DeLauro: We Cannot Stall Implementation of Food Safety Rules

FDA Draws Out Comment Period on Already-OverdueGuidance

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) releasedthe following statement today on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'sannouncement they are delaying the close of the comment period for two-alreadyoverdue food safety rules aimed at preventing foodborne illness and required bythe Food Safety Modernization Act. Additional information on the rules and FDAannouncement may be foundhere.

"When the FDA first announced these proposed rules a littleover a month ago, I stressed the need for them to be implemented in a robust,timely fashion. Unfortunately that has already fallen by the wayside withtoday's announcement. I am deeply concerned that special interests arepressuring the FDA to slow-walk this process and water down these rules thatare supposed to protect people.

"American families are already living with the specter offoodborne illnesses and contamination hanging over them. It is shameful that ina country as wealthy and prosperous as ours, with all the scientific andtechnological knowledge we possess, parents still have to worry if ground beef,cantaloupe, spinach, or any other number of foods, will send their children tothe hospital, or possibly even their death.

"The FDA needs to implement these, and the other rules thatare still bottled up in the regulatory pipeline, without further delay.