[StBernard] Rep. Melancon Questions Regulators on Safety of Food Imports

[Westley Annis]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D –LA) took part in a Congressional hearing today examining the safety of food imported into the United States.  Rep. Melancon serves as the vice chair of the House subcommittee that held today’s hearing, the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. 

 

During his opening statement, Rep. Melancon brought attention to recent actions by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture to test for dangerous chemicals in imported food.  He also brought attention to the unfair playing field Louisiana’s shrimpers and fishermen are forced to compete on because of the lax food safety standards in other countries.  Rep. Melancon told his colleagues, “My district, which depends largely on the fishing industry – shrimp, crawfish, fresh caught fish, is struggling to compete with imports from foreign countries that do not have the same food safety standards as we have in the U.S.”

 

Rep. Melancon continued, “Since the Food and Drug Administration only tests 1% of food imports, Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture has taken it upon themselves to test for these dangerous chemicals.  They have repeatedly found concentrations of chloramphenicol and fluoroquinolones, among other chemicals, in imported seafood – particularly from producers based in China.  Despite evidence of chemicals and antibiotics in imported seafood, the FDA still allows tainted food to enter the United States.”

 

Rep. Melancon concluded, “I am seriously concerned about the safety of food imported from countries that lack food safety standards equivalent to those in the United States and hope that we can soon find a better system for monitoring food imports.”

 

During the hearing, Rep. Melancon questioned representatives from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture on the adequacy of their efforts to protect Americans from unsafe, imported food.  The hearing also examined what quality control systems other countries have for ensuring the safety of food imported into their countries.

 

In recent years, the globalization of the American economy has resulted in a dramatic increase in the amount of imported food.  Between 1996 and 2006, the amount of U.S. imports of agricultural and seafood products from all countries increased by 42 percent.  It is estimated that approximately 15 percent of all food consumed in the United States is now imported.  In 2005, 84 percent of all fish and shellfish consumed in the United States was imported.

 

On Friday, October 4, the Committee on Energy and Commerce released a report on its findings from a staff trip to China to investigate the safety of its food export system.  The report is posted on the Committee website:  http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_110/110-rpt.100407.ChinaTripReport.pdf.  

 

Rep. Melancon’s full statement from today’s hearing follows.

 

Mr. Chairman, 

 

Thank you for holding this hearing today. I am quite concerned about the lack of screening of 80% of the United States’ food supply.  My district, which depends largely on the fishing industry – shrimp, crawfish, fresh caught fish, is struggling to compete with imports from foreign countries that do not have the same food safety standards as we have in the U.S.  Countries like China, Taiwan, and Vietnam – just to name a few – import seafood that is produced in farms, not fresh caught.  Catching wild shrimp and fish is much more labor- and capita- intensive, so fresh caught seafood is more expensive than farm raised.  Farms try to produce as much product as possible, so they overpopulate ponds. Because the ponds have no fresh water circulation, they become filled with bacteria.  The farmers then pump antibiotics and other chemicals into the water to kill the bacteria.  These chemicals have been shown to cause cancer in animals and humans.

 

Since the Food and Drug Administration only tests 1% of food imports, Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture has taken it upon themselves to test for these dangerous chemicals.  They have repeatedly found concentrations of chloramphenicol and fluoroquinolones, among other chemicals, in imported seafood – particularly from producers based in China.  Despite evidence of chemicals and antibiotics in imported seafood, the FDA still allows tainted food to enter the United States.  

 

I am happy that the FDA finally made an Import Alert for farm-raised catfish, basa, dace, eel, and shrimp from China in June, but we’ve known about tainted and contaminated imports from China for years.  Louisiana’s Department of Agriculture has also found evidence of chemicals and antibiotics in crawfish tail meat from China, yet the FDA is still allowing this tainted meat to enter our food supply.

 

Furthermore, an Import Alert does not necessarily mean that these tainted products will be prevented from entering the US.  Rather, an Import Alert means that field agents detain the product – not destroy it or return it to the originating country - and wait for the importer to show that the shipment is not tainted.  The FDA requires an independent lab test for proof, but the FDA doesn’t certify labs, so anyone can open a lab and provide test results.    

 

These are just a few of the problems that we in this Committee have discussed previously and will continue to examine until the food we import is safe.  I am seriously concerned about the safety of food imported from countries that lack food safety standards equivalent to those in the United States and hope that we can soon find a better system for monitoring food imports.  

 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman

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