May, 1999
Bill would require annual inspection of fruit, vegetable plants
A Democratic senator has introduced a bill that would require the Food and Drug Administration to annually inspect U.S. fruit and vegetable processing plants and hold imports to the same requirements.
The proposed legislation is the latest in a series of food safety measures in Congress intended to reduce U.S. illnesses and deaths linked to contaminated meat, fruits, vegetables, milk and other foods.
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin introduced the bill in mid-April requiring annual inspections and would hold foreign imports to the same requirements for clean rinse water, adequate bathrooms for employees and control of rats and insects where produce is stored.
Although most fresh and ready-to-eat produce is considered safe, health experts have documented at least 40 outbreaks of U.S. illnesses linked to fruits and vegetables since 1990. In March, 72 people in Nebraska were sickened by iceberg lettuce contaminated with a deadly strain of the E. coli bacteria. In February, 13 Florida residents fell ill from salmonella-tainted mamey, a tropical fruit.
Currently, the FDA has only enough inspectors to check about 2% of U.S. food processing plants. That is in sharp contrast to the more generously-funded U.S. Agriculture Department, which performs daily inspections at all American meat and poultry plants.
"We're going to have to step up to the plate and fund additional resources for the FDA," Harkin said. "This (bill) might help really put the pressure on appropriations committees."
The Clinton administration has asked Congress for $30 million more for the FDA's food safety budget for fiscal 2000, which begins in October. But consumer groups say that still is not enough to adequately fund FDA food plant inspections.
John McClung of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association said the group doesn’t oppose reasonable, sound efforts to address problem areas.
"We are not convinced that this legislation is necessary in all of its components to do that. With produce, there are hundreds and hundreds of little suppliers in various countries, unlike the meat industry, which has a relatively small number of players."
The FDA recently launched a project to collect 1,000 samples of imported broccoli, strawberries, cantaloupe, and leafy greens to establish a baseline indication of how many imports are contaminated. The agency is checking for E. coli, salmonella and other foodborne diseases. Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, is also preparing a bill that would create deterrents for importing contaminated fruits and vegetables.
