Herb Kohl: “I rise today with Senators Hatch, Leahy, DeWine, and Durbin to introduce the Product Packaging Protection Act of 2001.…”

“I rise today with Senators Hatch, Leahy, DeWine, and Durbin to introduce the Product Packaging Protection Act of 2001. This measure will help prevent and punish a disturbing trend of product tampering, the placement of hate-filled literature into the boxes of cereal or food that millions of Americans bring home from the grocery store every day. Opening a box of macaroni and cheese should not be a harrowing experience. But too many Americans have recently opened product boxes and found offensive, racist, anti-Semitic, pornographic and hateful leaflets. In the last few years, food manufacturers have received numerous complaints from consumers who report finding such literature inserted in their groceries. Hundreds more incidents have likely gone unreported. Pizza and cereal boxes appear to be the most frequent targets of this hate speech, but any product large enough for a vandal to insert an offensive leaflet is a potential target. As disturbing as this conduct is, it is equally troubling that no Federal law exists. And only a couple of State laws are in place. The measure I introduce today will remedy this situation.”