Traceability and A Strong FDA- Is Industry Listening?
Roy Costa
WASHINGTON, DC: How food industry lobbying slowed salmonella search
26.jul.08
Associated Press
Larry Margasak
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/25/MNUF11VMB1.DTL
Rep. Bart Stupak, , D-Mich., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's investigative subcommittee, was cited as saying Friday the food industry must drop any remaining opposition to electronic record-keeping and back an effective system for tracing contaminated food to its source, stating, "It is my hope that the food industry will drop its opposition to these common-sense safeguards and move forward with implementation.”
The story says Stupak has been conducting an investigation since January 2007 into the Food and Drug Administration's ability to protect the nation's food and drug supply. He will chair a hearing next week on the current outbreak of salmonella - one of the worst in years in the United States.
"This latest salmonella outbreak has shown us that it is necessary to have electronic record-keeping and trace-back systems in order to quickly detect the source of food-borne illnesses," Stupak said.
The food industry pressured the Bush administration years ago to limit the paperwork companies would have to keep to help U.S. health investigators trace produce that sickens consumers, according to interviews and government reports.
The White House also killed a plan to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records. Companies complained the proposals were too burdensome and costly, and warned they could disrupt the availability of consumers' favorite foods - especially fresh produce.
The chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., was cited as saying the industry has brought on its own troubles. "The food industry is learning the hard way that having a strong FDA and commonsense regulation makes good financial sense.”
Roy E Costa, R.S., M.S./M.B.A.
Public Health Sanitarian Consultant
Environ Health Associates, Inc
1.386.734.5187
www.haccptraining.org
www.safefoods.tv
rco...@cfl.rr.com
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Carl Custer
> Thanks to Doug Powell for the following, now lets see how strong industry
> "push back" will be in light of President Bush's lame duck status.
>
> WASHINGTON, DC: How food industry lobbying slowed salmonella search
> 26.jul.08
> Associated Press
[Carl]: How about kudos to Caroline for her July 21 posting:
"FDA Finds Salmonella Strain on Jalapeno Pepper
Statement of CSPI Food Safety Director Caroline Smith DeWaal
<Snip>
Though we still do not know where or how the contamination occurred,
what we do know is traceability tools that Congress adopted in the
2002 Bioterrorism Act were significantly watered down by the Bush
Administration. In fact, in 2003, food industry lobbyists had special
behind-closed-doors access when the Bush Administration was vetting
new anti-bioterrorism regulations aimed at protecting the food supply
from intentional contamination. Provisions stripped from the
regulations, like requirements for distributors to record lot or code
numbers, and requirements for record availability in 4 to 8 hours,
might have been helpful nailing down this Salmonella outbreak much
earlier.
At the time, the industry complained that strong provisions were
overly burdensome, and the Administration watered down the regulations
in response. Those complaints must seem quaint compared to the
hundreds of millions of dollars this one outbreak has cost American
growers, processors, and retailers.
It's time for Congress to step in and enact meaningful FDA reform
legislation. Though time is short, Congress should act before another
outbreak occurs to give FDA strong traceback authority, mandatory
process control systems all the way back to the farm, and mandatory
recall. The Bush Administration has consistently failed to put public
health ahead of the complaints of industry lobbyists. Congress should
not wait for more evidence that the agency doesn't have the tools it
needs."
Roy Costa
Thanks Caroline. The trial lawyers, consumer activists and the media are standing up to the food industry in the interest of public health where our agencies failed to show any guts. America is a wonderful country.
When we have public health leaders who are too interested in being bureaucrats for life and keeping their jobs at all costs (or maybe morphing into "big time lobby guys" after retirement) we are in trouble. Sometimes PH leaders have to risk it all and take a stand for what is best for the people, regardless of what the administration might say, we just don't find leaders like that anymore, it seems. We should have the leaders at CDC, FDA and USDA saying to the President, "fix this mess or take this job and shove it". They just whimper away in silence every time they are smacked down, we should expect more.
Roy E Costa, R.S., M.S./M.B.A.
Public Health Sanitarian Consultant
Environ Health Associates, Inc
1.386.734.5187
www.haccptraining.org
www.safefoods.tv
rco...@cfl.rr.com
> From: carl....@gmail.com
> To: roye...@hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: [Foodsafe] Traceability and A Strong FDA- Is Industry Listening?
> CC: foodsa...@googlegroups.com; foods...@cspinet.org
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harrisc
From: Foodsa...@googlegroups.com [mailto:Foodsa...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Roy Costa
Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 9:53 PM
To: Carl Custer
Cc: Foodsa...@googlegroups.com; Caroline Smith DeWaal
Subject: [Foodsafe] Re: Traceability and A Strong FDA- Is Industry Listening?