U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat representing most of Wake County in North Carolina’s second congressional district, introduced a bill Friday to improve food safety. The bill comes in the wake of a multistate listeria outbreak in deli meats that has killed at least nine people in recent weeks and forced the hospitalization of 57.
The Washington Post reported today that, “The Boar’s Head plant in southern Virginia at the epicenter of a deadly nationwide listeria outbreak was regularly cited for violations in the past year, including the presence of mold, mildew, insects and a ‘rancid smell,’ according to reports by government inspectors.”
Ross’s proposed legislation — the Federal State and Food Safety Information Act — would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to share important information with state and local regulatory agencies, which are responsible for conducting most food safety inspections, according to a press release.
Currently, the FDA does not have the authority to share this information because it’s considered proprietary.
Communication between federal and local agencies in North Carolina resulted in the recall of lead-contaminated applesauce across the country last month, an example of how sharing information for food safety benefits people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month investigating an outbreak of listeria infections affecting 34 people across 13 states, according to a press release. The outbreak has been linked with sliced meat from deli counters.
States currently conduct 60 percent of food processing inspections completed for the FDA. Ross’ legislation would enable the FDA to share this information with other groups that are conducting food inspections across the U.S.
“In my home state of North Carolina, we saw how effective information sharing between federal and state agencies during a food safety crisis led to a food recall that saved lives in states across the country,” Ross said in a press release. “We must empower FDA to share information with the state and local agencies that are not only responsible for conducting the majority of food safety inspections nationwide but also with keeping Americans safe during times of crisis.”
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