Food Safety

Rep. Waxman and other members of Congress have been seeking information on the safety of the U.S. food supply, including the federal government’s handling of recent outbreaks involving E. coli 0157:H7 and Listeria and the recent case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”).

Latest News

Committee Releases GAO Report on CDC Budget

Chairman Waxman releases a new GAO report, which examines how spending at CDC changed between 2003 and 2006, following the 2005 administrative restructuring of the agency. Among the report’s findings is the fact that spending at the division level, where most funds go to pay for public health projects, declined faster than at the leadership and management levels.

Committee Releases Report “FDA and Fresh Spinach Safety”

The Committee released a report that found significant lapses in the FDA’s current inspection regime for packaged fresh spinach, which is the agency’s primary means of ensuring the safety of such products.

Waxman and Kennedy Request GAO Examination of FDA Resource Shortfalls

Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy wrote to Comptroller General of the United States David Walker requesting an examination of the staffing, information technology, and other resources necessary for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to successfully carry out its oversight of foods, drugs, biologics, and medical devices.

Chairman Waxman Seeks Documents Related to a Recent Outbreak of Salmonella in Peanut Butter

As a response to a recent outbreak of Salmonella in peanut butter, Chairman Waxman wrote to FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach asking for documents and information relevant to the outbreak. The Committee is concerned because FDA’s recall extension to 2004 suggests that contaminated products may have been sold to consumers before, during, and after an FDA inspection. Also, the Con Agra plant involved in the outbreak has been inspected with no enforcement action after finding violations.

Committee Raises Questions on FDA Food Safety Efforts

The Oversight Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture request information from the Food and Drug Administration related to food safety funding, food safety inspections, current guidelines and standards, and current enforcement efforts.

Senior Democrats Urge USDA to Protect Americans from Contaminated Chicken

Reps. Waxman and DeLauro today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to set a federal standard for detecting campylobacter, a bacteria found in raw chicken that causes foodborne disease.

Weaknesses in FDA's Food Safety System

Rep. Waxman releases a fact sheet explaining that the growing incidence of contamination in fresh produce is a symptom of weaknesses in the federal food safety system.

Prescription for Harm: The Decline in FDA Enforcement Activity

A new report by Rep. Henry A. Waxman examines how the Bush Administration has carried out FDA’s historic enforcement responsibilities. The report is the result of a 15-month investigation that included a review of thousands of pages of internal agency enforcement records. It finds that there has been a precipitous drop in FDA enforcement actions over the last five years.

Rep. Waxman's Statement on the United States' Second Confirmed Case of Mad Cow Disease

Rep. Waxman comments on the second case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in the United States.

New Evidence Raises Questions About Cattle Imports from Canada

Rep. Waxman and Sen. Conrad ask Agriculture nominee Michael Johanns to reconsider the decision to allow cattle imports from Canada in light of new information that cattle feed in Canada may be contaminated with animal protein, risking the spread of “mad cow disease.”

IG Audit Finds Multiple Flaws in Mad Cow Surveillance Plan

Rep. Waxman raises questions about the effectiveness and credibility of USDA's response to mad cow disease, citing an audit by the USDA Inspector General that finds systemic deficiencies in the Department's surveillance plan and new evidence that USDA misled the public in the wake of the detection of an infected cow in Washington State.

Failure To Test Staggering Cow May Reflect Wider Problems

Rep. Waxman raises concerns that the recent failure of USDA to test an impaired cow for BSE may not be an isolated incident, citing the failure of USDA to monitor whether cows condemned for central nervous system symptoms are actually tested for mad cow disease.

Support for California Oyster Ban

Rep. Waxman urges Governor Schwarzenegger to maintain a life-saving ban on the summer sale of raw Gulf Coast Oysters.

Washington State "Mad Cow" Walked on Day of Slaughter

Reps. Waxman and Tom Davis release eyewitness statements that the cow infected with BSE was not a “downer” cow, as has been claimed – calling into question USDA’s surveillance program for mad cow disease and the agency's credibility.

California's Raw Oyster Regulation Saves Lives

Senator Boxer and Rep. Waxman urge the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference not to sanction California for its recent emergency regulation that protects consumers from potentially deadly raw Gulf Coast oysters.

FDA Plan to Lower Food Health Claim Standards

Sen. Boxer, Sen. Bingaman, Rep. Waxman, Rep. Markey, and Rep. Price protest an FDA plan to lower the scientific standards for agency approval of food health claims.

USDA and OMB Asked About Influence of Meat Processing Industry on Listeria Testing

Rep. Waxman writes to USDA Secretary Veneman and OMB Director Daniels to seek information about whether the meat processing industry may have inappropriately influenced the development of USDA's directive on testing for Listeria contamination.

Company Asked to Explain Handling of E. coli Test Results

In a letter to Swift & Company, formerly ConAgra, Rep. Waxman, along with Sen. Durbin, Rep. DeLauro, Rep. Kaptur, Rep. Brown, and Rep. DeGette ask the company to explain who knew about key results before the outbreak began last summer

Company Knew of Contamination Before Outbreak

Rep. Waxman, along with Sen. Durbin, Rep. DeLauro, Rep. Kaptur, and Rep. Brown, reveal that ConAgra Beef Company knew its meat was testing positive for the deadly bacteria E. coli O157:H7 weeks before last summer's outbreak.

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