Congress must beef up the FDA's food safety plan
|
||
 |
|
|
It's been months since the first sign of the rare form of salmonella bacteria prompted tomatoes to be pulled from stores and restaurants across the country.
Now, more than 1,000 people have come down with the salmonella-related illness — and there's still no definitive answer on what might have caused the outbreak. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration is now concerned that tomatoes might not have been the culprit; the agency is looking at cilantro, and jalapeno and serrano peppers, ingredients commonly used in salsa.
Peanut butter. Spinach. Seafood. The list of contaminated food in recent months goes on. The ongoing produce scare is just the latest reminder of the urgent need to address the crucial issue of protecting our nation's food supply.
The FDA needs an overhaul — and fast. A bill now being debated in Congress offers a starting point to get the job done. The Food and Drug Globalization Act of 2008, now in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would provide the FDA with the authority to issue mandatory recalls of contaminated food. That's a no-brainer.
But the bill does not go far enough in protecting our increasingly vulnerable food supply. Among the changes Congress should consider:
As Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) rightly points out, the ability to track and trace food sources is essential — and doable. "Most of our food products already have labels, many companies already know their suppliers, and the technology already exists to track food from the farm to the fork," DeGette said.
One chronic problem remains: The FDA is understaffed and underfunded to do its job properly. Case in point: While the FDA is responsible for the safety of about 80 percent of our food supply, it receives only 20 percent of the funds allotted for the job. The bulk of the funds go to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates eggs, meat and poultry.
But the USDA also has the conflicting mission of promoting agriculture. Monitoring food safety is best left with a properly staffed and adequately funded FDA.
Too much time and money have been wasted. Congress should get the job done and pass an aggressive food safety bill, so consumers can once again have confidence in our nation's food supply.
