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Del.icio.us  Digg  facebook  MySpace  Twitter  Google  Bookmark Me  LinkedIn  StumbleUpon  Permalink   Could egg recalls spur renewed food safety debate? Lawmakers investigating outbreak Martin Ross  Published: Sep 3, 2010 Livestock interests fear concerns over a few corporate bad eggs could break bad for the industry as a whole. In the wake of a 22-state Salmonella enteriditis outbreak, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee has asked Iowa’s Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms -- the egg companies linked to the outbreak -- to submit documents regarding safety practices dating back more than five years. Wright County Egg has announced recalls of 380 million-plus eggs since Aug. 13, while Hillandale Farms issued a 170 million-egg recall on Aug. 19. The egg controversy reportedly could move food safety legislation ahead on the fall Senate agenda, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) under increased pressure to bring it to the floor for a September vote. The House recently passed its FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, but Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who chairs the House Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/USDA appropriations subcommittee and supports a single federal food safety agency, is now seeking information about the outbreak from the agencies. Rep. Bart Stupak’s (D-Mich.) Energy/Commerce oversight subcommittee has scheduled a Sept. 14 hearing focusing on the egg incident. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) policy calls for immediate action by USDA and FDA to raise the priority of and resources for federal safety/inspection services, but AFBF has not yet taken a position on the Senate bill. While House and Senate bills focus on FDA jurisdiction, livestock groups including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) are concerned largely about the debate’s impact on future USDA Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) legislation. “If, in fact, the salmonella were the result of chicken feed contamination, that would be a concern,” NPPC spokesman Dave Warner told FarmWeek. “FDA does get to regulate feed, so if you grind your own feed on your farm, FDA could be able to regulate that a little more. “And while (current legislation) doesn’t affect us directly, if (lawmakers) do FSIS reform, they may try to do some of the same things. One of the things here that would be likely to carry over into FSIS reform is mandatory recall. We’ve had a voluntary recall system; it has worked. I think it’s worked in this case.” Under Springfield Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin’s food safety proposal, FDA would have mandatory recall authority if a company refused to voluntarily recall a product for which “there is a reasonable probability” of contamination or an undeclared food allergen and product would consumption could cause “serious adverse health consequences or death.” The House proposes a two-tiered recall system. FDA could order voluntary recall of a suspect product subject to an informal hearing within five days, or could issue an emergency recall if it has “credible evidence” it poses an imminent threat of serious illness or death, with a hearing scheduled within five days after the product is withdrawn. Both Senate and House bills would allow FDA to assess recall fees -- the Senate against companies that refuse to comply with a mandatory order, the House against all companies subject to a recall. Permalink: Click here Comments Read comments from others and share your own thoughts. Please provide the answer to the following question:  =

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