DELAURO: SPINACH RECALL HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO FUND NEW FOOD SAFETY LAW

DELAURO: SPINACH RECALL HIGHLIGHTS NEED TO FUND NEW FOOD SAFETY LAW

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement today in response to the recall of various salad products produced by State Garden of Chelsea, Massachusetts, including spinach, arugula, and pre-packaged mixes due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

These products were sold under various names, such as Gold Quality, Hannaford, Natures Place, Natures Promise, Roche Bros, Northeast Fresh, Noreast Fresh, Olivia’s Organics, Signature, Wegmans, and sold at retailers such as Giant, Stop & Shop, Shaw’s, Roche Brothers, and Wegmans.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause deadly infections in young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. It has also been known to cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women. Currently, no illnesses have been associated with this recall.

“This latest recall should serve as a stark reminder that we must resist efforts to cut funding of the new FDA food safety law. If the FDA does not possess the adequate resources to implement the new law, it will not be able to better prevent food-borne illness outbreaks through increased inspection rates for high risk facilities and improved food-borne illness surveillance activities. The massive spinach recall in 2006, not only resulted in three deaths and sickened over 200 people across the country, but also caused significant harm to the produce industry, from which the industry has yet to recover. Future outbreaks like this will further threaten American consumers and farmers and unless we make it a top priority to fully fund the new FDA food safety law.”

USDA Acting Under Secretary Michael Scuse Leads Agriculture Trade and Investment Mission to Peru

USDA Acting Under Secretary Michael Scuse Leads Agriculture Trade and Investment Mission to Peru
20 U.S. Companies Aim To Form Business Ties and Joint Ventures


WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2011 –USDA’s Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse will lead 20 U.S. companies on an Agribusiness Trade and Investment Mission to Lima, Peru, Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 2011, to meet with 150 Peruvian and Ecuadorian entrepreneurs and buyers to develop business ties and explore opportunities for joint ventures. This trade mission meets one of the strategic priorities of President Obama’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports in five years.
“Peru and Ecuador are important U.S. trade partners,” said Scuse. “Both countries have experienced a decade of political, social and economic change that has created a dynamic environment for economic growth. Both are keen on expanding trade and investment with the United States, as well as with other Pacific-Rim countries through the Trans-Pacific Partnership to which the United States is a party. This mission provides an excellent opportunity for U.S. agribusinesses to make contacts, exchange information, and sign sales agreements.”
The U.S. companies on the mission are both large and small, representing the full range of food and agricultural products from bulk commodities to consumer-ready food products, as well as transportation and logistics providers, agricultural equipment suppliers, and clean energy manufacturers. These U.S. companies will meet face-to-face with Peruvian and Ecuadorian producers, importers, buyers, distributors, and investors to develop trade relationships, propose joint activities, and learn best practices for working with one another.
Since full implementation of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement in February 2009, two-way agricultural, fish and forest trade has grown from $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2009 to $1.8 billion in fiscal 2010—a jump of 31 percent. U.S. exports of agricultural, fish, and forest products alone expanded by 70 percent during this period. Two-way agricultural, fish and forest trade with Ecuador has remained relatively steady at $1.8 billion in fiscal 2010 compared to $1.7 billion in fiscal 2009.