Speak Up For Food Safety Legislation!

First it was spinach. Then tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, even pistachios. And now it’s cookie dough. Every two hours, one person dies from a preventable disease caused by the food they ate. Outbreaks have destroyed consumers’ confidence in the safety of the food they eat.

The food safety system must be modernized to build safety and accountability into the production of the food we buy. Congress is moving quickly on food safety legislation, but change won’t come without your help!

The Food Safety Enhancement Act is the best hope for making America's food safer. This bill would require the FDA to conduct more frequent inspections of food processing facilities. It would also require food companies to develop and manage food safety programs and give FDA the authority to order companies to recall potentially contaminated food.

We need people to speak up in support of this bill. Opponents are dragging out false rumors and old charges made against other food safety bills to attack this legislation. (See our Action Alert on H.R. 875.) The bottom line is they oppose the responsible safety and accountability measures in The Food Safety Enhancement Act and want to exempt themselves from its requirements. Please contact your member of Congress to support the Food Safety Enhancement Act without weakening special interest amendments.

P.S. Your financial support will help CSPI mobilize in key Congressional districts around the country and help food safety reform become a reality. Please help us with $25, $50, or even $100 today!

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

The House of Representatives may vote on important food safety legislation soon.  I am asking that you support H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act, which was approved in a bipartisan voice vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on June 17.

The Food Safety Enhancement Act addresses problems in our food safety system by giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration modern authority to oversee our food supply and make sure the companies that process our food do so with safety as their top priority.

It strengthens our food safety system by requiring food suppliers to build safety into their processes, more frequent inspections of processing plants, improved traceability and mandatory recall, and by putting real teeth into FDA's enforcement authority.  It could dramatically alter the safety system for many foods, like seafood, vegetables and processed products, regulated by FDA.

For too long, public health has suffered because the 70-year-old law that FDA operates under is designed to respond to crises instead of preventing illnesses.  Each year 76 million Americans are made ill, 325,000 are hospitalized and, sadly, 5,000 die prematurely because of food-borne disease.  The Food Safety Enhancement Act will give FDA the tools to identify problems BEFORE tainted food finds its way to consumers!

Unfortunately, opponents of this bill, many looking out for narrow economic interests, are making false and misleading claims about the bill in blogs and Internet postings.  These claims are being picked up by well-meaning people who fear that provisions in this bill may hurt small farms and organic farming.  In fact, the bill specifically requires FDA to consider the impact on small and organic farming, and on small business in crafting regulations to protect public health.  It has appropriate exemptions and phases in provisions to ensure these groups are not harmed even as they meet their responsibility to build safety into their processes.

Please let me know that you will support effective measures to protect public health by supporting the Food Safety Enhancement Act without weakening amendments to reduce the frequency of inspection or change its strong enforcement provisions. Massive outbreaks and recalls have left the public scared about the safety of our nation's food supply.  Sadly, every two hours one person in the U.S. dies from contaminated food. In recent years, many millions of people have suffered from preventable foodborne illnesses.

Please pass the Food Safety Enhancement Act with strong inspection provisions and reject efforts to weaken the bill or reduce inspection frequency.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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