WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Almost 100 House members wrote President Clinton last week asking that tougher food protection measures be included in future trade agreements. They also released a report charging that existing trade deals have eroded the safety of the U.S. food supply.
Led by Reps. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the group asked for the following measures:
That imported food be labeled with its country of origin;
That funding for border inspections of trucks carrying produce be increased;
That the North American Free Trade Agreement be renegotiated to include Clinton's pending request for latitude in negotiating additional trade agreements, including strong food-safety provisions.
The Grocery Manufactures of America here countered the charges made by the group. The GMA's vice president for communications, Ben Zingman, responded to the lawmakers, saying U.S. food is the "safest food supply in the world. It is both cynical and misleading to link food-safety concerns" with the president's request for negotiating authority.
Zingman also disputed the calls for country-of-origin labeling. "They do not increase food safety, nor do they address safety concerns. It is misleading to imply a connection, just as it is misleading to imply a connection between food safety and fast-track negotiating authority," he said.
Many in the food industry back Clinton's request. In testimony before the House Agriculture Committee, most major commodity groups said they backed the pursuit of additional trade expansion.
The American Meat Institute, Arlington, Va., and the National Food Processors Association here also said they favored freer trade.
The AMI said that U.S. meat producers are reliant on increased exports. In 1996, U.S. packers and processors exported $3 billion in beef and beef variety meats and a record $1.1 billion in pork and pork variety meats.
