[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22678-22679]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         SUPPORTING H.R. 2749, THE FOOD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for 
reforming our food safety system. As a tireless advocate for consumers' 
rights, I have continually supported protecting our Nation's food 
supply. Over the last several years, our country has experienced food-
borne illnesses stemming from E. coli in bagged spinach and a 
salmonella outbreak in peanut products. As the number of outbreaks 
rise, it's essential that we dramatically improve our food safety laws.
  H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act, will take important and 
necessary steps to remove tainted food products from our food supply 
and improve accountability for large processing facilities. I strongly 
support provisions in this bill that grant the Food and Drug 
Administration, FDA, new authority to hold more frequent inspections of 
food processing facilities and the requirement that all food facilities 
register with the FDA annually. To better combat food-borne illnesses, 
H.R. 2749 will also enable the FDA to establish a food trace-back 
system that will help public health officials identify the origin and 
path of food products when an outbreak occurs. Additionally, ensuring 
that imported foods are safe and that there are strong, flexible 
enforcement tools will restore Americans' confidence in the foods they 
purchase.
  However, despite these bold and necessary improvements, I continue to 
believe that we need to do more to respect the unique needs of small 
and organic farmers in this legislation. This is why I ultimately voted 
against H.R. 2749.
  Currently, organic farmers are required to adhere to strict 
traceability standards through the USDA's National Organic Program. The 
absence of specific guidance requiring FDA to harmonize new 
traceability standards with the National Organic Program will create 
potentially duplicative regulations and standards for organic farmers. 
The FDA's authority grew this year after Congress passed H.R. 1256, 
legislation I voted for, which enables the FDA to regulate tobacco 
products. After passing H.R. 2749, the FDA will also have expanded food 
safety authority. Without specific requirements included in this 
legislation, the FDA will not have the incentive or manpower to go 
above and beyond what is mandated in the law. We cannot overlook the 
requirements our organic farmers already follow as the FDA issues its 
traceability standards.
  Additionally, I worry that the growth of the organics market could be 
constrained by fee provisions in this bill. An increasing number of 
organic farmers sell to wholesalers as well as directly to consumers. 
This bill exempts farmers who sell their products directly to consumers 
from the annual fee, but not farmers who sell the majority of their 
products to wholesalers. By incentivizing organic producers to sell 
fewer than 51 percent of their products to wholesalers, we could be 
deterring organic farmers from branching out to new markets. This is 
not the time to be hindering the growth of organic farming by 
discouraging organic farmers from diversifying the markets where their 
products are sold.
  This legislation also must take into account the relationship between 
the co-management of conservation and food safety. The use of animals 
for pest control is a crucial component of organic farming, and this 
bill would restrict farmers from maintaining their organic practices. 
Instead of regulating all animals, this legislation could investigate 
other alternatives, including focusing on animals that are at a high 
risk for passing on diseases, to take into account the needs of organic 
farmers. More should be done to encourage biodiversity and

[[Page 22679]]

natural farming techniques that farmers have used to reduce their 
dependence on pesticides and herbicides.
  Madam Speaker, food safety legislation must protect the health of 
consumers and respect the needs of family farms and sustainable 
producers. It is my hope that we can strengthen the provisions in H.R. 
2749 affecting the unique needs of small and organic farmers when this 
bill is taken up in conference. I am encouraged by the work done to 
enhance the safety of our Nation's food supply, and look forward to 
continuing to improve this important legislation and our food delivery 
system.

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