Remarks of Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman National Consumers League Washington, D.C. May 18, 1999 Release No. 0219.99 Remarks As Prepared for Delivery of Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman National Consumers League Washington, D.C. May 18, 1999 "Thank you Lee (Swenson) for that kind introduction. I want to thank Linda Golodner (President) and all the folks at the National Consumers League for inviting me to share in your 100th anniversary celebration, and most of all, for the hard work you do day in and day out here in Washington on behalf of American consumers and workers. "With me today from USDA is Cathy Woteki, Under Secretary for Food Safety who does a terrific job ensuring that our food supply meets the highest standards of safety. "I'm here today to talk to you about the nation's food supply keeping it safe while maintaining its abundance and rich variety. Food safety is not a new issue. People have always been concerned about what they eat. Even Eve was cautious about that first apple. And Jonathan Swift observed, "He was a bold man that first ate an oyster." "The National Consumers League has a lot to be proud of over these past 100 years. You've been at the forefront of the fight to protect the nation's food supply since before Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle. You've been there fighting for important legislation -- whether it was the ground-breaking Pure Food and Drug Act or Meat Inspection Act in 1906, or the more recent Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. "USDA and the National Consumers League have a long and positive history together. In the early 1900s a USDA scientist, Dr. Harvey Wiley, launched a campaign aimed at keeping harmful chemicals out of the food supply and for providing clear labeling for consumers. The League was right there with Dr. Wiley, striving to publicize his work and get his message out to the American people. "People like Dr. Wiley and the founders of the National Consumers League were trailblazers. They believed that, to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply, government must play a leading role. "And even though today we live in an era where we hear so much about making government less intrusive, there are certain things we've come to expect of our government. No one would ever question government's role in ensuring our planes are safe or protecting our national security, or seeing to it that the banks that hold our life savings are solvent. "The American people feel as strongly about food safety. Everywhere I go, it's the first question on people's minds. Is my food safe? Is my family at risk at the dinner table or a restaurant? How can I be sure? "People look to their government to protect them in ways they cannot protect themselves. Ask people about the safety of their food, and unanimously they say they want a strong government. This Administration believes that where government can make a difference, government should make a difference. "That's why in his budget for 2000, the President asked for a $107 million increase to build on his Food Safety Initiative. There will be more money for inspections, for responding to outbreaks, for getting information to the people who need it -- especially consumers -- and most of all for research. In fact, the President's budget includes a 1/3 increase in funding for USDA food safety research. "Research is a key theme in the President's vision of the future. From exploring the outer reaches of space, to the inner workings of the human genome, to a continued assurance that the food we eat is safe, our investment in science will make a difference in the kind of lives our children lead. "An excellent example of how research has helped improve public health is our new science-based meat and poultry inspection program HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Program. And I want to thank you for the part you played in bringing about this revolutionary food safety system. After one year, I'm proud to report that our scientific approach is making a difference. Compared to surveys taken before HACCP came on line, the prevalence of salmonella found in meat and poultry plants has gone down considerably. For hogs and ground turkey the decline is over 25% -- for ground beef the decline is over 1/3 -- and for poultry the reduction is nearly 50%. "Thanks to this giant step forward, we now have regular tests for generic E. coli and salmonella. We also require plants and processors to not just find contamination, but to take specific steps to close the safety gaps that invite it. "But there remain a lot of tough questions to be answered. Why are we seeing new, more virulent and resistant strains of pathogens? Why has campylobacter emerged as the number one cause of food-borne illness? Can we move quickly to detect it and prevent it? Why are we seeing more and more cases of listeria? Shortly, we will be issuing new guidelines for dealing with listeria in meat processing plants. There are also on-farm questions: Why do pathogens appear in some animals and not others? Can we stop pathogens from showing up in the first place? "Lately we've been hearing more and more about the role biotechnology is playing in our lives. In agriculture the giant leaps in biotechnology and the speed at which new technologies enter the mainstream is continually presenting us with new challenges. "It's important to note that biotechnology can be an indispensable tool in meeting global agricultural demand in a sustainable manner. The world is growing, and it's growing in developing nations, which have experienced the greatest food insecurity. We have more and more people to feed more and more fiber to produce...and a limited amount of arable land to put into production at a time when water is becoming a more and more precious commodity. Biotechnology can help us generate higher yields, while lessening the strain on our natural resources. It can also help farmers produce a new generation of specialty products, which the market may demand in the future. "I remember visiting the wheat research center in Mexico where some of the research was done on the wheat gene Norin 10, which helped developing countries like India and Pakistan