DELAURO: PAPAYA RECALL HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO FULLY FUND FDA

Washington, DC— Congresswoman RosaDeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, andHuman Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the followingstatement today in response to the recall of all Papayas imported fromMexico by Agromod Produce, Inc. of McAllen, Texas due to potentialSalmonella contamination. Currently, there are 97 cases of Salmonellapoisoning across 23 states, including 10 hospitalizations that arepossibly linked to these Papayas.

"This recall is a prime example of why we must fully fund the Food Safety Modernization Act. This legislation,signed into law last year, has the capacity to strengthen and modernizeour food safety system—but will only be successful if it has the toolsand authority it needs.

"Nearly 100 Americans are sufferingbecause they consumed contaminated fruit and our food safety system wasnot able to prevent it. The Food Safety Modernization Act gives the FDAnew tools to better ensure that the food we consume, including thatimported, is safe. We have charged the FDA with the responsibility ofprotecting American consumers, but the House majority has tied theirhands by cutting its funding by $280 million. Essentially, we areasking the FDA to do more with less, and it will not work. We should beinvesting in the FDA, not limiting its ability to effectively protectAmericans."