LAWMAKERS CHIDE USDA ON FOOD SAFETY & BEEF RECALLS

News Date March 10, 2008

       The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a hearing on March 6 to review the proposed FY09 budget for USDA, but lawmakers primarily voiced concerns about food safety and USDA's actions on the recent beef recall from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company. USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Richard Raymond testified at the hearing. 
       Subcommittee Chairman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and other panel democrats expressed frustration and concern about Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) testing programs for E. coli and retail information from the beef recall. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) pressed USDA to release information and a list of retailers who purchased meat products that were later recalled. Dr. Raymond responded that he would have to check to see if the list was "proprietary information" to which Hinchey replied that it was information which concerned the safety of the American public and if the information was not released in the next week, the agency would receive more pressure from the subcommittee. 
       DeLauro also pushed USDA to explain delays to implement new rules that would allow public disclosure of retail establishments that purchase recalled products. She said the delays were a sign of the agencies "favoring private entities over public safety and national interest." During the contentious hearing, DeLauro also questioned the lack of USDA data on E. coli to implement additional risk-based inspections at slaughter facilities. Raymond said the reports were collected from plants around the nation, and he believes they were a good representation of figures nationwide. (Contact: Charlie Ingram or Carissa Wilhelm)