[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H1368-H1369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IMPORTED PRODUCE LABELING ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Bono] is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H1369]]

  Mr. BONO. Mr. Speaker, I sometimes get upset to a point to where I 
feel that I have to at least speak out, especially when I cannot do 
anything about it.
  The situation with Mexico and NAFTA and California is basically a 
disaster for California, and it is abusive. It is extremely abusive, 
and I was raised not to take abuse, and if somebody dished out abuse, I 
would always give it back, and that worked out well.
  So now being here in Congress and seeing abuses inflicted on us by a 
country who has total disregard for our lifestyle and what we require 
and what we do, it rather infuriates me. But we have a treaty, a NAFTA 
treaty, and the way we must go about that legally to handle that is one 
story which I am very active on, but I consider it one of many abuses 
we get from Mexico.
  However, today I rise for one specific, to speak on behalf of my bill 
to protect American consumers and produce farmers, H.R. 1232, the 
Imported Produce bill. This does not necessarily totally relate to 
Mexico, by the way, the Labeling Act of 1997. Consumers need to know 
the country of origin labeling. Almost every product is clearly labeled 
``made in China'' or ``made in Mexico'' except the produce we eat. 
Every other type of food is labeled. Why not the produce?
  Consumers want to know where the produce they eat is grown. Does the 
country of origin allow pesticides banned in the United States? Are 
they working under the conditions that are sanitary? Recent news 
stories of children being infected with hepatitis due to Mexican 
strawberries are a prime example of the risk imported produce can pose. 
Before that it was bacteria in raspberries from Guatemala. What is 
next?
  But this is why this is not only a health issue. It is an economic 
issue. Since NAFTA, the total economic loss in the production of fresh 
winter vegetables has been nearly $700 million. 200 farms have closed 
due to huge numbers of tomatoes imported from Mexico.
  Without labeling, how can the consumer choose American produce over 
Japanese produce; how can they choose American produce over imported 
produce?
  Anyway, I hate to read these things.
  Anyway, my point is that our agriculture industry cannot compete now 
with Mexico because Mexico is not required to live up to the 
regulations that we must live up to. So therefore their product can 
come into our country, appear to be our product, undersell our product 
and cannot only be dangerous but also put industry out of business. 
This is another abuse that we must correct.
  Most importantly, it seemed like last year I was hearing about school 
lunches from children that was considered the biggest travesty in the 
world, but now we are actually killing children with hepatitis from 
produce and that is sort of breezing by. I have a bill that calls for 
the labeling of produce. I ask that all of my colleagues support my 
bill when it comes to the floor.

                          ____________________