Lawmakers Push for Food Safety Reforms

(Associated Press)

Lawmakers vowed Wednesday to press for stronger food safety laws and more money for inspections as the list of recalled peanut products surpassed 1,000 in an ongoing national salmonella outbreak.

“There is an openness to putting together the strongest legislation possible,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who introduced a bill to reorganize federal food safety enforcement and make it more accountable.

Meanwhile, the number of recalled peanut products approached 1,100 in what independent experts said appears to be a record for foods consumed by humans.

The 2007 recall of melamine-tainted pet food eventually grew to 1,179 products but “this is human food,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “I’m certainly not aware of any recall where so many individual branded products had to be called back, which makes it really complicated for consumers.”

The salmonella outbreak has sickened at least 550 people, eight of whom have died. A Georgia peanut-processing plant that produces just 1 percent of U.S. peanut products is being blamed. Authorities say Peanut Corp. of America shipped peanut butter, paste and other products that had tested positive for salmonella. The company denies any wrongdoing. Read more here.