Senate Food Safety Bill
Present 2010
Action Alerts - 2010 Action Alerts
Monday, 04 October 2010
The Senate has returned home without voting
on S.510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, but unfortunately the
bill is still alive. Before returning home, the Senate started the
process to bring S.510 to the floor for a vote, and it is likely that
they will finally vote on it shortly after they re-convene on November
15.
This bill greatly expands FDA's authority over both processed foods
and fresh fruits and vegetables, and would give FDA authority to
impose extensive, burdensome requirements on even the smallest
processing facilities and farms who sell to local consumers.
We need the Tester-Hagan amendment to protect our vulnerable local
businesses!
The Senators are back in their home States for the election season.
This is an important time to publicize this issue and get their
commitment to support the Tester-Hagan amendment!
To take Action or for complete Article "Click
here".
January 2010
The Senate Food Safety Bill S.510 has passed
committee on the Senate floor and is now waiting for the full Senate
vote that will make this bill a law. This is the last vote needed
before it is law. We must work fast to contact our Senators and get
this bill amended to protect our small farms.
October 2009
The debate on food safety is heating up in
Congress. Last Thursday, October 22, the Senate Committee on
Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) held a hearing on S.
510, the Senate version of the draconian House food safety bill (H.R.
2749).
While FDA claimed that the bill only covers food in interstate
commerce, the language of the bill would impose sweeping regulations
on all farms and food processors. Meanwhile, S. 510 does not
address the problems of un-inspected imported foods or the
contamination from feedlots.
We think this bill is too bad to be fixed and should be defeated!
ACTION TO TAKE:
1. Contact both of your U.S. Senators and ask them to vote NO on
S.B. 510 because it will harm local and sustainable foods without
fixing the real problems in the mainstream industrial food system.
For contact information, go to www.congress.org
or call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
2. Also contact the Chair and Ranking Member of the HELP
Committee:
Chairman Harkin, (p): 202-224-0767, (f): 202-224-5128
Senator Enzi, Ranking Member, (p): 202-224-6770
You will have the greatest impact by faxing a personal letter or
visiting their district offices in-person. Next best is a phone
call, followed by an email.
TALKING POINTS
1. Although FDA stated that the bill only applies to food in
interstate commerce, the language of the bill does not contain any
such limitation. On its face, the bill applies to any farm or
food producer, regardless of the size or scope of distribution.
If the intent truly is to limit the bill to food that is
crossing state lines, then it must be amended. And even then,
the bill would still negatively impact small farmers and food
processors who live near state lines and who cross state lines to
reach local farmers markets and coops.
2. The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all
been within the large, industrial food system. Small, local food
producers have not contributed to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet
both the House and Senate bills subject the small, local food system
to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to
the industrial food system. Increased regulations,
record-keeping obligations, and the penalties and fees could destroy
small businesses that bring food to local communities.
3. FDA regulation of local food processors is unnecessary and
burdensome. Federal regulations may be needed for industrial
processing that source raw ingredients from multiple locations
(sometimes imported from other countries) and ship their products
across the country, but federal regulation is overkill for small,
local processors. Existing state and local public health laws
are enough for local food sources.
4. Relying on HACCP will harm small processors. S. 510 applies a
complex and burdensome Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
system to even the smallest local food processors. Although the
concept of preventative controls is a good one, the federal agencies'
implementation of HACCP, with its requirements to develop and maintain
extensive records, has already proven to be an overwhelming burden for
a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the
country. In the meat industry, HACCP has not eliminated the
spread of E-coli and other pathogens and has resulted in fewer
independent inspections of the large slaughter plants where these
pathogens originate. At the same time, small, regional
processors have been subject to sanctions due to paperwork violations
that posed no health threat. While HACCP plans are suited for
larger factories, applying a HACCP system to small, local foods
processors could drive them out of business, reducing consumers'
options to buy fresh, local foods.
5. S. 510 puts FDA on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA regulation
of how farms grow and harvest produce. Given the agency's track
record, it is likely that the regulations will discriminate against
small, organic, and diversified farms. The House version of the
bill directs FDA to consider the impact of its rulemaking on
small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable limits
or protections for small diversified and organic farms from
inappropriate and burdensome federal rules.
6. S 510 favors foreign farms and producers over domestic. Both
S 510 and H.R. 2749 create incentives for retailers to import more
food from other countries, both because the bills burden family farms
and small business and because it will be practically impossible to
hold foreign food facilities to the same standards and inspections.
The bills will create a considerable competitive disadvantage
for ALL U.S. agriculture and food production (see analysis at http://ftcldf.org/news/news-20Oct2009-2.html).
NEWS & ALERTS:
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 >>
