Foodborne outbreak should prompt reform: lawmaker

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has missed crucial opportunities to improve the safety of fresh produce, and this week's foodborne outbreak in tomatoes is a renewed call for reform, Rep. Rosa DeLauro said on Thursday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday a salmonella outbreak in at least nine states appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes.

So far, there have been 57 reported cases of illness in Texas and New Mexico. About 30 more people have fallen sick in seven states, and authorities said they are investigating to see if the outbreaks are linked.

The health scare is the latest threat to the U.S. food supply. Safety scares that have roiled consumers, Congress and federal health regulators over the past few years include spinach tainted with E. coli and peanut butter and pot pies with salmonella. In the spinach outbreak in 2006, three people died and more than 200 became infected.

"We are in danger of seeing a repeat of this situation with the recent salmonella outbreak involving tomatoes," said DeLauro, chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, who has held hearings on improving food safety.

"It is long past time for the federal government to act. Congress should heed this call and move forward with reforming the food safety system," she added in a statement.

The outbreaks since 2006 have lead to dozens of hearings and proposals from the fresh produce industry and the FDA looking for tougher federal safety standards.

DeLauro said lawmakers need to embrace ways shown to prevent contamination, science-based performance standards, frequent inspections, and accountability for imported foods.

(Reporting by Christopher Doering; Editing by Marguerita Choy)