Today is Food Safety Day!

Published July 29, 2009 @ 10:25AM PT

Ali Savino runs the food site www.GastroNomalies.com.

From Congressional Quarterly, the House is scheduled to vote today on this (no link, subscription required):

Food Safety — HR 2749, Food Safety Enhancement Act, is scheduled for House consideration today under suspension of the rules. The bill overhauls food safety regulations for farms and food processing facilities, requiring more frequent inspections at food facilities and giving the FDA authority to impose criminal and civil penalties. The measure generally exempts farms from registration requirements and fees, although the bill does establish new regulations for the farming practices for fresh produce. The FDA would have authority to impose mandatory quarantines on geographic areas which are concluded to be the source of contaminated food posing a serious threat to humans or animals. The House will take up a version of the bill that has been modified as a result of talks between leaders of the Energy and Commerce and Agriculture committees to address concerns of agricultural interests about the role of the FDA in regulating farm activities. The compromise bill was released this morning.

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Comments (1)

You say the measure generally exempts farms from reg requirements and fees.

That was a bone of contention....the definition of farm and food processor. As of yesterday, to my understanding, if a farmer cuts his lettuce, washes it, and cools it overnight before taking it to the Farmers' Market, this is defined as a food processor and subject to the reg fee. Another reports says that even the $500.00 raised would not cover enforcement. $2 Billion is needed. Please check out this details and report back. Also the issue of how much work of additional record keeper would be enough to put small farmers out of business. Please Google:

Small Farmer Warns “HR2749 Will Put Me Out of Business”

http://hartkeisonline.com/2009/07/24/small-farmer-warns-hr2749-will-put-me-out-of-business/

Also:

ALERT OF THE WEEK

The Food Safety Enhancement Act Hurts Small Farmers and Organics

The House of Representatives is discussing H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. It's an attempt to address the evermore serious food safety crisis in conventional agriculture, but as it stands, the bill threatens to undermine the most positive development in U.S. agriculture - small organic or transition to organic farmers producing for local markets.

H.R. 2749 needs to draw a clear line between small local growers and industrial/factory farms and processing plants

where food borne pathogens incubate, flourish, and spread.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob184.htm

Also, what are these "new regulations for farming practices for fresh produce?" Are you speaking about the Green Leafy Agreements so hard on small conservation minded farmers, or those who understand healthy diversity in the field?

Check out the Kucinich Hearings today on The Green Leafy Agreements July 29:

http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1464610

Thanks for wanting positive change and Food Safety. This bill still scares me.

Leslie Goldman

Your Enchanted Gardener

Posted by Leslie Goldman on 07/29/2009 @ 10:29PM PT
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Author

Ali Savino runs GastroNomalies.com, a site that explores the policies and politics behind what we eat every day. Sometimes funny, often serious, the author is a some-what vegetarian, an urban gardener, and farmers market enthusiast who is learning to cook the basics. Like Jam.