DeLauro focuses on Raising Consumer Awareness in Effort to Address Foodborne Illnesses

Washington , D.C.  – In the first of a series of policy speeches, Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) delivered the following remarks at an event hosted by the Partnership for Food Safety Education.  During the event, the organization presented her with an award in recognition of her efforts on behalf of and in support of national food safety education programming. 

Over the next three weeks DeLauro will discuss the Food and Drug Administration’s commitment to protecting public health focusing on its ability to ensure the safety of our food supply and drugs and devices in a series of policy speeches at the Institute for International Research/ Pharmaceutical Marketing (Philadelphia, PA), the Consumer Federation of America (DC), the Food Law & Regulation Conference ( Chicago , IL ).  The speeches will culminate in a comprehensive address discussing the future of the FDA at George Washington University (DC) on October 3, 2007.

Below is the text of DeLauro’s remarks [as prepared for delivery].

“Thank you Bryan for that very generous and kind introduction. I am delighted to be here to help you celebrate the Partnership’s ten-year anniversary and to receive this very special award. What an honor.

“We are grateful Bryan for your ongoing leadership at the helm of this organization. Your work and collaboration with your colleagues have played a critical role in our fight to ensure a safe food supply. Shelley Feist, the Partnership’s Executive Director, thank you as well, for making all of this hard work possible.

“Secretary Johanns, thank you for your thoughtful remarks this morning. You and I – and so many others here today – have been working together to confront some of the most urgent challenges facing our nation’s food safety system.

“Dr. von Eschenbach, thank you as well for your words this morning. For a long time now, we have been in the trenches fighting to reform our food safety system. We have made progress. But we still have a long way to go and I look forward to continuing our partnership.      

“Not to mention the many producers, consumers, educators, scientists, and policy makers here who have made the Partnership for Food Safety Education the powerful organization it is today, just one decade after it began. I am proud to receive this honor and proud to stand with you.

“You are an impressive group: indeed the Partnership’s strength comes from its diverse membership – from the American Egg Board and the Food Marketing Institute to the School Nutrition Association and the Soap and Detergent Association.

“The partnership’s wide-ranging membership tells me two things: First, the subject of food safety concerns all Americans. It means something real and tangible to many more than just a small handful of government regulators or passionate activists. Clearly, we all have a stake in fixing today’s broken food safety system.

“And second, no one can make that fix alone. Government has an essential role to play, but we cannot solve these challenges by ourselves. We all have to come together to make real progress, and the Partnership shows us how. 

“No matter where we come from, where we work, or who we represent, I know we all agree: When the safety of the food we depend on is questined, the American people must be able to depend on the system responsible for protecting them. They must be educated and empowered with the best information available, in order to make the best decisions possible. This simple yet fundamental promise, creates the foundation of consumer confidence and basic safety that allows our communities and families to thrive.

“I know that philosophy drives much of your work. It also follows the common thread in much of what the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee tried to accomplish this summer. It was about our nation assuming responsibility again for the things we are supposed to get right. As Chair, I fought for a back-to-basics budget that helps us meet our obligations, as members of Congress, and as a nation.

“As you know, this was a tight budget year and with virtually no new earmarks, it was difficult to target funds for the Partnership specifically. But we did provide $2 million for food safety education. That represents a significant investment in educating our children and their families -- in conducting further research into the causes of foodborne illness in schools using CDC data and supporting educational initiatives on the occurrence of foodborne norovirus outbreaks in schools and other food safety education activities.

“Education is a daunting task and a big responsibility -- a shared responsibility. To be sure laws must be updated and enforcement must be more vigilant -- but when it comes to food safety, the true front lines in our battle against foodborne illness, are the individual consumers making individual decisions about how he or she handles food. And the best weapon we can provide is knowledge.

“No one does that better than the Partnership. And I am certain that over the next ten years, you will continue to extend your reach as the national standard bearer for increased awareness, quality information, and better policy -- improving the science and practice of food safety education.

“We need that progress and investment now more than ever:

“The Economic Research Service estimates that costs from five leading bacterial foodborne pathogens including E Coli, Salmonella, and Listeria were nearly $7 billion in lost productivity, hospitalization, long-term disability, and even death. And the FDA estimates that two to three percent of all foodborne illnesses lead to secondary long-term illnesses from kidney failure to meningitis.

“Consumer confidence has declined just as recent E.Coli and salmonella outbreaks from domestic products like spinach and peanut butter illuminate a food safety system hobbled, in my view, by inadequate authority, a fragmented organizational structure, and insufficient resources. I fear that public health too often takes a back seat to public relations. Trade should not trump public health.

“When our public health and our national economy are at serious risk, the American people need and deserve an immediate, careful, and comprehensive response from their government. And we need to fix our food safety system. We need information and accountability, and we cannot afford to wait any longer.

“I look forward to continuing our work together. I could not ask for better collaborators than the committed members of the Partnership for Food Safety Education.  Thank you very much for this honor and congratulations to all of you on ten great years.”

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