ITEMS OF INTEREST

PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES LISTERIA TESTING
President Clinton used his weekly radio address on May 6 to announce 'an aggressive new strategy to significantly reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses caused by Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods such as hot dogs and lunch meats.'
One facet of the new regulations to be proposed is systematic testing for Listeria at food-processing plants. The President also called on Congress to fully fund the $68 million increase he has requested for the President’s Food Safety Initiative, after Congressional committees voted to block the funding. The increase would, in part, fund the administration’s new activities to address Salmonella contamination in eggs.
A copy of the radio address and the announcement are available from the FDA web site at:
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/press.htm