Y2k Readiness
                                        Release No. 0463.99
  
  Remarks
            As Prepared for Delivery
                             of
            Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
                       Y2k Readiness
             Bethesda, MD -- November 18, 1999
  
       
  "Thank you Jack
  
   " I also want to thank John Koskinen, who come January 1 will be an
  unsung hero because of his tremendous behind-the-scenes job ensuring
  that this New Year's Day will be like any other...except that the 1 and
  the 9 will change but he couldn't do anything about that.
  
       "With me today from USDA are Cathy Woteki, Under Secretary for
  Food Safety who does a terrific job year round ensuring that our food
  supply remains the safest in the world, and Chief Information Officer
  Anne Reed who's done a yeoman's job making sure that all of USDA's
  systems are ready for Y2K.
  
       "I want to thank everyone for joining us here today and I want to
  thank our hosts Giant Foods.  As some of you may know, I'm a big
  advocate in the fight against hunger.  Last year Giant Foods was
  recognized by America's Second Harvest, The Food Bank Network, as Grocer
  of the Year for their efforts to mobilize communities and help feed the
  hungry.  Barry, I want to thank you and Giant Foods for all your efforts
  to help strengthen the nutritional safety net.
  
       "Of course the reason we are here today is to assure everyone that
  there will be plenty of food on market shelves come January 1.  The Y2K
  computer problem has reared it's ugly head, and we've dealt with it.  
  
       "For the past year, the Food Supply Working Group, part of the
  President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion and chaired by the
  Department of Agriculture, has been looking at the readiness of our food
  supply.
  
       "Today's announcement comes under the heading, 'No news is good
  news.'  As usual consumers can expect that a safe and abundant supply of
  food will be available on January 1, 2000 and beyond.  I'm not saying
  there might not be some spot shortages as a result of consumer
  overbuying or weather-related problems, but I'm confident that the Year
  2000 problem's effect on the overall food supply will be negligible.
       
       "Companies, both large and small, have announced their readiness,
  and many have contingency plans in place to deal with any unexpected
  mishaps.   We also found that the Y2K readiness of our major trading
  partners has shown great improvement over the past year, including
  Mexico, a key supplier of winter fruits and vegetables.
  
       "Getting to this point was no easy task.  To give you an idea of
  what assessing Y2K readiness entailed, I call your attention to this
  chart which shows the complexity and magnitude of the U.S. food system.
  The production and distribution of food represents over 16% of our
  nation's economy and includes hundreds of thousands of producers and
  businesses, from small family farmers to huge multinational
  corporations.
  
  The Food Supply Working Group used a number of methods to study this
  very complex system, including outside contractors -- The Gartner Group
  and Performance Engineering Corporation -- and survey results from USDA
  agencies, trade associations, and food producers.  
          
    "In addition, USDA has the lead role for assessing the readiness of
  our food safety inspection programs.  USDA has partnered with the Food
  and Drug Administration and state inspection programs to ensure that our
  food safety inspection programs are fully prepared for the year 2000.
          
       "The bottom line of all this research is that the food system in
  not at risk because of the Y2K computer bug.  There is plenty of choice
  from plenty of sources.  And in the event of spot shortages, people
  should feel confident knowing that  wholesalers and retailers carry in
  excess of 30-60 days supply of non-perishable food.  So our food system
  can easily absorb any isolated disruptions that might occur.
  
       "So today, we're urging consumers to relax and treat the New Year
  just like they would any other long holiday weekend.  As John Koskinen
  advises, it is always a good idea, especially in the winter months, to
  have a few days worth of non-perishable foods in the pantry.  But rest
  assured, on January 1 and the days following, Americans will find the
  same safe and abundant food supply they have every other day of the
  year."
  
                              
                              
                             #
                              
                              
                              
                              
                            .