A group of Americans affected by foodborne illnesses are urging US lawmakers to pass food safety legislation this year.
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The sixteen Americans met with staff at the White House yesterday (19 October), including Sam Kass, assistant White House chef and advisor on food policy; Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, lead staffer for the White House Food Safety Working Group; and David Lazarus, senior advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture.
“Too many Americans are needlessly getting sick and many are dying from eating food that should be safe,” said Peter Hurley, whose son became ill earlier this year after eating peanut butter crackers contaminated with salmonella.
“Congress needs to pass this legislation,” he added. “It makes the common sense changes our food safety system needs. We know the system can and must be improved and the time for action is now.”
While in Washington the group also met with US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, along with senators and Senate staff from their home states. Senators were urged to follow the example set by their colleagues in the House – who passed a bipartisan food safety bill in July – and approve companion legislation by Thanksgiving.
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By GlobalData“We cannot afford to wait for another outbreak. Congress must act now and pass food safety legislation that protects families from facing the same hardships we have,” said Maine resident Carol Kintner Gates, who lost a family member to a foodborne illness. “Nobody in America should have to worry about whether the food they eat and feed their family will cause severe illness or death.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thousands of Americans die annually from foodborne illness, and about half of all reported cases of foodborne illness occur in children.
