[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            PROTECTING THE VULNERABLE, ENSURING FOOD SAFETY

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                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  MS. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address a danger that 
threatens every one of us--food-borne illnesses. Each year, 76 million 
people suffer from food-borne illness. Of those individuals, 
approximately 325,000 will be hospitalized and more than 5,000 will 
die. Our children, the elderly, and those with weakened immunity 
systems face an even greater danger. Of the deaths caused by food-borne 
illness nearly every year, children comprise nearly 40 percent of the 
victims. I know parents who have lost their children to this threat.
  Today, I am introducing legislation, the National Food Safety 
Database Act, that will give officials charged with caring for our 
children and our other vulnerable loved ones the information they need 
to make safe food purchasing choices. My bill will create a national 
database containing information that documents whether a company has a 
history of providing safe food--food that has been produced and 
packaged under sanitary conditions and is properly branded. It will 
also document any outbreaks of food-borne illness that have originated 
from the provider and any enforcement actions that have been taken 
against the provider. Officials at hospitals, nursing homes, schools, 
and child care facilities can access this database from a secure 
website and use that information to ensure that they are serving those 
in their care the safest food possible. The final authority over the 
information included in this database will be granted to the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services who will work in consultation with the 
Secretary of Agriculture. A task force consisting of anticipated users, 
representatives of food manufacturers, processors, packers, 
transporters, and representatives of consumer groups will also advise 
the Secretary as to what information needs to be included to ensure our 
loved ones' safety. The Secretary will also have the authority to make 
grants to states to help them access and use the database.
  The information that will be provided by the database is critical to 
public health. We need to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illness in 
our schools. Earlier this year a school in Illinois received ammonia-
tainted food and did not receive adequate notification that the product 
had been contaminated. Luckily, no one died, but a number of teachers 
and students suffered. Currently the ability of hospitals, nursing 
homes, schools, and child care providers to provide quality care is 
compromised by their inability to get adequate and timely food safety 
information. Safety histories of the companies are not shared with the 
officials who purchase the food. Due to a complex web of food 
manufacturers, distributors and brokers, if the USDA or FDA announces 
that a manufacturer has produced tainted food, officials often have no 
way to determine if affected foods are in their kitchens and being 
served to our loved ones.
  A person fed tainted food can experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, 
and abdominal pain. Those in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and 
child care centers are by far the most vulnerable among us. Their 
immune systems are not as strong; their bodies are just not as sturdy. 
They can become very ill and can even die from food-borne illness, as 
far too many already have.
  Food manufacturers also stand to gain from this bill. Companies that 
have a history of providing safe food will have that fact known. Should 
an accident occur and there is an outbreak, it will be much easier for 
companies to know where the tainted food has gone. The company will be 
able to stop the outbreak faster and reduce their liability.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation that will increase 
the safety of the most vulnerable in our society. Our loved ones 
deserve to know that someone is looking out for their safety while they 
can't do it themselves. Without this bill, we can't make that 
guarantee.

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