[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 1, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10289-S10290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HEALTH CONCERNS CAUSED BY INCREASING AMOUNT OF IMPORTED FOOD AND 
                               VEGETABLES

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, Americans have long been urged by our 
doctors, our teachers, and our parents to eat at least five servings 
every day of fruits and vegetables. When we follow this good advice, we 
assume that the fruits and vegetables that we are consuming are 
wholesome. Recent reports, however, have raised questions about the 
safety of imported food products. Our markets are increasingly filled 
with imported food that may not meet U.S. food safety standards. Thus, 
American consumers seeking a healthy diet face the unappetizing risk of 
unknowingly subjecting themselves to tainted imported food.
  As the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I am 
conducting an investigation into the safety of food imports. I have 
asked the General Accounting Office to examine whether or not the 
Federal Government adequately protects the American people from tainted 
imported food. We need to know how imports are currently being 
inspected, what resources are being devoted to food safety and whether 
the highest risks are being given the highest priority in the 
inspection process. We should make certain, Mr. President, that our 
food safety programs are effectively and efficiently managed to 
safeguard the public's health.
  Recent news reports have shown several instances where tainted 
imported food has caused serious illnesses. Food safety programs and 
food safety problems are not limited to beef and poultry, and it is not 
just food coming from domestic facilities that can cause health 
problems.
  Imported fruits and vegetables in increasing numbers are causing 
serious illnesses. In March, over 260 children and teachers from 
Michigan developed hepatitis after eating frozen strawberries that were 
imported from Mexico. Those berries were illegally provided to the 
School Lunch Program, which requires food used to be produced in the 
United States. Instead, the tainted Mexican berries had been shipped to 
over 1,500 locations across the country, including my home State of 
Maine. In another example, over 2,000 people were infected with 
cyclospora in the last 2 years from eating tainted raspberries from 
Guatemala, making it the largest outbreak of food-borne disease in 
recent years.
  Mr. President, I believe Congress must thoroughly examine the safety 
of imported food products. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration 
and the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service 
have shared responsibility for the regulation and inspection of 
imported food. Agriculture officials are responsible primarily for meat 
and poultry, while the Food and Drug Administration regulates and 
inspects other food products. Standards in enforcement are thus 
different, depending on the type of food. In addition, the significant 
increase in food imports has resulted in a system where consumers 
cannot be assured of the safety of the food they eat. A New York Times 
article on September 29 of this year, just this past week, indicates 
that food imports have doubled since the 1980s, straining the limits of 
our current inspection system.
  Later this week, President Clinton is expected to announce several 
initiatives to increase and improve Federal

[[Page S10290]]

attention to food safety. I welcome the President's increased interest 
in the safety of imported food products, and when his proposal is 
transmitted to the Congress, I will closely examine it to determine if 
it is, in fact, an effective and adequate response to this problem.
  As chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I want 
to make sure that our current programs are being effectively managed 
and that both existing and new resources are efficiently administered 
to promote safe food, especially imported food.
  Mr. President, the safety of food product imports is literally a 
life-and-death issue for many Americans, especially our elderly and our 
children. Food safety deserves close attention of the administration 
and the Congress, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in 
the months ahead as my subcommittee continues its investigation and 
conducts hearings on this important matter.

                          ____________________