The post CFA Asks USDA to Consider Stricter Limits on Salmonella in Frozen, Breaded Chicken Products appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks Congress to Give FDA Authority to Address Infant Formula and Other Food Safety Hazards appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Tells USDA to Follow Through on Salmonella in Poultry Reforms appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks Congressional Leaders to Fully Fund Food Safety appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Joins Industry, State Regulators in Support of Food Safety Inspection Frequency Mandate appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Opposes Latest Bill to Deregulate Meat and Poultry Inspection appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The Safe Food Coalition comments urge USDA FSIS to implement the new testing protocol by December 1^st, 2020 (180 days from the date of the agency’s Notice), and to revise guidance to industry and directives to inspection personnel to clarify meatpackers’ obligations to test for and otherwise prevent non-O157 STEC contamination.

The post Safe Food Coalition Supports Plans to Expand Pathogen Testing In Meat and Poultry, Urges Action appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Tells Congress to Oppose Dangerous Deregulation of Meat and Poultry Inspection appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks USDA for Action to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 in Meat and Poultry Plants, Halt to Line Speed Waivers appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Applauds USDA Action on Salmonella in Ground Beef, Urges Agency to Adopt Tougher Standards appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Titled the Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2019, the bill would give FDA the authority to conduct microbiological sampling on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) so that foodborne illness outbreak investigators can trace back the source of pathogens like the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria linked to Romaine lettuce produced in the Yuma growing region, which killed five people last year. Congresswoman DeLauro, chair of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus, is expected to introduce a companion bill in the House later this year.

Members of the Safe Food Coalition welcomed the introduction of the bill. Under current law, federal authorities need permission to enter the premises of a CAFO to conduct sampling in connection with a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. This limitation came to the forefront during last year’s Yuma Romaine lettuce E. coli O157:H7 outbreak. Samples taken from canal water in the area suggested that the source of the outbreak may have been a large concentrated animal feeding operation in the area. Investigators were permitted to take only limited samples on the operation and were not able to identify the outbreak strain among these.

“It is outrageous to think that a multi-million dollar company would be allowed to obstruct a foodborne illness outbreak investigation. A safe food supply is founded upon transparency and accountability,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy for the Consumer Federation of America. “The Expanded Food Safety Investigation Act of 2019 gives food safety regulators the power they need to protect consumers, and puts public health ahead of industry profits.”

“Farm animals carry germs that can contaminate not just our meat and poultry, but also the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat,” said Sarah Sorscher, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Tracing outbreaks back to the farm and understanding how these pathogens move through the food system is ultimately the key to preventing future outbreaks.”

Each year, nearly one in six Americans are sickened, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die as a result of foodborne illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC). CAFOs contribute to this disease burden both by contaminating nearby produce fields, and by spreading virulent, antibiotic resistant “superbugs” directly to consumers of meat and poultry products.

“Last year’s romaine lettuce outbreak made it clear FDA investigators need the authority to follow the clues in a foodborne illness outbreak wherever they lead,” said Dylan Robb, Consumer Watchdog Associate at US PIRG. “We applaud Sen. Gillibrand for introducing the commonsense Expanded Food Safety Inspection Act of 2019, which will enable the FDA to better protect Americans health from contaminated food.”

In the summer of 2015, an antibiotic resistant strain of Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- linked to pork sickened 192 people in five states, sending 30 to the hospital. Yet when epidemiologists sought to gain access to the CAFOs that had supplied the slaughterhouse at the center of the outbreak, they were turned away. “This bill will help to ensure that does not happen again,” said Jaydee Hanson, Policy Director at Center for Food Safety.

With Thanksgiving approaching, federal officials are scrambling in the face of yet another outbreak tied to romaine lettuce. For the second year in a row, public health authorities are advising consumers to avoid romaine lettuce just before the holiday.

“This bill should help us to get to the root of these outbreaks, and restore consumers’ confidence in the food supply,” said Michael Hansen, Senior Scientist at Consumer Reports. “Members of Congress should join Senator Gillibrand and Rep. DeLauro and pass this common sense protection for consumers.”

The Safe Food Coalition is made up of consumer, public health and victim groups who work on issues related to food, and organizations representing labor in the food industry.

The post New Bill to Shine a Light on the Hidden Causes of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks USDA to Act Quickly to Reinstate Standards appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The post Safe Food Coalition Supports Disclosure of Meat and Poultry Inspection Data appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The Trump Administration has repeatedly proposed dramatic budget cuts to research budgets.The president’s 2020 budget goes so far as to eliminate the entire ERS budget for food safety research, which was $2.1 million. Congress, however, has maintained its funding for ERS’agricultural and food safety research, and it continues to support NIFA’s research agenda.

