US House of Representatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    Contact: Adriana Surfas
Thursday, February 21, 2008                         (202) 225-3661    

Consumers Should Not Be Kept in Dark About Potentially Contaminated Food

New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), chairwoman of the House Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee, urged Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer to issue an emergency rule that would allow the USDA to release the retailers selling beef products included in the historic 143 million pound recall of from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chino, California, as well as the school districts that received the recalled beef products.  

“The USDA’s refusal to identify the retail outlets involved in this latest recall is yet another example of this Administration’s interest in protecting industry at the expense of the public health.  The Administration should issue an emergency rule that would list all of the retail consignees and school districts associated with the historic 143 million pound recall of beef products from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chino , California ,” said DeLauro. “It is critical that this important information be to better protect consumers from potentially contaminated foods.” 

Below is the full text of the letter.

 

                                                            February 20, 2008

 

 

The Honorable Ed Schafer

Secretary of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture

Room 200-A, Jamie L. Whitten Building

12th Street & Jefferson Drive, SW

Washington , DC 20250-0002

 

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I strongly urge you to pursue an emergency rule that would list all of the retail consignees associated with the historic 143 million pound recall of beef products from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chino , California .  As part of this emergency rule, I also strongly urge you to release the school districts that received beef products that were subjected to the recall.  These products reached consumers and school districts through wholesalers who provided the beef products to other companies for processing, so it is critical that this information be made available. 

Subsequent to USDA’s recall announcement, no clear information has been made available on the products involved and this has resulted in consumer confusion about whether they, or their local school district, purchased products subject to the recall.  While there have been sporadic reports that identify school districts, stores and restaurant chains that have received the recalled products, this information is incomplete, which only exacerbates the confusion.

An especially frustrating aspect of this situation is the proposed rule pending before the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) that would permit the agency to list retail consignees on its recall press releases.  Unfortunately, this proposed rule has been delayed for far too long – it was issued on March 7, 2006 and the comment period for it closed on June 11, 2006.  Despite repeated inquiries from Congress about its status, it is always explained to us that it is under departmental review.  As you know, this proposed rule is supported by Dr. Richard Raymond, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety.  After almost two years of departmental review, it is time to allow this proposed rule to move forward, and I urge you to work with your colleagues in the Administration to make this happen.   

An emergency rule that would list all of the retail consignees and the school districts involved in the Hallmark/Westland beef recall is warranted given that this is the largest meat recall in U.S. history.  Also, I am convinced that had the proposed rule on retail consignees had been in effect during this recall, clearer information would have been available to consumers about the products subjected to the recall.  I strongly urge you to proceed with both measures in order to better protect consumers from potentially contaminated foods. 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

                                                           

ROSA L. DeLAURO

                                                            Chairwoman

                                                            House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture

                                                            Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration,

                                                            and Related Agencies

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www.house.gov/delauro