[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 7 (Wednesday, February 2, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 2, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                H.R. 3751, KATIE O'CONNELL SAFE FOOD ACT

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                       HON. ROBERT G. TORRICELLI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 1994

  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. Speaker, there is a growing public health crisis 
in America today that most Americans do not even realize. A crisis that 
is significant for its financial impact on this country, and more 
importantly for the toll it is taking in human lives.
  An estimated 9,000 Americans die each year and another 6.5 million 
become sick from bacterial foodborne illnesses. That is far, far too 
many for a nation that prides itself on having one of the world's 
safest food supplies. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration and 
the Food Safety and Inspection Service estimate that foodborne 
illnesses cost the United States between $6 and $23 billion annually in 
medical expenses and lost productivity.
  Last week I introduced the Katie O'Connell Safe Food Act, a 
comprehensive bill to revamp the way meat and poultry inspection is 
conducted in this country. In addition, it will spur the implementation 
of new, scientific methods to improve our ability to detect pathogens 
during the inspection process.
  My interest in this issue intensified 2 months ago, when I had the 
honor of meeting an extraordinary man, Arthur O'Connell, and I learned 
of his tragic story.
  Mr. O'Connell is a constituent of mine from Kearny, NJ. He is a 
dedicated family man and a hard-working high school mathematics 
teacher. One day, Mr. O'Connell's 23-month old daughter, Katie, did 
what millions of other children across this country do every day--she 
ate lunch at a fast food restaurant. Less than 3 weeks later, after a 
horrible illness that attacked each of her organs one by one, Katie 
O'Connell died. The cause of death was hemolytic uremic syndrome, an 
illness caused by the presence of E. Coli bacteria in the hamburger she 
ate.
  With no warning, and with no opportunity for prevention, the 
O'Connells lost a healthy and vivacious toddler. Few events in my 11 
years in Congress have moved me so deeply as Artie O'Connell's 
testimony and my later conversation with him. We can, we must, and we 
will do better.
  What is most tragic about Mr. O'Connell's loss is that it could have 
been prevented. The story of Katie O'Connell represents an inexcusable 
failure of government to protect its citizens. Nobody can disagree that 
one thing we can and must expect from our government is a safe and 
healthy food supply.
  Currently, meat and poultry inspection is performed by the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. I do not believe this is the most 
appropriate agency to be in charge of this vital public health 
function. Meat and poultry inspection is a public health issue and 
deserves to be handled by an agency staffed by public health experts, 
and dedicated first and foremost to the preservation of the public 
health.
  The Food Safety and Inspection Service, an agency within the USDA, is 
responsible for meat and poultry inspection. FSIS falls under the 
Assistant Secretary for Marketing and Inspection Service. This simple 
bureaucratic structuring points to the heart of the problem. Congress 
has directed the USDA to increase agricultural production and to 
promote the sale of agricultural products. It also directs the USDA to 
promote and protect the public health by rigid inspection of meat and 
poultry products. This is an inherent conflict of interest.
  Vice President Gore has recognized this conflict and has recommended 
moving meat and poultry inspection responsibilities out of USDA and 
into the Food and Drug Administration. While I do not agree that the 
FDA is the best place for these responsibilities, I completely agree 
that the time has come to move meat and poultry inspection to an agency 
that is dedicated first and foremost to protecting the health of 
American consumers. The Katie O'Connell Safe Food Act would move meat, 
poultry, and egg inspection responsibilities to a new executive branch 
agency, staffed by public health experts and dedicated to promoting the 
public health.
  My bill will also address the sorry state of technology in the meat 
and poultry inspection field. Currently, there is a surprising and 
dangerous lack of scientific-based testing involved in the inspection 
process.
  Amazingly enough, USDA food line inspectors use the same tools in 
1993 to detect the presence of microbacterial infections that they used 
in the days of Upton Sinclair--their senses. That's right--despite a 
1985 National Academy of Sciences report that urged the USDA to develop 
and implement rapid, on-line tests for bacterial contamination, USDA 
inspectors today use only their sight, touch, and smell to inspect meat 
and poultry products.
  It has been over 8 years since the NAS report, yet the USDA has made 
virtually no progress in development of these tests. It grieves me to 
wonder how many lives could have been saved if the USDA had acted upon 
these recommendations.
  I have heard allegations that the science is not available to develop 
these tests. I do not pretend to be a scientist, but I am a member of 
the Science, Space and Technology Committee. And I must question why a 
government that can successfully perform in-space repairs to the Hubble 
Telescope cannot find more effective inspection technologies than 
sight, smell, and touch.
  My bill will not stand for this appalling lack of progress. It will 
direct immediate research and development into a rapid, on-line 
microbacterial testing system, as recommended by the NAS in 1985.
  Finally, my legislation will direct the Center for Disease Control 
and the National Institutes of Health to gather information on 
foodborne illnesses and develop and standard care procedures and 
treatment for these illnesses. Almost as shocking as the frequency of 
foodborne illness in this country is the lack of medical knowledge on 
how to treat it. This is another area in which we can and must do 
better.
  I am hopeful that my colleagues will join me in supporting this 
important legislation. Improved meat and poultry inspection will not 
completely eradicate outbreaks of illness caused by foodborne bacteria. 
But there certainly can be a great deal of improvement, and there is 
certainly the potential to save many lives. Inefficiency and 
ineffectiveness in this vital area can no longer be tolerated.

