DeLauro - FDA hopelessly out of touch

Just slid across the inbox, from Rep. Rosa DeLauro:

New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), chairwoman of the Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement amid reports that jalapenos, which have been connected to the recent Salmonella outbreak that sickened 1,400 people, have been a source of repeated problems. In fact peppers and chilies were the top Mexican crop rejected by border inspectors for the last year.

These recent revelations regarding the salmonella investigation will be raised during a food safety oversight hearing to be held by the Agriculture –FDA Appropriations Subcommittee when Congress returns in September. The hearing will also analyze the critical components that are necessary for an effective food safety system.

“Through the course of this salmonella outbreak and subsequent investigation, we continue to witness the systemic problems within the FDA that causes the agency to ignore crucial evidence that could have minimized or prevented this particular outbreak. We have seen the same issues arise in previous food-borne illness outbreaks, and it demonstrates that the FDA lacks the agility to anticipate and adeptly respond to incidents, and it fails to follow-through when presented with critical findings.

“Based on this recent information involving pepper shipments from Mexico being rejected at the border, the agency's leadership appears to lack accountability and is hopelessly out-of-touch. Despite the pepper shipments being repeatedly sent back because of filth and disease and dried peppers being included in a 2006 list of high-risk foods deserving greater attention, the FDA just last week indicated that peppers are not typically problematic. Since the start of 2008, ten percent of the 88 shipments turned away were contaminated with salmonella and eight percent of the 158 intercepted shipments had salmonella. Instead of acting on this information, the FDA chose to ignore it.

“This outbreak reinforces why we must urgently reform our food safety system to include traceback procedures, cooperative arrangements between public health officials, and mandatory recall authority, with the ultimate goal of creating a single food safety agency.”