"Consumer Federation of America is happy to support the Downed Animal Protection Act, which Congressman Ackerman is introducing today.

"Consumer Federation is a nonprofit association of 300 consumer groups, representing more than 50 million Americans nationwide. CFA has long advocated the banning of meat from downer animals from the nation's food supply. And we support Congressman Ackerman's efforts to make the USDA's current ban on downer animals permanent.

"Downer animals are a threat to food safety. Study after study have shown that downer cows are more likely to have mad cow disease than the general cattle population. In addition, downer cattle are 3 times more likely than healthy cows to be carry E.coli O157:H7, a pathogen that sickens over 70,000 people a year. These maladies have a high prevalence in other downer animals as well and we are pleased that Congressman Ackerman has extended the ban to include those downed animals.

"It is crucial that we stop putting meat from sick animals into the nation's food supply. This bill will go a long ways towards reassuring consumers that we are doing just that."