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Food Safety

Recent cases of botulism in baby food, salmonella in peanut butter and e.coli in spinach are all signs of a disturbing trend. However, this is not merely a health issue; it is an issue of national security. Imported food could be tainted with biological or chemical agents before entering the United States or toxins could be introduced at a domestic food processing plant. By the time anyone begins to feel the effects of these toxins, this food could have reached thousands of people across the country, resulting in serious illness and even death. Further, attacks that do not directly affect human health could still cause panic, undermine the economy, and curb American trade for years to come.

While the number of cases of food borne illness has more than doubled in the last five years, the Bush Administration has drastically reduced the resources for addressing food safety issues. The budget for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has been cut from $48 million to $25 million in just three years. Also, annual inspections of domestic food processing plants dropped 25 percent since 2005.

As recent events have shown, the FDA’s ability to protect our food supply and protect the American people from food borne illness may be compromised. If the FDA is incapable of defending our food supply from viruses, one must wonder how prepared the FDA is to secure our food supply in the event of a terrorist attack. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have been working with Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell to investigate into the adequacy of the FDA’s efforts to protect our nation’s food supply.