DELAURO: STATE FOOD SAFETY INSPECTIONS ARE FAILING TO PROTECT AMERICAN CONSUMERS

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the report "Vulnerabilities in FDA's Oversight of State Food Facility Inspections," which she requested from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Inspector General. Congresswoman DeLauro requested this report after the 2009 recall of peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella that sickened 529 people in 43 states.

"This new report confirms that the FDA's increasing reliance on state contracts for inspections is compromising our food safety system and thus the health of American consumers. Our food safety system is of paramount concern, and yet this report illustrates a vicious cycle of woefully inadequate oversight. It is clear to me that more must be done to ensure that federal inspection and oversight of food facilities best protects the public health. If the FDA intends to continue relying on contracted inspections to meet its public health responsibilities, it must ensure that those inspections are consistent and better integrated into the agency's regulatory capacity."