"Partnering Together for Food Safety"

Thank you so very much, Steve (Sanger, Chairman and CEO of General Mills and Chairman of GMA), for that kind introduction and for your leadership of one of America's premier food corporations as well as of the G-M-A.

Steve, I've spent a lifetime eating my Wheaties, as have my three children, so my whole family truly is in your debt.

I also want to say hello to Bill Perez, President and CEO of the S.C. Johnson Company, which is based in Racine, Wisconsin. S.C. Johnson is a great company and is in good hands with Bill at the helm.

The GMA was founded 94 years ago, and today, you are still working with government as a vital partner in so many areas. So let me go over some of those challenges with you, as you have been our partners in dealing with them. And let me also discuss some issues I know are important to your companies and your employees.

First, I'll talk about what we've done to improve food safety in terms of protecting American consumers from bioterrorism.

Second, what we're doing to make sure that America's food supply remains the highest quality in the world. This includes our efforts to ensure that our imported food is safe, how we are addressing food allergens and what we're doing in regard to biotech foods.

And third, our prevention initiative and your vital role in furthering our goal of a healthier nation.

Let me start, however, by discussing the appointment of someone I know is of great interest to all of you - Dr. Mark McClellan, the new Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Mark McClellan is a superb choice for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. He is a physician and holds a Ph.D. in economics. He has been a member of the President's Council of Economic Advisors and has, as a result, been in the White House in the period following September 11, 2001. So, he understands the absolutely essential importance of food safety and a quality food supply.

One of Mark's and my highest priorities - a priority for the entire Administration - is defending our nation against bioterrorism via the food supply. That's why the FDA has hired the 832 new employees authorized by Congress this year to upgrade their food inspection and analysis efforts.

By the end of the fiscal year that has just concluded, the FDA was able to conduct more than 24,000 on-site import inspections, double the total in the past. That capacity will double again this fiscal year, to 48,000 on-site inspections.

Your support in this initiative has been tremendous, and I thank you so very much for it. All Americans deserve to know that their government is doing all it can to ensure that the food we eat and the beverages we drink are safe and healthy. Your commitment to that same goal has been a source of encouragement and confidence to those of us who have to implement it in public policy.

Now, as you know, the President signed legislation in June that will enable us to move forward monitor imported food even better and contain outbreaks of food-borne illness much faster. It's called the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002.

The reason for this legislation is simple: In an era when terrorists might well seek to use food as a weapon, a sound food tracking system could well prove critical to the health and well-being of untold numbers of our countrymen.

The Bioterrorism Act requires that all food production and distribution facilities must register with the FDA … provide prior notice of its intent to import food and food products … and develop a "one up, one down" record-keeping system that will contain information on where the food the company received came from and to whom it was then sold.

This winter, we are issuing proposed rules to implement these provisions of the new bill. The final rules will go into effect next year on December 12, 2003.

My friends, during the comment period over the next few months, let me ask you to continue providing comment. Let me know your thoughts and concerns. We in the Administration want to continue working with you.

In another step toward greater food safety, we have just begun preventing all Mexican-grown cantaloupes from entering the U.S. until adequate controls are in place. Regrettably, over the past three years, there have been four Salmonella outbreaks linked to cantaloupes from Mexico, resulting in two deaths, 18 hospitalizations and as many as 200 Americans and Canadians becoming ill.

So, as of October 28, we've put a halt to further Mexican cantaloupe importation until adequate controls in the Mexican cantaloupe growing and packing industry have been implemented.

Food safety also extends to ensuring that people know what they are purchasing when they buy the goods you produce. Of course, I'm thinking of food allergen labeling.

Let me thank you for your outstanding new publication, "Food Allergens: Improving Labels, Informing Consumers." You've done a tremendous job of moving forward in this matter, and according to your survey, more than three-quarters of your firms are already labeling your foods voluntarily.

Eighty-five percent of all the respondents to your survey say they will "complete implementation" of labeling information by the end of next year … and you're working to put them into plain English so that instead of "whey," people know they're eating a "milk"-related product.

