Protecting the safety of our food supply is vital. Failure to do so could have disastrous consequences—leading to product recalls; food shortages; worsening hunger; and, in some cases, consumer illness or death. It has been one of my greatest priorities throughout my time in Congress, and in looking for a partner in this ongoing effort to strengthen our food safety systems, it only made sense for me to work with an organization that has been doing this, and doing it very successfully, for a very long time. I am proud to call the National Consumers League (NCL), a true and trusted partner in our fight to protect consumers and our nation’s food supply.

Food safety has been a central pillar of NCL’s work throughout its 125-year history. At the beginning of the 20th century, during President Theodore Roosevelt’s Administration in 1906, NCL played a critical role in the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drugs Act, a historically important effort to address the unsanitary food production practices of that time and protect consumer health. During that era, NCL was an influential voice in encouraging consumers to buy products made in safe factories where workers were paid and treated well.

And in the decades that followed, NCL was at the forefront of a wide range of food safety issues, from demanding adequate testing of food additives to barring insufficient and misleading labeling.

The clear and compelling voice of the NCL is needed on this issue now more than ever before. Today, one in every six Americans gets sick at some point in the year because of something they ate or drank. Three thousand people die annually, and another 128,000 are hospitalized because of foodborne illnesses. We can do better than this, but we are kept from doing so by an ineffective, fragmented food safety regulatory structure that does an inadequate job of protecting the public.

For years, Senator Dick Durbin and I have been sponsoring legislation that would streamline our current food safety system—in which 16 different agencies administer at least 30 laws regarding food—into a single, independent agency that would be in charge of all inspections, labeling, and enforcement, and would have the resources and the authority to rapidly identify and contain outbreaks of food-related disease.

NCL has been a strong and consistent supporter of this legislation and a valuable partner in advocating the reforms that will help this country avoid the kind of problems we have seen all too recently, such as, contaminated baby formula and formula shortages.

On that issue, many of us in Congress have applauded the clear vision that NCL has shared with the American public. In response to the 2022 infant formula shortage and a report from a credible whistleblower to my office, I insisted that a full investigation of the factory that produced the contaminated formula take place, that we incentivize more companies to produce infant formula so a small handful of corporations aren’t dominating the market (I have recently introduced legislation to advance this concept), and that the single food safety agency we are advocating for include a baby formula safety and supply chain expert. I appreciate Sally Greenberg and her staff for their steadfast support in this fight.

Change is never easy, especially when too many corporate interests find it advantageous to keep the status quo in place. But we have strong and capable allies on our side in this fight to ensure that the food in our refrigerators and pantries is safe. NCL has been at this for 125 years and has won a lot of major victories during that time. I have no doubt that more wins for consumers are on the horizon, thanks in large part to NCL’s hard work.

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U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro has served Connecticut’s Third Congressional District since 1991. She is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee. 

Sixteen years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) invested in the NCL’s launch of its Script Your Future initiative. It turned out to be an extremely wise use of public resources. The program is still making a difference in people’s health and lives today, providing education on the importance of medication adherence, building confidence in vaccines, offering information on alternatives to opioids, and raising awareness of drug safety and how to engage in safe drug disposal. Because of Script Your Future, more patients are knowledgeable about their medication options, including the growing field of biosimilars.

The success of this program is emblematic of the long-standing, productive relationship between the FDA and NCL. During my nearly four decades with the agency, I have greatly appreciated a partnership that has benefited all who rely on the safety and efficacy of medicines and healthy foods. I began my relationship with NCL when Linda Golodner was the organization’s CEO and have continued our collaboration with Sally Greenberg and her team.

NCL’s history as an advocate for public health is linked to the very creation of the FDA. Under Florence Kelley’s historic leadership of the League, the organization played a critical role, during President Theodore Roosevelt’s Administration, in the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act, which, for the first time, created legal protections declaring that consumers had the right to safe products. The bill also created the precursor for what would become the FDA.

Then, just over a decade later, NCL defied not only the conventional wisdom of the time, but also staunch opposition from powerful political forces to get the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act enacted into law. Also known as the “Maternity Act,” Sheppard-Towner became the first-ever federally funded social welfare program, providing states with federal matching funds for health clinics for pregnant women, as well as mothers and their children, visiting nurses to help care for pregnant and new mothers, midwife training, and dissemination of health and nutrition information.

When I began working with NCL early in my tenure at the FDA, it was already an organization that had established enormous credibility as a valuable ally for patients and consumers. What I found firsthand is that NCL is an honest, reliable broker on a wide range of issues and has an unwavering commitment to the well-being of consumers and workers. In our work at the FDA, NCL has been a valuable ally that has effectively advanced responsible policies on food and medication safety.

Today, NCL is continuing to build on its 125- year volume of accomplishments, focusing on the important challenges of today. NCL is providing a necessary voice on issues such as prescription drug access and affordability, stopping the spread of counterfeit medications, improving food and beverage labeling, and promoting nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

The science behind medical and food innovation is constantly and rapidly evolving, and as it does, so will the issues affecting population health and welfare. So, in addition to congratulating NCL on its 125th anniversary, I want to emphasize how important it is that we continue to have NCL shaping a future defined by health, safety, and access to the best care medical science continues to provide.

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Before her retirement earlier this year, Dr. Janet Woodcock held numerous leadership positions at the Food and Drug Administration, including Acting Commissioner, Principal Deputy Commissioner, and Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. In 2017, NCL recognized Dr. Woodcock with the Florence Kelley Consumer Leadership Award.