Salmonella in Peanut Butter?!

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 staff.

-- More inspections of food imports and mandatory certification to insure these foods meet US standards. 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. Currently FDA inspects US production facilities once every 10 years on average, and foreign facilities even less frequently.

-- 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, nursing homes and schools that might be selling or using recalled food like peanut butter, leaving consumers at a loss to protect themselves.

The recent salmonella outbreak in peanut butter has killed eight people and made over 500 ill, and the cases are still growing.

[Your Comments]

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]