House Passes Landmark Food Safety Bill: The US House of Representatives passed a food safety bill on Thursday that promises far-reaching reform of how food is processed and grown, intended to boost food safety and consumer confidence.
READ MORE >>
Food Safety Bill Needs Work The food safety bill that passed the House last Thursday faces an uphill struggle in the Senate. READ MORE >>
Politics of the Plate: Casting the Food Safety Net too Wide A bill recently passed by the House could have detrimental effects on small farmers. READ MORE >>
Food Insecurity NOT Food Safety The FDA has already demonstrated its inability to protect us from food borne illness outbreaks. In fact, Congress is giving them a reward for their failures, in an effort to look like they are doing the right thing for America. READ MORE >>
FDA releases commodity-specific safety rules for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens The Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens in a process that is expected to lead to more formal regulation of those commodities. READ MORE >>
House Approves New Food-Safety Laws "No legislation like this has moved forward this far in decades to overhaul the food safety laws, It's a pretty historic moment." READ MORE >>
House Approves Food-Safety Bill: Law Would Greatly Expand FDA's Power The House approved the first major changes to food-safety laws in 70 years Thursday, giving sweeping new authority to the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the way food is grown, harvested and processed. READ MORE >>
LEARN MORE ABOUT HR2749... CLICK HERE >>
8.11.2009
8.05.2009
HR2749 - Passes the House
The Food Safety Enhancement Act passes the US House! It's incredible but true. Just after a few weeks being rushed through committee, and thanks to congressional leaders who opted to fast-track the new law, HR2749 passed the house with little debate and was last minute amended to exempt small farmers and local food artisans who sell 50% or more direct to the customer. More than likely this Bill will be fast tracked through the Senate this fall, so we have the rest of summer to contact our Senators to voice our disgust for their misguided concern over our "food safety". Local food advocates can print this flyer to inform others before its too late.
The FDA is apparently ready to take full use of their new unchecked authority. The day before HR2749 passes in the House, the FDA, with backing from BIG business, released draft guidance for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens. This is sure to only be the beginning for more formal regulations that will challenge how organic and local food is produced and handled.
As a small farmer we are concerned that we will be regulated and bullied out of business. In fear of warrantless searches of business records, increased record keeping, new federal fees, fines and penalties (up to 10yrs prison and $100,000 per offense), along with increased domestic scrutiny (while less than 1% of imported food is currently inspected). At the very least we will see a rise in food prices as American farmers will be heavily burdened and priced out of the global market. This "one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme" is not good for anyone except BIG business and industrial farming.
From the local food front, Farmer Brad
The FDA is apparently ready to take full use of their new unchecked authority. The day before HR2749 passes in the House, the FDA, with backing from BIG business, released draft guidance for melons, tomatoes and leafy greens. This is sure to only be the beginning for more formal regulations that will challenge how organic and local food is produced and handled.
As a small farmer we are concerned that we will be regulated and bullied out of business. In fear of warrantless searches of business records, increased record keeping, new federal fees, fines and penalties (up to 10yrs prison and $100,000 per offense), along with increased domestic scrutiny (while less than 1% of imported food is currently inspected). At the very least we will see a rise in food prices as American farmers will be heavily burdened and priced out of the global market. This "one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme" is not good for anyone except BIG business and industrial farming.
From the local food front, Farmer Brad
7.29.2009
HR2749 - revote
The Food Safety Enhancement Act was barely knocked down today by 8 votes in the House! A short time later, the Rules Committee decided to do a revote the following day, suspending the rules, limiting discussion to an hour, and not allowing any amendments that could clarify who exactly would be regulated and were the generated funds via new registration fees would be spent (not assuring any additional inspections of imported food). This Bill needs to be opposed! We want REAL food safety by better regulating factory farms and inspecting imported food. The small family farmer needs to be exempt and the Feds need to keep their hands off of our local food economy.
Read the latest articles:
US House defeats sweeping reform of food safety (until Thursday's revote)
Find out if your Representative opposed the Bill... click here >>
HR2749 Nearly Passes and Spells The End of Local Food
Sign the petition!
Read the latest articles:
US House defeats sweeping reform of food safety (until Thursday's revote)
Find out if your Representative opposed the Bill... click here >>
HR2749 Nearly Passes and Spells The End of Local Food
Sign the petition!
7.27.2009
HR2749: A Letter To My Representatives
HR2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act, going before Congress this week does not address the underlying problems with our food supply. All previous food recalls have been traced back to industrial farming practices and/or uninspected imported food and yet HR2749 does not directly address these issues. Instead it indiscriminately challenges all food providers giving the FDA unchecked powers that will "bully" small family farms and local food artisans out of business.
I urge my representatives to include the Farr-Kaptur amendments that would exempt small-scale on-farm processors selling directly to consumers, require FDA to coordinate with USDA and to consult with the National Organic Program, exempt farms selling directly to businesses from the traceability requirements, and establish a sliding scale for the registration fees.
In Addition to these amendments we need to limit the bill to food being shipped interstate, and explicitly exempt all farms and food processors who are selling only intrastate from all provisions of the bill. We also need to provide an exemption for farms and food processors selling directly to consumers within a local "foodshed", since those who live near a state boundary often have local markets on the other side of that boundary.
Please do the right thing by exempting our few remaining small farms and by specifically regulating the real threat to food safety: the imported and industrial food industry.
Sign the petition!
I urge my representatives to include the Farr-Kaptur amendments that would exempt small-scale on-farm processors selling directly to consumers, require FDA to coordinate with USDA and to consult with the National Organic Program, exempt farms selling directly to businesses from the traceability requirements, and establish a sliding scale for the registration fees.
In Addition to these amendments we need to limit the bill to food being shipped interstate, and explicitly exempt all farms and food processors who are selling only intrastate from all provisions of the bill. We also need to provide an exemption for farms and food processors selling directly to consumers within a local "foodshed", since those who live near a state boundary often have local markets on the other side of that boundary.
Please do the right thing by exempting our few remaining small farms and by specifically regulating the real threat to food safety: the imported and industrial food industry.
Sign the petition!
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