[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 96 (Friday, July 17, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE FOOD SAFETY ENFORCEMENT ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 1998

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                        HON. JOHN ELIAS BALDACCI

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 1998

  Mr. BALDACCI. Mr. Speaker today I, along with a host of my 
colleagues, am introducing the Food Safety Enforcement Enhancement Act 
of 1998. I believe that one of this government's fundamental 
responsibilities is ensuring that Americans have the safest food 
possible.
  The recent outbreaks of E. coli across the country have caused 
illnesses and at least one death. A woman in her 90s from Washington 
County, Maine, died after becoming infected.
  The outbreak has shaken the confidence of American consumers. 
Americans are stunned when they learn that the Secretary of Agriculture 
does not have the authority to demand a recall of contaminated meat. 
The Secretary cannot impose civil fines on a company that knowingly or 
repeatedly violates food-safety laws.
  Consumers, farmers and ranchers are all asking that more be done to 
prevent food-borne contamination and that something be done to stop the 
spread of contaminated meat once it is discovered.
  The legislation, developed with the United States Department of 
Agriculture, and introduced as a companion to a bill sponsored by 
Senator Harkin, would give the Department some common-sense powers.
  It requires notification of the USDA when contaminated meat or 
poultry products are discovered. It gives the Secretary the authority 
to recall contaminated meat and poultry as soon as it is discovered. It 
also gives the Secretary the authority to levy civil penalties on 
slaughterhouses and processors for violations of food safety laws.
  I view this as the beginning of a process to identify ways to foster 
improvements in the meat and poultry food chain that can lead to 
improved public safety, enhanced consumer confidence and acceptance by 
producers, processors and consumers of their shared responsibilities in 
ensuring that Americans continue to enjoy the safest and most abundant 
food supply in the world.

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