Grab and Keel

Write these folks and tell them what you think! Go to their Senate website and drop them a line. Also, go the the FDA link below and comment:

September 29, 2008

Clinton Introduces Legislation Requiring Country of Origin Labels for Dairy Products

Joins Colleagues in Calling for Other Improvements to USDA’s Flawed Labeling Implementation

[WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) today introduced legislation to extend mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) to dairy products, providing consumers with information they need to avoid potentially dangerous products and helping American dairy farmers stand out in a crowded marketplace. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who like Senator Clinton represents a strong dairy state, backed the legislation as an original cosponsor. Both senators also joined a bipartisan coalition of their colleagues in urging the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to correct serious flaws in its COOL regulations governing a wide range of foods….]

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=303874&&

 

Boxer and Kennedy Release GAO Report Detailing Insufficient Efforts by FDA to Protect Fresh Produce Safety

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) today released a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concluding that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) lax efforts on fresh produce safety failed to prevent – and may have contributed to – recent outbreaks of food-borne illness. 

http://boxer.senate.gov/news/releases/record.cfm?id=303705

 

FDA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 18, 2008

Media Inquiries: 

Michael Herndon, 301-827-6242

Consumer Inquiries: 

888-INFO-FDA

FDA Proposes Label Requirements for Refused Imported Foods

Measure would further protect the nation’s food supply

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a proposed rule designed to reduce a practice known as “port shopping” which puts the safety of imported food at risk.

“This system will make it more difficult for food importers to evade import controls after being denied admission into the United States,” said Randall Lutter, Ph.D., deputy commissioner for policy. “It will complement our ongoing efforts to monitor food imports.”

When FDA refuses to admit a food into the United States, the food must be exported or destroyed. But some persons attempt to bring the refused food back into the United States in the same condition by shipping it to another U.S. port in hopes that the food will be admitted there.

The proposed regulation would require that shipping containers of food barred from entry, and any accompanying documents, be labeled as refused. The label would make it easier for FDA to detect previously-refused food.

The proposed rule implements a provision of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, which provided the FDA with new authority to protect the nation’s food supply.

Under the proposed rule, all owners or consignees of refused food would be required to affix a label to the shipping container that reads: “UNITED STATES: REFUSED ENTRY” in clear, conspicuous, print. A label would also have to be affixed to all documents accompanying the imported food such as invoices, bills of lading, and electronic documents.

The FDA will accept comment on the proposed regulation for 75 days following its publication in the Federal Register. Written comments may be submitted to: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=FDA-2007-N-0465

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01888.html

 

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