Posted on 11/20/2010 4:46:25 AM PST by don-o
The Food Safety Bill s510, considered both influential and controversial, was just passed in the Senate. This comes almost a year and a half after the House passed a bill calling to tighten the nation’s food safety rules. It will be the first time in 70 years that the FDA’s food safety system will be modernized. The bill will permit the FDA to increase inspections of food producers, track fruit and vegetable shipments and place stricter manufacturing standards to attempt to avoid outbreaks of contamination.
Some highly respected health experts are in fact on both sides of the debate—Michael Pollan (Omnivores Dilemma and Food Rules) publicly urged people to call their Senators to prevent the bill from passing, whereas Marion Nestle (Food Politics and What to Eat) thinks it’s about time for updated food safety regulations.
Little is known about the possible unintended consequences of the tighter restrictions that will come with the updated food safety bill. Many individuals and citizen’s groups are concerned that the bill was passed without time for discussions and refinement of the details. In the days leading up to the vote, groups encouraged the public to contact Senators for fear of the immediate passing of the bill without amendments.
Opponents of the bill were concerned that the cost of compliance and large amount of paperwork required would inevitably put small businesses, smaller suppliers, and those who sell directly to consumers, like small family-owned farms, vendors at farmer’s markets, out of business. This has the potential to significantly interfere with organic and small scale food manufacturers as well as various natural supplements.
It seems that only time will tell if Food Safety Bill s510 will actually make our food safer, or if it will lead to a host of other unintended problems.
Considering the safety of our food supply is timely. Increased cases of food borne illness have put consumers on alert. However, are increased government regulations and more red tape the answer? Or is getting back to basics and encouraging more local sustainable agriculture an obvious missing piece to this puzzle?
I am not fully up to speed myself, but I think it has to pass reconciliation and maybe it can be killed in the House.
If no one has started one, I will manage a ping list on this.
Bad news. This is a power grab over a food supply that is just fine.
Americans get good safe food and plenty of it. Why mess with that?
We need to go in the opposite direction and reduce regulation over food.
” I posted this blog in the News/Activism forum deliberately to raise awareness. “
There’s been a half-dozen threads on this topic over the past couple of days - and I’m glad to see another, because this bill is so bad and far-reaching that we need to get the word out to everyone possible — even the Weekend Lurkers can write to their Congresscritters....
The Bill has *not* passed yet - the vote the other day was for cloture (limit of debate), and as I understand it, it probably won’t come up for a final vote in the Senate until after the Thanksgiving recess.....
This is Nationalization of the entire food chain, and it must be stopped.....
Yes. I have seen a couple of those threads. May I put to on a ping list?
“Little is known about the possible unintended consequences of the tighter restrictions that will come with the updated food safety bill.”
THIS alone is a major red flag!
Watch Food Inc. Yes it is biased but it brings up good factual points of what is happening in the US.
If it’s passed by Reid & Pelosi it’s bad.
Let’s clear up a misapprehension right off the bat, here — this bill has damn little to do with food ‘safety’ per se...
It’s 250 pages of half-baked notions so vaguely written that it, in essence, gives the FDA carte blanche to sieze control of every aspect of food growing, (including back-yard gardens), processing, transport, storage, and distribution - by regulatory fiat with no provision for due process or recourse.....
Don’t be fooled by the name - it’s a naked power grab, pure and simple....
Equals more gubberment workers and bureaucrats. Exactly what we need.
It's 1984 in real time...
The Ministry of Truth exists to tell lies and The Ministry of Love exists to torture resistors into compliance.
Orwell saw it all.
Anything the government does eventually does not work. Name one thing that has worked. And all of them were initiated because of some real or supposed need. Besides, using a little logic instead of emotion ...How many people have died last year from “bad food?” How many people died in car wrecks in the USA (50,000+). If you look at deaths per 1000 people ... you need to ban cars and leave the food alone.
I have not been fooled at all.
I contacted my senators a few days ago to explain why I wanted them to vote AGAINST this bill.
” I contacted my senators a few days ago to explain why I wanted them to vote AGAINST this bill. “
Thank you....
I have not looked at this site in depth, but at first glance, it seems useful. My searching has shown that folks way to the left of us are opposing this as well.
” My searching has shown that folks way to the left of us are opposing this as well. “
Yep - when I read that American Thinker article you referenced in your earlier post, I was struck by the fact that the author relied heavily - if not exclusively - on quotes from Left-Leaning sources....
It’s a ‘strange bedfellows’ alliance that’s sprung up in opposition to this bill... ;)
From the ‘Right’ end of the spectrum —
“Senate Bill 510 May Be the Most Dangerous Bill in the History of the US “
Thanks for that link. I need to get off the board and be about business. I am unclear about the House in this bill and the Library of Congress site is currently down for maintainece.
” I am unclear about the House in this bill “
The House version of this Bill (HR2749) passed in July, 2009 - and is waiting in the wings for the Senate to pass S510 for ‘reconciliation’ and final approval....
“I am not fully up to speed myself, but I think it has to pass reconciliation and maybe it can be killed in the House.”
Wrong, wrong.
It’s just more evil nanny-state fascism sponsored by the multi-national corporations which control the US Senate.
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