Food Labeling
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) recently wrote a letter to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, requesting that he “finalize the pending rule for labeling mechanically tenderized beef products,” a new labeling requirement proposed by the USDA last year. According to Congresswoman DeLauro, "A 2008 USDA study indicated that about 50 million pounds of mechanically tenderized beef products are sold monthly. Mechanically tenderized beef products are more susceptible to pathogens like E. coli O157:H7."
According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the pending rule “would require that mechanically tenderized product is labeled so that consumers know they are purchasing product that has been mechanically tenderized. The rule would also require the labels of mechanically tenderized product to display validated cooking instructions, so that consumers have the information they need to cook this product in a way that destroys illness-causing pathogens.” The USDA reports that “Since 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has received reports of five outbreaks attributable to needle or blade tenderized beef products prepared in restaurants and consumers’ homes.”
Congresswoman DeLauro was also a co-sponsor of the Food Labeling Modernization Act (HR 3147) which was introduced in September 2013.
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Food Labeling Modernization Act (HR 3147)
(Also S 1653 in the Senate) According to the bill sponsor, “‘The Food Labeling Modernization Act is a comprehensive approach to updating labels so that consumers have the clear, consistent information they need when making important decisions about the food they buy and give to their families.’ In an effort to help consumers select healthy products, the Food Labeling Modernization Act’s signature initiative will direct the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to establish a single, standard front of package nutrition labeling system in a timely manner for all food products required to bear nutrition labeling.”
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Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act (HR 4432)
— Bipartisan — According to the bill sponsor, “The Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014 would establish a federal labeling standard for foods with genetically modified ingredients, giving sole authority to the Food and Drug Administration to require mandatory labeling on such foods if they are ever found to be unsafe or materially different from foods produced without GM ingredients.”
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HR 584
–Bipartisan– (Also S 248 in the Senate) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require labeling of genetically engineered fish.
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Trans Fat Truth in Labeling Act (HR 3624)
To direct the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to revise the Federal regulations applicable to the declaration of the trans fat content of a food on the label and in the labeling of the food when such content is less than 0.5 gram.
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Infection Reduction Labeling Act (HR 5350)
To amend the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to allow the marketing, distribution, or sale of solid antimicrobial copper alloys with certain claims, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exclude certain solid antimicrobial copper alloys from regulation as drugs or devices.
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Responsible Seafood Certification and Labeling Act (S 1521)
To prohibit Federal agencies from requiring seafood to be certified as sustainable by a third party nongovernmental organization.
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Sewage Sludge in Food Production Consumer Notification Act (HR 213)
To amend the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the egg, meat, and poultry inspection laws to ensure that consumers receive notification regarding food products produced from crops, livestock, or poultry raised on land on which sewage sludge was applied.
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Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act (HR 1699)
— Bipartisan — (Also S 809 in the Senate) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require that genetically engineered food and foods that contains genetically engineered ingredients be labeled accordingly.
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BPA in Food Packaging Right to Know Act (S 1124):
According to the bill sponsor, the bill “require[s] labels on consumer food packaging that contains the endocrine-disrupting chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA). The bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a safety assessment of food containers with BPA. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as BPA alter the function of the body’s hormonal system and mimic estrogen in the body. Studies show links between exposure to BPA and risks to human health, particularly in babies and young children.”
