Congressman Wants to Shield Food Industry from Lawsuits

[Guest guest]

ON THE HOOF

Then there's Congress, which is now offering take-out

service. Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla., doesn't want the big

restaurant chain that's headquartered in his district to get

indigestion thinking of all the bad things that might happen

if the occasional poisoned customer sues them. So Keller has

introduced legislation that would basically make restaurants

and food companies exempt from being pestered by

consumer suits.

http://consumeraffairs.com/news03/food_safety.html

 

Congressman Wants to Shield Food Industry from Lawsuits

 

June 20, 2003

U.S. Rep. Ric Keller, R-Fla., doesn't think restaurants and food manufacturers

should be held liable for consumers' health problems, even if their products are

the cause of those problems. He's introducing legislation in Congress that would

block consumers from going to court when they're harmed by food products

 

Keller is portraying his bill as protecting restaurants against lawsuits that

blame Big Macs and french fries for obesity and diabetes. But consumer advocates

noted that the legislation would also block many other types of lawsuits and

suggested that Keller's fervor may be motivated by the interests of some of his

corporate constitutents.

 

Darden Restaurants Inc., the nation's largest casual dining restaurant company,

is headquartered in Keller's district. The company owns the Red Lobster and

Olive Garden chains. During the 2002 election cycle, food and beverage companies

contributed $33,750 to the second-term congressman's re-election campaign and

food processing and sales companies gave Keller $18,000, according to the Center

for Responsive Politics in Washington.

 

Keller, who stands 5'8 " and weighs in at 210, says it's " common sense " that too

many shakes, burgers and fries can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other

problems.

 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest called Keller's bill " frivolous. "

 

" Representative Keller simply wants to preemptively take an entire industry off

the hook, and make restaurants and food companies a special, protected class -—

immune from the scrutiny of judges or juries, " said CSPI executive director

Michael F. Jacobson.

 

Keller's bill would bar any civil lawsuit unless the company at issue is not in

compliance with a specific law or regulation. Consumer advocates argue that no

regulatory agency could possibly foresee every instance of injurious behavior.

 

“It’s ironic to see so-called conservatives so eager to wield the power of big

government. But it’s entirely predictable for them to do so to protect big

business,” said Jacobson. “This bill has nothing to do with encouraging personal

responsibility, and everything to do with encouraging corporate

irresponsibility.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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