NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Energy and Commerce Leaders Release New Food & Drug Import Safety Proposal

Draft Legislation Tackles Problem of Tainted Imports, Creates Registry of Food and Drug Importers

Washington, D.C. – Reps. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Frank Pallone, Jr., Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and Bart Stupak, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, today released draft legislation designed to ensure the safety of food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics.

The discussion draft builds upon H.R. 3610, the “Food and Drug Import Safety Act of 2007 (Rep. Dingell), H.R. 3624 (Rep. Pallone), H.R. 3115 (Rep. Stupak), and H.R. 3484 (Rep. DeGette) and the findings from investigations conducted by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, the report of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Science Board’s Subcommittee on Science and Technology, the Administration’s Food Protection Plan and Import Safety Plan, and input from key stakeholders.

“By strengthening protections against tainted imports and boosting FDA resources, this bill will help assure Americans that the food on their tables and the medicine in their cabinets is safe,” said Dingell. “I look forward to working with my colleagues, including Rep. Joe Barton, to swiftly move this legislation through the Committee.”

"This discussion draft outlines strong and comprehensive changes to the way our food is inspected so that we can ensure that it is safe when it's placed on the kitchen table," Pallone said. "In order to address both domestic and international food inspection, the draft incorporates large parts of my Consumer Food Safety Act that requires all domestic food facilities to register annually with the FDA and provides for better oversight of these facilities. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues on the draft and hope that we can move this through subcommittee soon."

“This latest draft addresses many of the problems we have identified through our oversight and investigations,” said Stupak. “We have held 11 hearings in the past 16 months on the safety of imported food, drugs and medical devices and we plan to hold two more this month. I look forward to working with Chairmen Dingell and Pallone and my colleagues on the committee to advance this legislation. We hear every week of additional recalls. Our legislation will provide the resources and regulations necessary to protect American families from the unsafe food and drugs pouring into this country from China and elsewhere.”

Read the Chairmen's April 17, 2008, memorandum »

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