Fw: DELAURO STATEMENT ON EXPANDED NATIONAL SHELL EGG RECALL

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From: "Brennan, Kevin (DeLauro)" <kbrennan@mail.house.gov>

Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:27:23 -0500

To: Brennan, Kevin (DeLauro)<kbrennan@mail.house.gov>

Subject: DELAURO STATEMENT ON EXPANDED NATIONAL SHELL EGG RECALL

 

 

 

 

               

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                                            CONTACT: Kevin Brennan

August 20, 2010                                                                                                                                                                                                                       (202) 225-3661

 

DELAURO STATEMENT ON EXPANDED

NATIONAL SHELL EGG RECALL

 

New Haven, CT –Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) today issued the following statement in response to the expanded national shell egg recall due to concerns about salmonella contamination.

 

 "This urgent nationwide recall is very disturbing, not only because it appears to have been preventable, but it also may have been the result of an inefficient and unresponsive food safety system.  Given the split jurisdiction between FDA and USDA over ensuring the safety of eggs, I fear the investigation and subsequent recall may have been delayed as FDA traced the source of the contamination.

 

"Because USDA is responsible for egg safety at processing plants, it is troubling that FDA is the lead agency in this investigation even though it has never inspected the Wright County Egg facility.  Instead of reinforcing each other's work, the current food safety system of split jurisdiction appears to have resulted in a disjointed inspection process.

 

"It has never been more clear that Congress needs to pass FDA food safety legislation this year that will increase inspections at high-risk facilities, establish performance standards for reducing food-borne pathogens, and grant FDA mandatory recall authority.  This bill, combined with the FDA egg safety rule that went into effect July 9, could have prevented or minimized this Salmonella outbreak. 

 

"In the long-term, we must create a single food safety agency that consolidates the work that is currently splintered across 15 federal agencies.  One agency focused exclusively on protecting our food supply would prevent jurisdictional confusion, result in an efficient and responsive food safety system, and diminish the potential for future outbreaks such as this one."

 

 

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DeLauro.House.Gov

 

 

J. Kevin Brennan

Chief of Staff

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

2413 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

202-225-3661 telephone

202-225-4890 fax

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