Tainted Tomatoes? Enough is Enough

As the House and the Senate are considering fixes to our broken food safety system, I urge you to make sure that the fixes are as strong as possible. We shouldn't be afraid that the food we buy each day may sicken or even kill us.

Any food safety legislation that Congress passes should contain the following provisions:

-- Traceability system for high-risk produce and production and handling standards.

-- Sufficient funding so the FDA can do its job and fulfill its safety mission. Since 2004 the agency has lost nearly a third of its food safety and field staffers, and many more are expected to retire soon.

-- More inspections of food imports. Currently less than 1 percent of food is inspected by the FDA, that's clearly not enough.

-- Regular, mandatory FDA inspection of all food production facilities, both foreign and domestic. Mandatory certification by independent certifiers that processing facilities are following FDA-approved safe handling procedures.

-- Labeling of new and controversial food technologies on our shelves, such as cloned food, genetically engineered food and nanotech ingredients. Consumers should be allowed to make informed choices when they're buying food for their families.

-- Mandatory recall authority for FDA and mandatory identification of outlets that sell recalled food. There is no federal requirement to publicize the names of grocery stores, restaurants, and schools that might be selling or using recalled food, leaving consumers at a loss to protect themselves.

The recent salmonella outbreak in tomatoes has put at least 43 people in the hospital, and the cases are still growing.

Mealtime should not be a game of chance. Please enact strong food safety legislation as soon as possible that includes the protections outlined above. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]