The resulting recall was the largest recall in Canadian history.
Yet,a Food Safety News report indicates an alarming lack of transparency anddramatic change in the oversight of imported food by the FSIS. The report highlights the decreasing numberof in-person audits of our trading partners, more than 60 percent since 2008,and the unannounced, fundamental changes to the process used to assure thatimported meat and poultry meet our safety standards. The startling decrease of in-person auditsthreatens confidence in the safety of our food supply. And, the changes to FSIS' import programoutside of the public eye are disturbing both in content and inappearance. As such, I am requestingresponses to the following questions by December 15, 2012.
• How many in-person audits does theagency intend to conduct in 2012?
• Why did the USDA dramaticallydecrease the number of in-person audits of foreign meat and poultry plants overthe past four years? Why has the numberof in-person audits varied from 20 in 2009 to 3 in 2011? Have budgetaryconstraints or considerations played a role in the department's decision todecrease the number of in-person audits of foreign meat and poultry plants?
• Since 2008, how has the departmentdetermined the number of in-person audits and the specific countries to auditeach year? How does the department intend to make these determinations infuture years? Have these determinations changed from how the department madethese decisions in years prior to 2008?
• How is the cost of those auditsintegrated into the department's budget request for FSIS? Has FSIS requested orreceived less funding for in-person audits in recent years?
• Why was the department's apparentfundamental shift in in-person oversight - from nearly-annual in-person auditsto irregular at best - not publicly announced or open to comment and review?
• What is the department's long-termvision for in-person audits of foreign meat and poultry plants for tradingpartners that have received equivalency? How frequently will those in-personaudits be conducted?
• What is the process for ensuringtimely public posting of both plant audits and audit reports? How long will ittake from the time an audit is conducted for the audit report to be availableto the public?
Thankyou in advance for your prompt attention to these concerns and questions. I look forward to our continued work togetherto ensure the safety of our food supply.
Sincerely,
Rosa L. DeLauro