On April 24, 2007, families affected by recent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to recalled products testified before a House subcommittee. The committee is reviewing legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the authority to mandate recalls. Other legislation under discussion include proposals to create a single Food Safety Administration and develop a uniform reporting system to track contaminated food.

Michael and Elizabeth Armstrong of Indianapolis, IN testified at the hearings that their daughters, Isabella, 5, and Ashley, 2, developed stomach virus symptoms last September that did not go away after a few days. Both children required hospital care, and Isabella was eventually put on dialysis after her kidneys failed. Both girls had been stricken with foodborne illness from E.coli 0157:H7 after eating salads made with a triple-washed bag of spinach that was later recalled. Isabella may require a kidney transplant in the future.

Michael Armstrong and his wife held their children in their arms as they spoke with the House committee. “I can’t protect them from spinach,” Michael Armstrong told the congressmen. “Only you can.”

Gary Pruden, whose 11-year-old son was also sickened by E.coli last November after eating at a Taco Bell restaurant, testified that a key element of commerce with a consumer is trust.

“That is also extended to the trust in the food we buy from the grocery store - that it’s edible and safe. Without that trust, commerce cannot work. And where failure occurs, oversight is required,” Pruden said.

Also testifying before the subcommittee was Terri Marshall of Louisiana, whose 85-year-old mother, Mora Lou, was hospitalized January 2, 2007 after eating spoonfuls of Peter Pan peanut butter to supplement her diet. Ms. Marshall is now in a care facility and must be fed intravenously because she cannot eat normally. Peter Pan peanut butter was recalled after Salmonella contamination was found in jars of the ConAgra product.

“I hope these hearings will help alert the American people, Congress, and the administration to the seriousness of the issue,” Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) said at the hearing. “If it is not taken seriously, these kinds of poisonings can, and will, happen again.”

Sources: Andrew Bridges, “Families struck by E.coli demand better monitoring,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25, 2007; Stephen J. Hedges, “Call issued for better food safety net,” Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2007.