    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [May 11, 1998]
    [Page 739]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Food Safety Legislation
    May 11, 1998

    Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. Leader:)
        The report to be released today by the General Accounting Office
    (GAO) calls on Congress to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
    the authority to ensure that food eligible for import to the United
    States is produced under food safety systems that will provide the same
    level of protection as the safety systems in place in the United States.
    This report is further confirmation of the need for Congress to pass the
    Safety of Imported Food Act, which I called for in October 1997, which
    Senators Mikulski and Kennedy, and Representatives Eshoo
    and Pallone have introduced.
        This important legislation will do what the GAO says is necessary:
    it will ensure that the FDA denies the entry of imports of fruits,
    vegetables, or other food from a foreign country or facility that does
    not meet U.S. food safety requirements or otherwise achieve the level of
    protection required in the United States. It will give FDA the authority
    it urgently needs, comparable to the Department of Agriculture's
    existing authority to prevent the importation of unsafe meat and
    poultry, to protect the safety of the food Americans eat. I have taken
    several further steps to begin implementing standards to ensure the
    safety of imported food. My FY '99 budget committed approximately $25
    million to enabling the FDA to dramatically expand its international
    food inspection force in order to implement the pending legislation. In
    March of this year, I released a report on how the Secretary of Health
    and Human Services, in partnership with the Secretary of Agriculture,
    and in cooperation with the agricultural community, will develop
    guidance on good agricultural and manufacturing practices that will
    apply to both domestic and foreign producers.
        There is no more important task our government faces than ensuring
    the safety of the American food supply. That is why last year Vice
    President Gore and I announced my comprehensive new initiative, ``Food
    Safety from Farm to Table''--which detailed a comprehensive program
    including surveillance, outbreak response, education and research. The
    Safety of Imported Food Act is another vital step in protecting the
    safety of all the food Americans eat, and I urge you to pass it
    promptly.
        Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House
    of Representatives; Trent Lott, Senate majority leader; Thomas A.
    Daschle, Senate minority leader; Richard K. Armey, House majority
    leader; and Richard A. Gephardt, House minority leader. An original was
    not available for verification of the content of this letter.