{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://bit.ly/2Bbq8zA", "Following Reports of Food Safety Violations on Refrigerated Food Trucks, Brown Calls on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to Provide Detailed Report of Inspections", "2013-11-22", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Sherrod Brown", "B000944", "bit.ly", null, null, "legacy", "Brown Has Been a Strong Advocate for Increased Food Safety Standards, Protecting Ohio Consumers\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tFriday, November 22, 2013\n            \n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Following an investigative report that found potential gaps in the food safety supply chain, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) sent a letter to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) asking for a detailed accounting of the frequency of inspections in Ohio and nationally and FMCSA\u2019s work to monitor refrigerated semi or large bulk trucks.\u00a0\n\u201cFood safety is critically important. Consumers must have faith that their food is safe and government plays an important role in make that guarantee,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI look forward to working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to ensure that proper inspections are occurring and that both federal and state agencies have the information they need to better protect food safety during shipment.\u201d\nBrown wrote to FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro following a WBNS-10TV report that found Ohio lacks proper state oversight of refrigerated semi-trucks. In recent months, Ohio State Highway Patrol officers have found spoiled and rotten foods headed for delivery while conducting routine vehicle safety inspections. The investigation found that no specific agency in Ohio is tasked with proactive monitoring of refrigerated food transportation trucks in Ohio, allowing operators to potentially deliver spoiled food.\nThe letter also called for the FMCSA to develop better partnerships between federal and state agencies to better protect food safety during shipment.\nBrown has been a strong advocate in the Senate for food safety, and was instrumental in passing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, he passed legislation to give the FDA new authority to recall dangerous foods, improve the safety of imported products, and establish a comprehensive traceability system to quickly and accurately trace the source of tainted food in the event of a food-borne illness outbreak.\nThe full text of the letter is below.\nMs. Anne S. Ferro\nAdministrator\nFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Suite W60-300, Washington, DC 20590\n\u00a0\nDear Administrator Ferro:\nIt has recently come to my attention that there is potentially a gap in the food safety supply chain as it relates to refrigerated trucks. I have heard reports of large refrigerated trucks containing broken refrigeration units and filled with rotting and spoiled food for delivery to local restaurants being stopped by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It is my belief that our food safety security net\u2014a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the State of Ohio\u2014also requires the guidance and participation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).\nI appreciate past efforts by the Department of Transportation and FMCSA to monitor food shipments. I would appreciate an update on the number and frequency of FMCSA inspections in Ohio and nationally, and the number of reports by DOT inspectors to the USDA\u2019s Food Safety and Inspection Service.\nAdditionally, if there are opportunities to develop federal and state level partnerships to better protect food safety during shipment, this could be of significant benefit to the public. I look forward to your response.\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://bit.ly/2Bbq8zA"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4863847754895687, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}