“When Congress stood up to these budget proposals, the administration came out with an alternative plan to diminish objective research and policy analysis by moving NIFA and ERS outside of the Washington, D.C. area.” said Pat Buck, Executive Director of the Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention. “This is an attempt to weaken these institutions, and Congress should use its power to block the proposal.”

Secretary Perdue announced the plan to move the research agencies in the summer of 2018. USDA has not conducted a cost-benefit analysis of the moves. Since the plan was announced, morale at the research agencies has plummeted and veteran staff  has left in droves. This state of affairs has food advocates worried because the agencies play an important role in informing food safety policies. ERS researchers study how consumers react to food safety outbreaks and recalls, and examine how private markets and government regulation connect to create the U.S. safety net for meat and poultry products. NIFA is a leading funder of research aimed at advancing agriculture-related sciences, finding innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global agricultural issues, and ensuring the long-term viability of agriculture.

“Economic policy analysis and research on the prevention of foodborne illness is vital to protecting consumers from foodborne illness,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Federation of America. “Both ERS and NIFA play a critical role in the translation of food safety science into policy and practice, and Congress should not allow the Trump Administration to devalue the role of these agencies through its ill-conceived relocation scheme.”

“There is no credible justification for moving these two agencies,” said Tony Corbo, senior lobbyist at Food & Water Watch. “Members of Congress have even pointed out that there is space at existing USDA facilities in the Washington, DC metropolitan area that could accommodate the agencies.”

“World-wide, USDA’s Economic Research Service is highly regarded and the research projects conducted by NIFA have greatly improved farming technologies and disease preventive measures both locally and globally,” said Buck. “Moving these agencies is an unwarranted disruption that will come at the cost of a degraded food safety research and analysis, making it much more difficult to develop and implement farming/processing innovations and much-need disease prevention strategies.”

The post Food Safety Advocates Oppose Plan to Relocate USDA Research Agencies appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

“The Safe Food Coalition is deeply disappointed in the unsigned statement issued today by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, which viciously attacks the Washington Post for its critical reporting highlighting problems with the agency’s proposed rule on swine slaughter inspection. The statement purports to rebut the Washington Post’s reporting. In fact it merely confirms the truth of the Post’s story and offers additional context in the form of ‘alternative facts’ in an effort to spin the news in favor of the agency’s position.

Rather than grapple with the serious food safety and worker health concerns raised by the Washington Post’s article, the USDA attempts to mislead readers using word play. In particular, the agency claims that the Washington Post’s reporting is ‘false’ because the agency is not giving industry more power over meat inspections. The swine slaughter inspection modernization rule very clearly transfers so-called ‘quality assurance tasks’ that were once performed by USDA inspectors to slaughterhouse employees. The USDA’s statement appears to reason that, since the transferred duties will no longer be called ‘inspection,’ there has been no transfer of power over inspection. This is a misrepresentation.

Similarly, USDA asserts in its statement that “FSIS is not reducing the total number of federal inspectors by 40 percent” but rather making personnel decisions on a “case-by-case” basis. However, USDA’s proposed rule clearly envisions that “the Agency would require 147 fewer [full time equivalent positions] for swine slaughter inspection,” i.e. a 40% reduction in the relevant inspection workforce, if the proposed rule is implemented as planned.

USDA’s statement is at odds with FSIS’s long-standing public health commitment. Its timing, with Dr. Mindy M. Brashears having recently assumed her new position as the USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, calls into question the agency leadership’s commitment to a good faith policy debate. Consumers cannot put their trust in a food safety regulatory agency that fails to engage openly and honestly with legitimate public criticism.”

The Safe Food Coalition is made up of consumer, public health and victim groups who work on issues related to food, and organizations representing labor in the food industry.

Contact: Thomas Gremillion, 202-939-1010

The post USDA Attack On Washington Post’s Pork Safety Reporting Raises Its Own Questions appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Without an up-to-date performance standard, and the associated testing to measure compliance with the standard, the agency cannot say how the rule change will affect food safety, according to consumer advocates. “Pork alone now causes over ten percent of Salmonella illnesses each year in the United States,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy at the Consumer Federation of America, citing a recent government analysis. “Yet USDA is not keeping track of which slaughterhouses are doing a good job at keeping Salmonella levels down, and which ones are utterly failing. The agency does not seem to have any basis for determining whether this policy leads to greater levels of pathogen contamination, and as a result, more foodborne illness.”

FSIS justified its elimination of the carcass cleaning requirements in part by pointing to the experience of five slaughterhouses that were granted waivers to employ alternative procedures. In comments on the proposed rule, however, the Safe Food Coalition pointed out that the agency had not explained how it evaluated the performance of those slaughterhouses, all of which are operated by one corporation. They also pointed out that the proposed rule did not describe any of the “alternative procedures” used by the establishments with waivers, or explain why other slaughterhouses, operated by other companies, would be likely to employ them. The final rule dismisses those concerns, saying only that “[i]nformation from establishments that operated under waivers from this specific regulation shows that they operated without jeopardizing food safety.”

