Lawmakers attack USDA's policy on recalled meat info

The Agriculture Department's policy of not informing consumers of which grocery stores are selling meat that has been recalled came under attack Wednesday as House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., challenged Elsa Murano, Agriculture undersecretary for food safety.

DeLauro said that when an outbreak of food-borne illness occurred last year from meat in a ConAgra-now Swift-plant in Colorado, state officials complained that the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service would not provide them with the data about where the meat had been sold unless they promised not to share the information with anyone.

Murano replied said that while "there is no legal impediment" to USDA releasing that information, it does not because meat processors are wary about harming the "commercial value" of those stores' names. Meat companies currently provide that information quickly to USDA on a confidential basis, but might not be so quick to provide it if they know the information will immediately be made public.

Kaptur noted today's announcement of a recall of 106,000 pounds of meat sold in Ohio without any announcement of where the meat had been distributed. "How does the consumer know how to interpret this? How can you make it consumer friendly?" she asked. When DeLauro asked if she would want the legal authority to require companies to provide the information immediately, Murano said she would not.

Murano later told reporters she believes consumers now go to all stores to inquire if they should return meat, and "there is no evidence showing that because people don't have that information, they are not returning it."

Kaptur also questioned Murano about another food safety case at a Wampler Foods plant in Pennsylvania in which an FSIS inspector has said that his warnings were not heeded. Murano declined to disucss the case in detail, saying she has directed Agriculture's inspector general to look into it.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., told Murano that neither the House nor Senate Agriculture committees are likely to enact legislation making it possible for the Agriculture Department to collect $122 million in inspection fees that the Bush administration has proposed in its fiscal 2004 budget. "We appeal to this committee," said Murano, to provide the money for a full food safety budget.