BILL REQ. #:  S-1684.2 

Read first time 02/17/09.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to reporting contaminated food products; and amending RCW 43.70.170.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 43.70.170 and 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 s 256 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The secretary on his or her own motion or upon the complaint of any interested party, may investigate, examine, sample or inspect any article or condition constituting a threat to the public health including, but not limited to, outbreaks of communicable diseases, food poisoning, contaminated water supplies, and all other matters injurious to the public health. When not otherwise available, the department may purchase such samples or specimens as may be necessary to determine whether or not there exists a threat to the public health. In furtherance of any such investigation, examination or inspection, the secretary or the secretary's authorized representative may examine that portion of the ledgers, books, accounts, memorandums, and other documents and other articles and things used in connection with the business of such person relating to the actions involved.
     (2) For purposes of such investigation, the secretary or the secretary's representative shall at all times have free and unimpeded access to all buildings, yards, warehouses, storage and transportation facilities or any other place. The secretary may also, for the purposes of such investigation, issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses, as provided for in RCW 43.70.090 or the production of books and documents anywhere in the state.
     (3) Within available funds, the department shall provide a toll-free phone number to be listed in the government section of all phone books distributed to the public at large, with the description: "Report Suspicious or Contaminated Food Products." The toll-free number shall be included with any press release or public statement by the department involving contaminated food products. The toll-free number may be a number that has already been obtained for other department uses. The toll-free number shall be directed to a call center within the department to provide advice and assistance to state residents who are concerned about a particular food product that appears contaminated, suspicious, or tampered with. The department shall also publish the toll-free number on its web site accompanied by an internet form that may be used to report the contaminated or suspicious food product. All local public health jurisdictions shall be provided with the toll-free number and encouraged to publish the number in all materials dealing with local public health.