PRINTER'S NO. 1764
No. 318 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY COHEN, BELFANTI, CALTAGIRONE, HENNESSEY, RAYMOND,
BOBACK, CASORIO, DONATUCCI, GEORGE, GOODMAN, HARKINS, JAMES,
JOSEPHS, KIRKLAND, KORTZ, KULA, MAHONEY, MARSHALL, McGEEHAN,
MELIO, PAYNE, READSHAW, SEIP, SHIMKUS, SIPTROTH, WALKO AND
YOUNGBLOOD, JUNE 5, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, JUNE 5, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the
2 importation of all wheat gluten products from China until
3 China fully cooperates with the FDA's investigation into the
4 adulteration of the food supply and opens all of its food
5 processing plants for United States inspection.
6 WHEREAS, The ever-expanding recall of pet food containing
7 contaminated ingredients from China demonstrates the immediate
8 need for greater controls on imported foods, especially Chinese
9 grain products; and
10 WHEREAS, The danger to United States consumers from
11 contaminated products is not limited to pets: wheat gluten and
12 rice flour implicated in the pet food recall are components of
13 the human food supply; and
14 WHEREAS, Contamination of human food on the scale of the pet
15 food outbreak would be disastrous; and
16 WHEREAS, While the total size of the pet food outbreak is
17 still unknown, recent reports add yet another troubling aspect
1 to the outbreak, suggesting that Chinese producers may have
2 purposefully added melamine to wheat gluten and rice protein
3 concentrate to create an appearance of enhanced nutritional
4 value; and
5 WHEREAS, China's food system has a dangerous and troubled
6 history of food contamination, including the purposeful
7 introduction of rat poison into the human food supply; and
8 WHEREAS, The safety of the human food supply in the United
9 States is vital to the public health, to public confidence in
10 the food supply and to the success of the food sector of our
11 nation's economy; and
12 WHEREAS, Lapses in the protection of the food supply and loss
13 of public confidence in food safety harm consumers and the food
14 industry and burden interstate commerce; and
15 WHEREAS, The safety and security of the food supply requires
16 an integrated systemwide approach to preventing foodborne
17 illness, thorough and broad-based basic and applied research and
18 intensive, effective and efficient management of the nation's
19 food safety program; and
20 WHEREAS, Federal food safety standards, inspection,
21 enforcement and research should be based on the best available
22 science and public health considerations; and
23 WHEREAS, Food safety resources should be systematically
24 deployed in ways which most effectively prevent foodborne
25 illness; and
26 WHEREAS, The Federal food safety system is fragmented, with
27 at least 12 Federal agencies sharing responsibility for food
28 safety, and operates under laws that do not reflect current
29 conditions in the food system or current scientific knowledge
30 about the cause and prevention of foodborne illness; and
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1 WHEREAS, The fragmented Federal food safety system and
2 outdated laws preclude an integrated, systemwide approach to
3 preventing foodborne illness and hinder operation of the
4 nation's food safety program and deployment of food safety
5 resources; therefore be it
6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
7 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the FDA to ban all wheat
8 gluten imports from China until China fully cooperates with
9 investigations into the adulteration of the food supply and
10 opens plants for United States inspection; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the FDA to
12 ban all wheat gluten imports from China until United States
13 inspectors can certify that all gluten imports are free of
14 illegal chemical or microbial contamination, including, but not
15 limited to, pesticides, rat poison and melamine, and evaluate
16 whether the ban should extend to other foods or ingredients
17 coming into the United States from China or any other country
18 and institute procedures to respond quickly and decisively to
19 future threats; and be it further
20 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives express its
21 support of S. 654, the Safe Food Act of 2007, introduced in the
22 United States Senate by Senator Durbin and cosponsored by
23 Senators Casey, Clinton and Schumer, and similar legislation,
24 H.R. 1148, introduced in the United States House of
25 Representatives to improve the FDA's response to threats to the
26 food supply; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
28 the FDA Administrator and to the members of Congress from
29 Pennsylvania.
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