Colorado congresswoman pushes for food-safety legislation

DENVER ” Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., wants to enable the government to issue mandatory recalls of contaminated foods and quickly identify the source of food-borne illnesses.

DeGette pushed the new legislation Thursday during a hearing in Congress amid a nationwide salmonella outbreak that led to federal warnings to avoid certain raw, red tomatoes.

Two people in Colorado have confirmed cases of the same salmonella strain that has sickened at least 228 people in 23 states.

In pushing the legislation, DeGette said the latest outbreak was only the latest in a string of similar incidents in the last year.