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House Democrats want hearing on listeria outbreak
Energy and Commerce Democrats are demanding the panel investigate the listeria outbreak that has killed at least 15 people so far.
The outbreak has been traced back to Colorado cantaloupes. At least 84 people in 19 states have been sickened, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in what's already the deadliest outbreak of a foodborne disease in more than a decade.
"An investigation and hearing would allow us to learn about the causes of this outbreak and understand actions that could be taken by industry and the Food and Drug Administration to prevent similar outbreaks in the future," says the letter from ranking member Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Oversight subpanel ranking member Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) to their Republican counterparts.
"Additionally," the letter concludes, "we ask the majority to schedule bipartisan briefings with officials from Jensen Farms, as well as bipartisan briefings with officials from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
