Harkin: Latest American Recall Has International Implications

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Senate legislation to be introduced later this week

Sept. 18, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today issued the following statement on the recall of Dole's Hearts Delight bagged salad due to E. coli O157:H7 contamination. Eighty-eight cases - or 528 bags – of the bagged salad were distributed in Canada and 755 cases containing 4,530 bags in the U.S., according to Dole.

“From bagged salad with E. coli to spinach that contains Salmonella, food safety is increasingly becoming a concern for American consumers as they visit the produce aisle,” said Harkin. “Not only is this a concern for domestic producers and consumers, but now we’re seeing American produce recalls have international implications. It is long past time for Congress to act and later this week, I intend to introduce legislation to restore confidence in American produce and the agency that regulates it.”

Harkin is preparing to reintroduce legislation he has previously proposed to set up a national program that would require food safety practices for growing and processing fresh produce at most risk of causing foodborne illness.

Source: Senator Tom Harkin