In addition, by addressing issues of cross-contamination, you are taking another critical step toward ensuring food safety. I know installing the equipment necessary to prevent cross-contamination is expensive and time-consuming, as is the effort to clean equipment properly between uses. And we all know there's much more to do. But by protecting people from ingredients that might cause them problems, you're saving lives, not to mention the cost of litigation.

Some of you have even invited the FDA to visit your plants to take a look at what you've done and offer further guidance. You also provide excellent models for small businesses. That's the kind of partnership we need, and I thank you for your leadership and for not waiting for some future legislation or regulation.

Let me emphasize that we're doing all we can to advance biotech foods. For example, the FDA's Deputy Commissioner Les Crawford - a friend of mine and yours who did a superb job as interim commissioner - recently sent a letter to the State of Oregon explaining why mandatory labeling of biotech foods is unneeded and, in fact, counterproductive. We're opposing the citizen referendum in that state concerning mandatory food labeling and have been public about this.

I should note that while I was governor of Wisconsin, I helped begin the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership. Our aim was to encourage our fellow governors and other state officials to better understand the role of biotechnology, especially as it relates to agriculture and food safety.

Biotech foods could improve food yields by up to 25 percent in the developing world and feed the more than three billion people to be born in the next three decades. This will save forestland, reduce the use of chemical pesticides and provide a higher standard of living for everyone, whether in the U.S. and Europe or in places like Sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions.

In Zambia in Africa, U.S.-donated food is rotting in warehouses while people starve because ill-informed politicians won't give bioengineered foods to their malnourished people. This is worse than absurd - it is morally wrong.

The GMA has already committed itself to "working cooperatively with government and consumers to develop innovative, sustainable, and efficient solutions to lower obesity rates, especially among children." For this dedication, I commend you for so willingly partnering with us to address this modern epidemic.

Seventeen million Americans have diabetes. Another 16 million are pre-diabetic. We know that one-third of all cancers, at a minimum, are caused by poor nutrition, overweight and simply being inactive. We also know that hypertension, which is aggravated by obesity, contributes to the number one cause of death in this country: heart disease. Sixty-one percent of American adults, and over 15 percent of our children and adolescents, are overweight or obese.

We're doing our part in the Administration to encourage sound health habits. The President's "Healthier U.S." program … my department's "Five-A-Day" fruits and vegetable program … our work to close the "health gap" too many minority citizens experience … our many initiatives designed to encourage exercise and discourage drug and alcohol abuse … and our nationwide campaign to discourage smoking … are all important to this effort.

I know you're doing a lot already. You have pledged your support for the 5 A Day program. You support the ACTIVATE initiative to promote healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. You've produced an important new brochure, "You Are More Than What You Eat," that encourages everyone to choose a balanced diet and to exercise consistently. It's full of practical guidance and sound scientific information that's put in language ordinary Americans can understand. You are putting your money where America's mouths are, and our whole country will be better off for it.

Now, as some of you know, my colleague Ann Veneman and I met about three weeks ago with representatives of the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants to begin a dialogue about how the food and beverage industry can help Americans combat obesity.

Rest assured, I don't, and the Administration doesn't, want to mandate anything. We're not talking about government regulating what you produce or how you sell it.

We're talking about the private sector joining with us in a deliberate effort to encourage better eating choices and lifestyle practices by ordinary men, women and children.

Again, please accept my sincere thanks for all you have done and are doing. I look forward to working with you toward the greater health and well-being of all Americans.

My friends, when I think of the men and women of the GMA, I'm reminded of something one of my great heroes, Ronald Reagan, said some years ago.

As he put it, "Too often entrepreneurs are forgotten heroes. We rarely hear about them. But look into the heart of America, and you will see them. They are … the brave people everywhere who produce our goods, feed a hungry world, and keep our homes and families warm while they invest in the future to build a better America." I can think of no more fitting description of America's grocers … farmers … and food producers. What you do can be summarized in four words: You keep America strong.
For that, every single American, and hundreds of millions of people throughout the world, are in your enduring debt.

Thank you again so very much for letting me come speak with you this evening. I look forward to your questions.

Last Revised: November 7, 2002

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