Statement of
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Ranking Democrat

Hearing to Examine Food Safety Issues

Senate Agriculture Committee

October 7, 1997

Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to be here with you and the rest of the Committee today to examine the critical issue of meat and poultry safety. This hearing will serve as an excellent starting point for our efforts to raise the standard of food safety in this country. I am very pleased that you and I will be working closely to develop a comprehensive legislative package on food safety. We have an excellent panel of witnesses before the Committee, including the Secretary of Agriculture and the newly confirmed Undersecretary for Food Safety. Working together with producers, industry, consumer advocates, and USDA we can accomplish the very important task before us.

This Committee is fond of telling Americans about the abundance and safety of our food supply. We do have an amazing food production and distribution system...the safest in the world. But food production is different today than 90 years ago and we should not rest on past laurels and assume that we cannot improve the system. One sick person, is one too many.

Americans demand that we do more to prevent food-borne contamination and to stop it in its tracks once an outbreak has been identified. They want to know that the food they serve on their tables meets the highest possible safety standards. Farmers and ranchers expect us to do more to protect consumer confidence in the wholesome products they produce, and we must protect our export markets from other countries who would use the fear of food-borne illnesses as an excuse to erect non-tariff trade barriers.

Yesterday Senators Leahy, Daschle, Johnson and I introduced legislation, developed in cooperation with the Secretary of Agriculture, designed to strengthen enforcement of food safety laws and preserve consumer confidence in the safety of the food they eat.

The legislation would require processors and handlers to notify the USDA of the existence of adulterated meat and poultry products, allow the Secretary to recall adulterated products, and give him the ability to levy civil penalties against any processor found in violation of meat inspection laws.

These new powers just make common sense. Currently the Secretary has the authority to level civil penalties to protect elephants and pecan promotion programs, but not to protect the health and safety of American consumers.

I view this bill as the beginning of a process to identify needs in the meat and poultry food chain that can lead to enhanced public safety. Real food safety cannot be achieved by any single method. We need multiple defenses, using each to their maximum potential.

We have a big job ahead of us, and a difficult one at that. These food-borne pathogens, E. coli, Salmonella and others have proven formidable opponents. Defeating these pests will require a combination of research, regulation, monitoring, education and other strategies to prevent further illnesses.

I am especially interested electronic pasteurization as an extra check on food-borne pathogens. I would encourage the FDA to expedite approval of this new technology for all meat products. While this technology is not a silver bullet, and will only be successful in combination with other regulatory and educational approaches, I believe its use could result in a considerable improvement in food safety overall. We are also currently making progress toward improving food safety with the new Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) meat inspection system which will begin to go into effect in 1998. We need to get this system in place and inspectors trained as fast and thoroughly as possible.

The events of the past few months underscore the need to do more protect the safety of our food supply. We cannot wait around until the next fatal food-borne illness outbreak. We have to act proactively and decisively. Senator Lugar and I will work closely over the coming months with consumer advocates, producers and industry to develop a sensible and comprehensive legislative package.

Today, I look forward to a vigorous discussion of the critical issues facing our meat and poultry safety system.