[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 50 (Monday, December 20, 1999)]
[Pages 2590-2591]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

December 11, 1999

    Good morning. The holidays are upon us, and across our Nation 
families and friends are gathering to celebrate the season. Today I want 
to talk about the steps we must take to make sure the food at these 
festivities, indeed, the food we serve every day, is the safest in the 
world.
    For 7 years now, our administration has worked hard to strengthen 
our food safety standards for the 21st century. We've made significant 
strides by using the newest research and best technology available. 
We're using new, science-based standards for meat, poultry, and seafood. 
We've updated our standards for fruit and vegetable juices. We also 
established a nationwide early warning system for food-borne illness to 
catch problems sooner and prevent them from happening in the first 
place. We're making new advances each year, and are committed to moving 
forward on all fronts.
    But the holiday season is only our latest reminder. When it comes to 
what we feed our families, there's really no such thing as too safe. We 
know certain foods carry a special risk for children, for the elderly, 
for those with weakened immune systems. My Council on Food Safety has 
identified eggs as one of those foods.
    Every year, about 3.3 million eggs are infected with salmonella 
bacteria. This causes about 300,000 cases of illness. And when infected 
eggs still make it from the farm to the table, we know we have more work 
to do. That's why today I am taking new action on food safety to cut in 
half, over the next

[[Page 2591]]

5 years, the number of salmonella cases attributed to eggs. And our goal 
is to eliminate these cases entirely by 2010. This aggressive action 
plan permits egg producers and processors to choose between two 
strategies of safety. The first happens at the farm, where extensive 
tests and rigorous practices will help prevent infected eggs from ever 
reaching your local grocery. The second happens at the packing plant, 
where new technologies like in-shell pasteurization will help keep eggs 
safe and free of bacteria.
    I'm also announcing new steps to keep unsafe food imports outside 
our borders and out of our marketplace. We Americans are eating more 
imported food than ever, more than double the amount we consumed just 7 
years ago. It used to be that only a dozen fruits and vegetables were 
available year round. Now it's common to find as many as 400 varieties, 
whether in the heat of summer or the chill of winter. Now, we have no 
reason to believe imported food is any less safe than the food we grow 
at home. But after several outbreaks of illnesses were traced to 
imported food, I directed the Department of Treasury and the Department 
of Health and Human Services to take action against unsafe imported food 
and to better protect our consumers. Today they're responding with a 
comprehensive plan. It set forth steps to prevent so-called port 
shopping so unsafe food stopped at one port can't find another way into 
our country. Customs and the FDA will also stamp rejected food with a 
clear label--``The United States Refused''--and step up our policy of 
destroying imported food that poses a serious threat to people's health.
    Food safety is part of our citizens' basic contract with the 
Government. Any food that fails to meet clear and strict standards for 
safety should not make it to the marketplace; it's just that simple. 
With the actions we're taking today, our families can have the peace of 
mind they deserve every holiday season, and, indeed, every day of the 
year.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 6:35 p.m. on December 10 in classroom 
57 at the Earle Senior High School for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on 
December 11. The transcript was made available by the Office of the 
Press Secretary on December 10 but was embargoed for release until the 
broadcast.