Senators call for better food regulation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. food and health regulators should set up a joint task force to study recent outbreaks of food poisoning and decide if better coordination is needed, several Democratic senators said on Tuesday.
Their letter adds to a growing clamor from Congress and the industry for reorganization of food safety efforts to deal with outbreaks that sicken millions of Americans every year.
"We urge your agencies to convene a multi-agency task force and develop recommendations on how to effectively address the problem of foodborne illness associated with fresh produce," the senators write in their letter, addressed to the heads of the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The senators -- Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton of New York -- said they want the task force to report to Congress on what has caused the most recent outbreaks and recommend changes in laws and regulations.
According to the CDC and USDA, food poisoning sickens 76 million people every year in the United States, sends 325,000 to the hospital, and kills 5,000.
Meat is usually the culprit and many illnesses occur due to home hygiene problems, but recent outbreaks of E. coli 0157:H7 bacteria in fresh vegetables have made headlines -- in October, three people died and more than 200 became ill from contaminated bagged spinach. In an ongoing outbreak 67 people have been officially reported to the CDC as infected with E. coli after eating at Taco Bell restaurants in five states.
The senators said they had been told 169 people were sick. The CDC said eight had life-threatening kidney failure.Taco Bell, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., pulled green onions from all of its U.S. restaurants last week after preliminary tests showed three samples tested positive for the E. coli 0157:H7 strain.
"A sample of chopped yellow onions collected on December 4 from an open bin in a Taco Bell restaurant in Nassau County, New York tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. This strain has a 'DNA fingerprint' pattern that is different from that of the outbreak strain," the CDC said in a statement.
Consumer advocates have been pressing for Congress to legislate more clout for federal regulators, who must team up delicately with state health officials, private companies and one another on investigations into foodborne illness.
"If the produce people were smart I think they would go to Congress and support a bill that would give FDA both the authority and resources to establish an inspection system. If they don't do that then their industry is at risk," said Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America.
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Private industry may support this, said Malcolm Knapp, president of restaurant research firm Malcolm M. Knapp Inc.
"This is one of those really unusual situations where business in fact wants regulation and a way to reassure the public that things are in good shape," said Knapp.
"This could be a catalyst for having much much better federal inspection."
The National Restaurant Association formed a committee after the October E. coli outbreaks to outline appropriate field sanitation, water testing procedures and employee training measures by the beginning of next year, according to the group's Donna Garren.
"We understand this is a very urgent matter and we need to expedite results quite quickly so we are giving the appropriate information to our members," Garren said.
(With additional reporting by Chuck Abbott and Christopher Doering in Washington and Nichola Groom in Los Angeles)
Taco Bell, a unit of Yum Brands Inc., pulled green onions from all of its U.S. restaurants last week after preliminary tests showed three samples tested positive for the E. coli 0157:H7 strain.
"A sample of chopped yellow onions collected on December 4 from an open bin in a Taco Bell restaurant in Nassau County, New York tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. This strain has a 'DNA fingerprint' pattern that is different from that of the outbreak strain," the CDC said in a statement.
Consumer advocates have been pressing for Congress to legislate more clout for federal regulators, who must team up delicately with state health officials, private companies and one another on investigations into foodborne illness.
"If the produce people were smart I think they would go to Congress and support a bill that would give FDA both the authority and resources to establish an inspection system. If they don't do that then their industry is at risk," said Carol Tucker Foreman of the Consumer Federation of America.
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Private industry may support this, said Malcolm Knapp, president of restaurant research firm Malcolm M. Knapp Inc.
"This is one of those really unusual situations where business in fact wants regulation and a way to reassure the public that things are in good shape," said Knapp.
"This could be a catalyst for having much much better federal inspection."
The National Restaurant Association formed a committee after the October E. coli outbreaks to outline appropriate field sanitation, water testing procedures and employee training measures by the beginning of next year, according to the group's Donna Garren.
"We understand this is a very urgent matter and we need to expedite results quite quickly so we are giving the appropriate information to our members," Garren said.
(With additional reporting by Chuck Abbott and Christopher Doering in Washington and Nichola Groom in Los Angeles)
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved
Perhaps Bill Kearny needs to make a campaign contribution to these guys!
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