In part because of Salmonella, and also due to pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Yersinia, foodborne illness associated with pork has taken an increasing toll on public health in recent years. “In 2015, pork outbreaks increased by 73% when compared to the 3 previous years,” said Pat Buck, Executive Director of the Center for Foodborne Illness, Research & Prevention citing a recent academic study. “Given this level of increase in pork-related outbreaks, FSIS needs to more fully justify actions that it takes to remove consumer protections on pork production.”

Contact: Thomas Gremillion, 202-939-1010

The post USDA Moves Ahead to Eliminate Hog Slaughter Rule, Dismissing Calls for Data on Impact to Public Health appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Food safety inspectors perform vital work, they check meat for fecal contamination and catch signs of vermin and poor sanitation practices, which can lead to filth and bacteria getting into our food. The shutdown does not mean consumers should panic: the chances of any specific food you may eat being impacted by the shutdown are still very small. But as the shutdown drags on, more and more people will be eating food from facilities that are not seeing the same level of oversight, a fact that should concern all Americans.

Also concerning is how inspectors and other food safety workers will be affected intensifying financial stress. As of Friday, both USDA and FDA food safety inspectors have all now missed a paycheck. The starting salary for USDA meat inspectors can be as low as $29 thousand a year, which offers little cushion, especially for families. The reality is setting in now that they have expenses that they may not be able to cover, and that stress may bleed over into their work.

“The longer the shutdown continues to drag on, the more dangerous the situation becomes,” said Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy at the Consumer Federation of America. “Consumers deserve better assurance than this that their food is being kept safe.”

“USDA inspectors work in the some of the most inhospitable work environments around,” said Tony Corbo, senior lobbyist at Food & Water Watch. “They are exposed to animal diseases and caustic antimicrobial chemicals, and in many plants, they are understaffed. The shutdown is making staffing problems worse. Already, we hear that some inspectors are having a difficult time scraping enough money to put gas in their cars to get to work during the shutdown. The situation is becoming untenable.”

“These workers spend their days doing their best to keep our food free of feces, animal diseases, and filth,” said Sarah Sorscher, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We want this shutdown over so they can focus on keeping our food clean, not on how they’ll manage to put food on their own tables.”

SFC members expressed additional concern that federal agencies have not published more information about how the shutdown is affecting the food system. Aside from knowing whether inspections are taking place, the public has been largely kept in the dark on the other important food safety activities performed by the two agencies. The coalition urged USDA and FDA to disclose more information about what the agencies are doing to respond to consumer complaints that may help to identify an outbreak sources, emergency contingency plans—including each agency’s procedures for calling up needed employees that are currently furloughed in the event of a major foodborne illness outbreak and recall, and enforcement activities that have been curtailed, including follow-up inspections and intensified sampling that normally take place in response to inspection results.

Contact: Thomas Gremillion, 202-939-1010

The post Safe Food Coalition Urges President Trump, Congress to End Partial Shutdown of Food Safety System appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

To protect consumers, the letter requests that USDA issue a public health alert with the names of the establishments found to have harbored the outbreak strain. With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, providing this information now is critical to protect public health.

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Urges USDA to Release Information on Outbreak Linked to Turkey appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks for Reforms to Prevent Repeat of STEC Outbreak in Ground Beef appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Cries Foul on Defunct Microbiological Testing appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The groups argue the merger threatens competition and innovation in our food system, compromises the future sustainability of agriculture, and harms farmers, agricultural workers and consumers. Regardless of the divestitures DOJ is requiring of Bayer, the merger could significantly reduce farmer seed choice, decrease quality and diversity of seeds, and increase prices.

The groups, including Friends of the Earth, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Farm Aid, Family Farm Defenders, Consumer Federation of America and ActionAid USA, are delivering over 97,325 comments signed by farmers and people across the country urging the agency to reverse its decision and reject this merger.

“Since the Department of Justice has given its blessing to the Bayer-Monsanto merger, three seed companies will, in effect, control the majority of seed germplasm and seed markets in the US, and a significant portion of those markets throughout the industrialized world. The DOJ may as well stop wasting time on merger reviews and be up-front about the fact that they have absolutely no problem with corporate mergers and market consolidation further undermining the ability of farmers to access non-genetically engineered seed in a competitive marketplace,” said Jim Goodman, Noard President and organic dairy and beef farmer, National Family Farm Coalition.

