020503 NFPA Says "Reinstate Food Safety Council"May 4, 2002Washington - Counsel to the National Food Processors Association John Bode provided testimony before the Senate Government Affairs Subcommittee for Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia, and the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Efficiency, Financial Management and Intergovernmental Relations at its hearing, "Kids and Cafeterias: How Safe Are Federal School Lunches." In its testimony, the National Food Processors Association addressed the following: Reconstitution of President's Food Safety Council "The NFPA recommends that consideration be given to reinstating the President's Food Safety Council to ensure coordination at the highest levels. This Council would consist of the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Agriculture and Treasury, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of Homeland Security, a representative from the States, and other officials the President wished to designate." "The President's Food Safety Council could identify specific problems that require legislative action involving existing food safety statutes that impede coordination and cooperation among existing agencies, the efficient allocation of resources, and hinder movement to a science-based, risk-based food safety system," Bode said. * Voiced support for better communication and coordination, not a single food agency "NFPA respectfully submits that the proposal to establish a single food safety agency offers no meaningful benefit to food safety," Bode said. "There is absolutely no evidence that a change in organizational structure would enhance food safety." * Called for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to approve use of irradiation and other recognized food safety technologies on school food In his testimony, Bode stated, "In 2000, USDA dictated, without public comment or traditional contractor consultation, that ground beef must be free of Salmonella and that meat products may not be treated by irradiation, an approved pathogen-reducing technology that is approved by both FDA and USDA for raw meat and poultry, and for other food products." He noted that in denying the use of irradiation, processors were prevented from using the one tool that can guarantee the absence of Salmonella in raw ground beef." "It is inappropriate for USDA to prohibit the use of any approved food safety technology in foods provided for school foodservice," Bode said. * Highlighted role of sound science and processed foods in positive food safety trends "As food processors, NFPA members are proud of their participation in the School Lunch Program and the contributions of the National School Lunch Program to the nutritional health of our school children," NFPA Counsel John Bode said. "Processed foods play an important role in ensuring the safety of school feeding programs, and are as nutritious as fresh foods. Many of these products are also instrumental in helping children reach the Administration's "5 A Day For Better Health" goals, of which we are strong supporters." "We also need science-based methods to quantify the progress being made. Many of these mechanisms are already in place or in the pilot stage, such as FoodNet, PulseNet, and the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Foodborne Illness Education Information Center. Clearly, proper funding levels should be maintained for these important programs," Bode said. "As we know from recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures, incidences of foodborne illness in the U.S. have improved dramatically -- food poisoning from a variety of harmful microbes declined by 21% between 1996 to 2001, according to the CDC. USDA reports continuing declines in food poisoning and bacteria found on meat and poultry as well. A recent U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) report indicates there were only 20 foodborne disease outbreaks in schools in 1997, and only 8 were associated with foods served in the school meal programs, while the other 12 were foods brought from home or obtained from other sources." "There is good reason to believe that streamlined foodservice systems that rely heavily upon processed foods are part of the reason for improvements in food safety. These systems permit foodservice professionals to achieve greater control of food preparation and handling responsibilities and thereby minimize potential for problems in sanitation, cooking and handling practices," Bode said.
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