10/16/2007 6:23:00 AM

Schumer Calls For 'Immediate Action' To Improve Meat Safety

Calling USDA a "toothless tiger" when it comes to food safety, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded "immediate action" to improve federal oversight of meat and poultry products.

Speaking at a Manhattan news conference, Schumer pledged to reintroduce legislation that would give USDA authority to temporarily shutter meat processing plants that repeatedly fail E. coli inspections. It also would expand USDA's power to trace and recall food and call for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work with other agencies to identify and respond to biological threats to the food supply.

"We need to be more vigilant than ever, and that applies to everything from airline security to food safety," Schumer said.

By Ann Bagel Storck on Tuesday, October 16, 2007



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