“Ultimately this merger leads to less competition, less innovation, and higher prices for farmer inputs.  This couldn’t come at a worse time for our farmers who are dealing with dropping farm incomes for a fifth straight year and with massive uncertainty in world trade,” said Aaron Lehman, President, Iowa Farmers Union.

“No matter how you cut it, a Bayer/Monsanto merger spells higher costs for farmers and locks in the chemical-heavy agricultural practices that threaten our health and the bees and other pollinators critical to food security” said Daniel Raichel, an attorney with the Nature Program at NRDC. “The Department needs to reverse course and block the merger before we all suffer the consequences.”

“This toxic mega-merger would be disastrous for pollinators, people and the planet,” said Tiffany Finck-Haynes, senior food futures campaigner, Friends of the Earth. “It’s critical that the Department of Justice prioritize the interests of farmers and consumers over the pesticide industry, and reject this toxic merger.”

“A diverse diet is as important for pollinators as it is for humans.  Allowing this merger will limit the diversity of seeds for farmers, who rely on diversity of crops for a profitable farm.  Limiting seed types or crops to those that can withstand drenching by pesticides will expand the toxic forage for pollinators, and destroy the natural, diverse food that science has shown supports the health of pollinators,” said Michele Colopy, Program Director, Pollinator Stewardship Council.

“The Justice Department is missing an important opportunity here to stand up for competition in an increasingly uncompetitive market,” said Mark Cooper, Senior Fellow, Consumer Federation of America. “Bayer and Monsanto have used their control over chokepoints in the supply chain to stifle competition. By binding traits, seeds, and chemicals, these companies are able to misuse intellectual property to the detriment of competition and consumers. The proposed merger would fuel even more abuse.”

“Our food and farming system is in crisis because it is dominated by a handful of agribusiness companies,” said Tristan Quinn-Thibodeau, campaigner, ActionAid USA. “They use their immense power not only to control markets and squeeze farmers but also to control policies. They are pushing a destructive model of agriculture and false solutions like biofuels which may actually be making climate change worse.”

An overwhelming majority of farmers surveyed across the country oppose the Bayer-Monsanto merger, with 93% expressing concern that it will have a negative impact on independent farmers and farming communities. A poll conducted by Public Policy Polling found that 9 in 10 Americans have serious concerns about the merger. Nearly 325 consumer, farmer, and environmental groups oppose it, and more than 1 million Americans have signed petitions calling on DOJ to block it.

DOJ appears intent on downplaying this overwhelming public opposition, including by erecting obstacles to the submission of public comments to the Department. Representatives from the organizations were not allowed to deliver in person the over 1 million comments to the DOJ back in November 2017, and in order to meet today’s deadline, all public comments needed to be sent by mail and needed to be received – not postmarked – by today’s deadline.

Contact: Erin Jensen, 202-222-0722; Kari Birdseye, 415-875-8243; Thomas Gremillion, 202-939-1010

The post Farming, Food Safety, and Environmental Organizations Call on DOJ to Block Bayer-Monsanto Merger appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks for Check on Proposed Swine Slaughter Deregulation appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Opposes New Markets for State-Inspected Meat and Poultry Act of 2018 appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The FDA has banned the interstate sale of raw milk since 1987 because raw milk is implicated in a disproportionate number of foodborne illness outbreaks. While dairy products account for less than one percent of foodborne illness outbreaks, the overwhelming majority of those outbreaks are linked to raw milk, despite the fact that only around 1% of Americans drink raw milk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “raw milk can carry harmful bacteria and other germs that can make you very sick or kill you. While it is possible to get foodborne illnesses from many different foods, raw milk is one of the riskiest of all.” Children are particularly vulnerable to these risks. According to the Safe Food Coalition letter: “There is simply no justification for undoing decades of public health improvement and risking the lives of consumers on a product that has been proven to be unsafe for human consumption.”

Download PDF

The post Safe Food Coalition Asks Congress to Keep Raw Milk Out of Interstate Commerce appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.

The coalition has repeatedly asked the Administration to select a nominee with a strong commitment to protecting public health, the expertise necessary to guide the policies and programs carried out by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and a record of working effectively to find new ways to reduce foodborne illness. Dr. Brashears’ academic credentials suggest that she has the requisite expertise. The Senate confirmation process should examine her record closely to assure consumers that she will work to reduce foodborne illness and protect public health, and that Dr. Brashears does not have any conflicts of interest that may lead her to pursue policies that are contrary to the public interest. To be an effective leader, Dr. Brashears must actively engage with public health and food safety advocates in developing strong regulations that reduce foodborne illness.

Contact: Thomas Gremillion, 202-939-1010

The post Safe Food Coalition Welcomes Nomination of Public Health Professional as Food Safety Undersecretary appeared first on Consumer Federation of America.