Reuters AlertNet Lite - Democrats trumpet U.S. food safety legislation

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Democrats trumpet U.S. food safety legislation

10 Oct 2007 22:41:04 GMT
Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Democrats in Congress touted on Wednesday proposals to overhaul the U.S. food safety system, which they believe can no longer safeguard the American consumer from dangerous imports or tainted food.

"While the world continues to change, our consumer safety system has not. While disease and threats evolve, our policies are obsolete," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the Connecticut Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee.

DeLauro and half a dozen fellow Democrats trumpeted several Democratic-sponsored bills passed by the House, and others they hope to see passed, that they believe will help remedy systemic problems in U.S. import and food oversight, highlighted this year by a series of recalls and alerts over U.S. and imported food, toys and other goods.

DeLauro and Diana DeGette, Colorado Democrat and vice chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, have introduced a bill that would require third-party testing for children's products and would facilitate safety recalls, among other steps.

DeLauro is one lawmaker who wants to see radical overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees most U.S. food imports but whose small inspection team has been unable to keep up with a rising tide of imports.

Many in Congress see agencies like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which now tests imported toys, as not only understaffed but unprepared to cope with the demands of today's globalized economy.

The proposals are just some of a spate of competing plans from both sides of Capitol Hill that seek to stem mounting worry among consumers about the food and goods they buy.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber, for example, has proposed imposing a fee on all food imports, which would help pay for wider inspections. Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, advocates a similar step.

While much of the scrutiny has been targeted at China, which supplies a wide swathe of products in Americans' shopping carts, the reputation of American-produced food has also taken a beating this year.

Earlier this month, the top U.S. maker of frozen beef patties closed its doors after a massive recall of its patties. On Tuesday, the Agriculture Department issued a warning about turkey and chicken pot pies that may have been linked to salmonella.

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Last updated:Wed Oct 10 22:40:52 2007