Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will discuss food safety in another in a series of "town hall" meetings on issues related to the Sept. 11 attacks on Monday, Nov. 19 in Ithaca.

The forum will be held from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Cornell University's Barnes Hall. The audience will consist of area health and emergency services personnel, elected officials and campus-based experts.

A limited number of tickets will be available for Cornell students at the Willard Straight ticket office beginning Thursday, Nov. 15. No backpacks or bags will be allowed into the event.

The forum is being sponsored by Cornell University and The Ithaca Journal . The event will be taped and replayed on Channel 15 of Time-Warner Cable on Nov. 27, 29 and Dec. 1 at 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.

In October, Clinton introduced legislation to strengthen the security of America's food supply and protect it from contamination. The proposed bill would give immediate recall and detention authority to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so it can quickly stop contaminated food from spreading to more consumers.

The proposal would also provide more resources to the FDA so that it can increase inspections of food imports. Currently, the FDA inspects less than 1 per cent of all imports annually and uses only 700 inspectors to oversee food imports and investigate 57,000 sites.

"Food safety is an important part of our national security and homeland defense. But the FDA's outdated enforcement tools have not kept pace with emerging hazards," says Clinton.

New York's junior senator has been holding meetings around the state on issues related to possible terrorist threats, including well-received sessions in Rochester and Syracuse in recent days.