[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 108 (Friday, July 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT AND FOOD SAFETY INFORMATION ACT OF 
                                  2009

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                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 2009

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I am proud to reintroduce the 
Consumer Product and Food Safety Information Act.
  This very simple bill creates a comprehensive information process to 
notify American consumers about food and product recalls. It seems that 
practically every week there is another product or food recall, but 
there's no single, comprehensive, federal resource to relay this 
information to consumers. As a result, many Americans are rightfully 
concerned and confused about what products might endanger the lives of 
their loved ones.
  In the 110th Congress after a steady stream of countless food and 
product recalls, I co-chaired a Ways and Means joint Oversight and 
Trade subcommittee hearing on Import Safety. In that hearing, we 
learned that there is no collective federal public information process 
to inform Americans about food and product safety recalls. Instead 
there is an expectation that press releases and Internet announcements 
with moderate outreach efforts are sufficient communication tools.
  This legislation is not about creating a new bureaucracy; the sole 
purpose is to establish a process. We must provide consumers with 
single resources--through various media phone, print, Internet, and 
radio--to learn exactly what toys are safe for their children, what 
food is safe to eat, what beds are safe to sleep in, and what medicines 
won't compromise their health. The Consumer Product and Food Safety 
Information Act of 2009 presents a clear plan to relay accurate and 
timely information to all consumers--regardless of age, income or 
location.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this basic, 
common-sense legislation. I want to make sure that my constituents--
parents, senior citizens, those who have access to the Internet, those 
who prefer newspapers and libraries--are provided with universal, 
consistent information about what foods and products are harmful to 
themselves and their loved ones.

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