[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 28, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4369-S4370]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DORGAN:
  S. 908. A bill to establish a comprehensive program to ensure the 
safety of food products intended for human consumption that are 
regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


                    consumer food safety act of 1999

  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I am introducing legislation Wednesday to 
improve the safety of the nation's food supply, by increasing 
educational efforts for food processors and handlers and the frequency 
of inspections for some of them. The bill also establishes new 
mechanisms for identifying food processors and handlers who originate 
contaminated food in order to improve federal recall and food safety 
law enforcement action.
  Farmers produce high quality products and expect them to reach the 
consumer with the same high quality

[[Page S4370]]

standards observed. Farmers and consumers both have an interest in 
assuring the unquestioned safety of our food.
  The new global economy is another reason for strengthening the 
nations' food safety laws. With the new global economy, we have food 
moving around the world without much understanding of where its coming 
from, who produced it, and under what conditions. I think it calls for 
a much more rigorous food inspections, not only for the safety of 
consumers, but to safeguard the reputation of the products our farmers 
produce.
  Another important feature of the bill is new authority for inspection 
of food and food products at the border as they enter the United States 
from foreign countries, and in some cases inspections at food 
processing plants located in foreign countries.
  A similar bill will be introduced shortly in the U.S. House by 
Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ), underscoring the urban-rural, 
producer-consumer nature of the new drive for improved food safety 
laws.

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