Chellie urges federal officials to explain investigation into Salmonella outbreak

Says rules should be tightened to allow better tracking of contaminated meat

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is urging the Obama Administration to explain the steps they are taking to find the origin of contaminated ground beef that has been linked to up to 19 cases of Salmonella poisoning in Maine, New York and a number of other states. Fourteen of the victims had reported buying ground beef from Hannaford Supermarkets.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Pingree wrote, "I understand that certain information cannot be released until the USDA has completed its investigation. However, (the USDA) is currently conducting an investigation into the origin of the ground beef that has been linked to the Salmonella cases, and I do think the public has a right to know the steps that USDA is taking to trace the origins of any contaminated beef."

Pingree has also been urging the Administration to adopt tougher regulations for retailers to require that they keep track of the source of all meat that is put into theground beef they sell.

"Large retailers often grind their own ground beef and sometimes they don't keep track of the source of the meat used to produce it," Pingree said. "That can make it a lot harder to trace contamination back to the source. That sort of thing just doesn't happen with small, locally produced meat and this is another example of why it's important to know where your food comes from."

In her letter to Vilsack, Pingree pushed for changes in regulation "that require retailers to keep records that will allow quick determination of the source of any contaminated meat that is sold."