[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1638-E1639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MUST HAVE AUTHORITY TO RECALL TAINTED 
                                  FOOD

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, the recent recall of 25 million pounds of 
beef has caused deep concern in the minds of many Americans about the 
safety of the Nation's food supply. The largest recall of meat in U.S. 
history has awakened new fears in consumers who are increasingly 
skeptical about food safety.
  America's food supply is the safest in the world. But it is not safe 
enough.
  Mr. Speaker, in January 1998, new meat safety rules will go into 
effect which will replace the old sniff and poke method used by meat 
inspectors. The new system will require closer scrutiny by the meat 
processors and USDA inspectors and will require the use of new high-
technology machinery by meat processors which will test meat for 
bacterial contamination.
  Mr. Speaker, meat processors should not wait until they are legally 
bound to comply with these new regulations. Americans have come to 
expect the cleanest, safest food on the planet. Intense effort must be 
made to make the clean, safe food supply even cleaner and safer. 
Rigorous scientific checks at key points in the processing of meat must 
be implemented immediately to restore the public's confidence in our 
Nation's food supply.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, under current law the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture cannot compel a recall of tainted food. It can only ask 
producers to recall products voluntarily or it can withhold its 
inspection seal and the meat cannot be sold in the United States. But 
what about meat that has already reached the consumer?
  Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman recently announced that he will 
ask Congress for the authority to recall tainted food. I strongly 
support this recommendation and I urge all my colleagues to work 
swiftly to enact this legislation. The time has come to restore public 
confidence in our Government's ability to ensure a safe food supply. We 
must give the Federal Government the power to compel a recall of 
tainted or potentially tainted food.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to place in the Record a recent editorial 
which appeared in

[[Page E1639]]

the San Francisco Chronicle entitled ``Big Hamburger Recall and USDA 
Inspections'' for the benefit of my colleagues.

           [From the San Francisco Chronicle, Aug. 27, 1997]

               Big Hamburger Recall and USDA Inspections

       The nationwide recall of 25 million pounds of contaminated 
     ground beef at the peak if the summer barbecue season was a 
     timely reminder of the imperfect and outdated methods 
     currently used to inspect the nation's meat supplies.
       And it was a warning to backyard chefs that the best 
     protection against dangerous bacteria in their burgers is to 
     cook the red out. A rule-of-thumb is that meat should be 
     cooked well-done at a temperature of at least 160 degrees to 
     kill pathogens like the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7.
       So far there have been no reports the tainted meat reached 
     California, according to the State Health Department, but a 
     spokesman urges consumers to be alert for suspect Hudson 
     Foods Inc. Frozen hamburger patties with ``Establishment No. 
     13569'' printed inside the USDA inspection seal.
       The tainted ground beef was traced to a meat-processing 
     plant in Nebraska, which supplied hamburger patties to Burger 
     King, Safeway, Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. They have removed the 
     meat from their shelves. Secretary of Agriculture Dan 
     Glickman acted with alacrity in recognizing the crisis and 
     asking for the largest meat recall in U.S. history when 16 
     people in Colorado were stricken after eating hamburgers.
       A significant weakness in the USDA's enforcement powers is 
     that the department does not have the authority to recall 
     tainted meat, but must depend on voluntary compliance by 
     meat-processing companies. ``I think that most folks would be 
     shocked to know that industry--and not federal food safety 
     experts--ultimately make the decision as to whether or not 
     food is recalled when the public's safety is compromised,'' 
     said Glickman. He will ask Congress to grant him the 
     authority to recall, which makes sense. The Hudson hamburger 
     scare also underlined the need for new inspection regulations 
     scheduled to be phased in over the next four years, beginning 
     in January. The stricter new rules will require closer 
     monitoring by federal inspectors at critical points in meat 
     processing.
       New regulations will replace the unreliable ``sniff-and-
     poke'' inspection techniques currently practiced by USDA 
     sleuths who have only a few seconds to spot spoiled poultry 
     and animal carcasses as the move along an assembly line.
       The time for updating USDA inspection techniques is long 
     overdue.

     

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