Rep. Mason Leads Measure to Ensure Food Safety, Public Health for Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A new measure led by state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, continues her commitment to public health by ensuring that Illinois catfish are processed safely and inspected thoroughly before being cleared for sale on the open market and human consumption.

“Allowing bad fish to make its way into our grocery stores presents a public health hazard,” Mason said. “The resulting spread of food poisoning and related illnesses, sudden burden on our hospitals and lasting blow to trust in the fish industry would pose serious challenges for our community. These new safeguards help prevent that harm.”

Mason has fought for the public safety of her community on a variety of fronts since she came into office, and taking a lead role in the passage of Senate Bill 2459 is another step forward for that cause. This measure makes small changes to definitions in the Illinois Meat and Poultry Inspection Act to allow catfish (Siluriformes fish) to be inspected by Illinois health experts.

Senate Bill 2459 received strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate and now goes to the Governor’s desk for consideration. It has the backing of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Freedom Civic Coalition.

“Maintaining public safety is a responsibility that requires a holistic approach,” Mason said. “We are always working on keeping violent criminals off our streets, ensuring that our water is safe to drink and our air is safe to breathe, advancing renewable energy technologies and, in this case, we are working on making sure the food we buy is safe to eat. This is a responsibility I take very seriously.”