increase their wheat harvests by 60 percent. At the center, there is an inscription on the wall that reads: "A single gene has saved 100 million lives." "That's a powerful notion. Nevertheless, those of us in government, the private sector, the academic community, the farm community and the consuming public can't be afraid to ask the difficult questions. We cannot be science's blind servant. We have to understand its ethical, safety and environmental implications. Our testing has to be rigorous. We have to be as vigilant as ever. And we have to make sure that those involved in determining the safety of genetically-engineered products are staying at arms length from the people who stand to profit from them. "We also can't force these new genetically engineered food products down consumers' throats. My belief is that farmers and consumers will eventually come to see the economic and health benefits of these products. But dismissing the skepticism that's out there is not only arrogant, it's also a bad business strategy. My confidence in biotech -- or industry's confidence in biotech -- is ultimately irrelevant. Only when consumers have confidence - - and when they express that confidence at the grocery-store checkout line -- will we be able to see the return on the enormous public and private investments we've made in biotechnology. "But ensuring the safety and adequacy of the food supply also means looking out for the people who produce our food. The National Consumers League does a lot of work on behalf of workers and for the cause of child labor, so you know where I'm coming from. "Of particular concern in agriculture are farm laborers who are among the lowest paid workers in the country, and often the most vulnerable. For example, recent frosts in California wiped out a citrus crop threatening the livelihood of 30,000 farmworkers. While the farmers have many USDA programs to turn to, the farmworkers and their families are threatened with literally being left out in the cold. We've worked closely with Senator Diane Feinstein who pushed for $20 million in disaster assistance to the supplemental funding bill now working its way through Congress to help farmworkers get through this crisis. If successful, this will be only the second time in history that USDA has provided farmworkers and their families with disaster assistance. "And, for the first time, USDA has hired a full time Farm Worker Coordinator. Juan Marinez, who began in January, is actively helping USDA become more responsive to the needs of farmworkers whether it's health care, housing or just giving farmworkers a stronger voice in Washington. "Last year, Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman and I had the opportunity to meet with farmworkers and their advocates in Florida. We were able to hear first hand of the unique problems faced by farmworkers and their families -- such as moving from one job location to the next. "One of those issues, which is unique to farmworkers because of their circumstances, is that farmworkers often take their very young children into the fields where they work. Their choices are limited. Either they cannot afford child care or their mothers are forced to stay at home, limiting economic opportunities for their families. In some instances, children as young as six have been put to work. Their youth, and their capacity to grow, is swept out from under them. We are working to get those children out of the fields and into day care facilities and schools. "Through the USDA financed Farm Labor Housing and Community Facilities loan and grant programs many owners of Farm Labor Housing complexes have taken advantage of the opportunity to provide their tenants with child care or educational services such as Head Start. This allows farmworkers to do their work with the full knowledge that their children are being cared for, and more -- they're getting a decent start in life with good nutrition and good education. We must ensure that farmworker families who need housing get housing; and that permanent child care facilities are provided. That's why President Clinton has proposed $40 million in funding for Farm Labor housing for the coming fiscal year. "But housing and child care are only the beginning. We're also working with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide needed health care services to farmworkers. And, through efforts such as our Women's Infants and Children program, Food Stamps and our School Meals Program, we are making sure that children of farmworkers in need don't go hungry and that they get proper nutrition. "If children are to get a fair start in life, then they need a decent education. No one believes this more or works harder for children's educational rights than President Clinton and Vice President Gore. And to get a proper education, children need to be in classrooms not workrooms or orchards. They need to be doing homework, not field work. "Through this administration's America Reads program we are instituting a pilot effort in four states to provide tutoring to children of farm workers in Farm Labor Housing complexes. Whether it's building decent, affordable housing, providing children with a safe nurturing environment in which to grow, providing a nutritional foundation so they are prepared to learn, or enforcing the child labor laws of our nation, we have a responsibility to our children, and we have a moral obligation to all children. "As we work to eliminate abusive child labor, one thing is abundantly clear: The American people regard the rights of children not to be exploited and abused as basic and fundamental. Our children are our future. How we treat our children -- what we teach them, how we guide them, how we prepare them for what lies ahead -- that, is the surest measure of any society. "For one hundred years the National Consumers League has kept government and industry's feet to the fire. With the new century will come new challenges. I am confident that you will continue to make sure that the voices of consumers, workers and children are heard in Washington and in every board room around the country. I commend you on your past and exhort you to remain strong in your commitment as you begin your next 100 years. "Thank you." #