[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 28 (Monday, July 13, 1998)]
[Pages 1327-1328]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

July 4, 1998

    Good morning, I've just returned from my trip to China, a great and 
ancient nation that is undergoing historic change--change I could see in 
new private businesses that are helping China's economy to grow, in 
people free for the first time to work in jobs of their own choosing, 
and in Chinese villages in the first free elections of local leaders.
    I was able to speak directly, not only to President Jiang and the 
leaders of the Chinese Government but to the Chinese people themselves 
about the partnership we hope to build with China for peace and 
prosperity and about the importance of freedom and what it means to us 
in America. At this particular moment in history, when for the first 
time a majority of the world's people live under governments of their 
own choosing, and when in China the positive impacts of greater openness 
and personal liberties are already apparent, I'm especially glad to be 
home for Independence Day--the day we celebrate the freedom our Founders 
declared 222 years ago this Fourth of July.
    And this Fourth of July, even as we celebrate, we should be not only 
grateful for the freedom we enjoy; we should rededicate ourselves to the 
work of responsible citizenship. For example, on the Fourth of July, 
families and friends come together all over America at backyard 
barbecues and parks for picnics. As they enjoy their meals, I want to 
report to you about what I'm doing to make sure

[[Page 1328]]

the food and drinks we serve our families this Independence Day and 
every day are safe.
    Our food supply is the most bountiful and the safest in the world, 
but we know we can do better. For nearly 6 years I've worked hard to put 
in place a modern food safety system for the 21st century. I signed into 
law legislation to keep harmful pesticides off our fruits and 
vegetables. We put in place strong protections to ensure that seafood is 
safe, and we're modernizing our meat and poultry safety system.
    Last year we launched a nationwide early warning system to catch 
outbreaks of food-borne illnesses sooner and prevent them from happening 
in the first place. But as much as we've done, we know we have to do 
more to keep our families safe and strong. We know older people and 
children are especially vulnerable to contaminated food. That lesson was 
driven home tragically last year, when apple juice contaminated with a 
deadly strain of E. coli caused the death of a 16-month-old child in 
Washington State and led to the hospitalization of more than a dozen 
other children.
    Today we're taking two important steps to ensure that our food 
supply is as safe as we can make it. First, I am pleased to announce a 
new rule that requires warning labels on all packaged juice that has not 
been pasteurized or processed to kill harmful bacteria. These warnings 
will help families make better decisions about the juice they buy, and 
they will help us to prevent thousands of Americans from becoming ill 
every year.
    Second, I'm directing the Department of Health and Human Services 
and the Department of Agriculture to report back to me within 90 days 
with a plan to create a new national institute for food safety research. 
This institute will join the resources of the public and private sectors 
and bring together the talents of the most esteemed scientists in the 
government, in universities, and in businesses to develop cutting edge 
techniques to keep our food safe.
    I'm doing what I can to protect our families from contaminated food. 
Congress must also do its part to ensure the safety of America's food 
supply. First and most important, it should fully fund my comprehensive 
$101 million food safety initiative. Among other important programs, 
this initiative will pay for 225 new food and drug administrators, 
inspectors, and employees--people who can keep unsafe food away from our 
borders, out of our stores, and off our dining room tables.
    Congress should also give the FDA greater authority to halt imports 
of fruits, vegetables, and other food products that are produced under 
safety conditions that simply do not match our own strict standards. It 
should give the U.S. Department of Agriculture new authority to impose 
tough fines on businesses who violate those standards and to issue 
mandatory recalls of unsafe meat and poultry before they reach our 
table; and it should confirm a respected, experienced scientist, Dr. 
Jane Henney, to lead our food safety efforts as Commissioner of FDA.
    Food can never be made entirely safe; therefore, every parent also 
has a responsibility--a responsibility to handle food carefully, 
especially during the summer. Meanwhile, we must do everything we can to 
protect the food Americans eat and to give our families the peace of 
mind they deserve. That's one important way on this Fourth of July we 
can resolve to keep our Nation strong as we move into the 21st century.
    Happy Independence Day, Americans, and thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:18 a.m. on July 3 in the Grand Hyatt 
Hotel Hong Kong SAR, China for broadcast at 10:06 a.m., e.d.t., on July 
4. This transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on July 3 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. 
In his address, the President referred to President Jiang Zemin of 
China, and Jane E. Henney, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner-
designate.