                   The Katie O'Connell Safe Food Act


  title i--creation of independent meat, poultry and eggs inspection 
                                 agency

       Transfers responsibility for enforcing meat, poultry, and 
     egg inspections from the Food Safety Inspection Service of 
     the United States Department of Agriculture to an independent 
     federal health agency, entitled the Meat, Poultry and Eggs 
     Inspection Agency.
       Creates the position of Director of Meat, Poultry and Eggs 
     Inspection and authorizes appointment of up to 8 assistant 
     directors.
       Authorizes establishment for regional field offices to 
     carry out inspection responsibilities.
       Establishes the Bureau of Improved Inspection Capabilities 
     within this new agency to support efforts to research modern 
     scientific techniques to improve the inspection process, and 
     to incorporate such techniques into the inspection process.
       Establishes an advisory commission to make recommendations 
     regarding ways in which current inspection techniques can be 
     improved upon through the incorporation of technological 
     improvements.
       The commission will consist of representatives of the meat, 
     poultry, and egg industries; scientists who are experts in 
     the field of food safety and microbiology; and government 
     officials who are actively involved in meat, poultry, and egg 
     inspection at the federal or state level.
       Requires commission to present its recommendations within 
     six months after being appointed.
       Authorizes Director, in consultation with the Commission, 
     to enter into contractual arrangements with institutions of 
     high education or non-profit research organizations to 
     promote research into ways to implement the recommendations 
     made by the Commission.
       Authorizes the Director to implement new techniques through 
     rulemaking.


        title ii--expansion of foods covered by inspection laws

       Expands the Federal Meat Inspection Act to include coverage 
     of deer, bison, rabbits, quail, pheasant and squab.


   title iii--epidemiological activities regarding foodborne diseases

       Directs the Center for Disease Control to establish 
     population-based surveillance sites to monitor outbreaks of 
     foodborne illnesses.
       These sites will do the following:
       Monitor the incidence and prevalence of the diseases.
       Carry out activities to identify the pathogenic agents for 
     the disease.
       Determine the extent to which various treatments are 
     effective responses to the identified agents.
       Conduct research to ascertain the circumstances in which 
     individuals are most at risk to the diseases.
       Evaluate efforts to control foodborne illnesses.
       Directs the CDC, in collaboration with the states, to 
     collect data on the incidence of illness caused by E. coli 
     0157:H7 bacteria; assist the states in developing the 
     capability to recognize the pathogen; and conduct 
     demonstration projects for the control of foodborne diseases 
     caused by the pathogen.


         title iv--research on treatment of foodborne diseases

       Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 
     Director of the National Institutes of Health to conduct 
     research into treatment of foodborne diseases.
       Directs NIH Director to develop clinical guidelines on the 
     treatment of foodborne diseases.
       Requires National Digestive Diseases Data System and the 
     National Digestive Diseases Clearinghouse to include 
     activities regarding foodborne diseases.


               title v--national safe cooking temperature

       Mandates the Director of the Food and Drug Administration 
     to establish a mandatory national safe cooking temperature 
     with the force of law.
       Establishes penalties and fines for non-compliance.

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