Gaps need to be filled: House Agriculture Committee

Can the USDA wrest away produce safety oversight from FDA? Not likely, but the House Ag Committee wouldn't be opposed to it, based on the tenor of the meeting today. Witnesses were asked if they trusted the FDA more than USDA to create on farm standards - that's a politically untenable question, if there ever was one. From the House Agriculture Committee:


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to review Federal food safety systems. Food safety is a top priority in the Committee's oversight plan for the 111th Congress.

Witnesses at today's hearing included three former Federal food safety officials and several food companies that interact with Federal food safety agencies. This is the first of several hearings that the Agriculture Committee plans to hold this year to consider food safety issues.

"While it's true that our current food safety system and those entrusted to produce wholesome and safe products do a good job most of the time, it's clear that there are gaps in the system, and some modernization and improvements are needed," Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson said.

"As we examine food safety issues we should judge each proposal as to whether it contributes to or reduces the ability of our farmers and ranchers to provide our consumers with the safest, most affordable, most abundant food supply in the history of the world," said Ranking Member Frank Lucas.

Written testimony provided by the witnesses is available on the Committee website: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.
A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website at a later date.


Witness List
Panel I
. Mr. Chandler Keys, III, Head of Government and Industry Relations, JBS, LLC., Washington, D.C.
. Mr. David D. Dever, CEO and President, Pandol Brothers Incorporated, Delano, California . Mr. Tony DiMare, Vice President, DiMare Homestead, Inc., and DiMare Ruskin, Inc., Ruskin, Florida

Panel II
. John Hanlin, Ph.D., Vice President Food Safety, SUPERVALU INC., Eden Prairie, Minnesota
o Accompanied by Mr. Mike Erlandson, Vice President Government Affairs, SUPERVALU INC., Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Panel III
. Elsa Murano, Ph.D., President, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas . Michael Taylor, J.D., Research Professor, Department of Health Policy, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, D.C.
. Ms. Carol L. Tucker-Foreman, Distinguished Fellow, The Food Policy Institute, Consumer Federation of America, Chevy Chase, Maryland