Over the past week, I have been hearing quite a bit of news pertaining to a bill that is currently working it’s way through the United States Senate. S510 or the Food Safety and Modernization Act, is being 
touted as necessary to correct real or perceived problems with the safety of our food in the United States. I am sure all of us will recall the recent scares concerning contamination of different food products in our country. Spinach in 2006, peanuts in 2009, etc. Part of the problem with containing such outbreaks is trying to play detective and figure out where the contamination comes from. S510 is supposed to take care of that problem, but it has a very strange way of going about it’s business.
S510 is a very far-reaching piece of legislation. The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services will be given greater regulatory authority and the FDA will be placed under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security. I understand, in this day and age of terrorism, when some people are willing to attack innocent civilians, we have to be careful. I am just not convinced we need another such massive government regulatory advance into our personal lives. If allowed to continue, where will it stop?
To start with, the bill is supposed to strengthen the record keeping and reporting requirements already in place, ostensibly to make it easier to track down and stop ongoing food contamination outbreaks. Funny thing though, it has language that specifically exempts farms and restaurants from it’s requirements. This may sound like a completely stupid question, but why would exemptions be granted to the very kinds of companies who caused the latest food scares? I am just asking, is all.
If you think this bill will not affect the average American citizen, think again. I know many, many people who buy a lot of their food from local growers. My Mom buys eggs from a lady she goes to church with. My Dad raises his own beef. Give me a chance to stop at a local grower’s food stand and I will. The difference between fresh produce and produce that has been shipped in by truck is amazing. If S510 is signed into law, some of these people are probably going to decide it is better to stop growing and selling their food, rather than run the risk of the government descending on their farms and destroying their lives. I know one local grocer who is known for selling produce he purchases from local farmers. Not all of it is local, I am sure, but when it is available, that’s what he sells. What kind of affect will S510 have on him and his business, not to mention the farmers he buys the produce from? I think it is something we all need to consider.
For more on what S510 will do and how it is progressing, please watch this short video from GovTrack Insider. It sheds a little more light on the subject. For more posts on S510, please visit the following websites.
These people are freaking liars. The majority of foodborne illness is caused by improper preparation and cleanliness at the home. Home cooks are the primary cause of food sickness, primarily by not practicing common sense actions to prevent cross-contamination between different types of meats. Utensils and cutting boards used for poultry should never be used for anything else, and all utensils and surfaces should be cleaned immediately after use.
If you want to go after the main cause of illness associated with food, you need to go after home cooks (not saying they should by the way).
You’re right, Colin. Many food-borne illnesses are the direct result of the cook not knowing how to prepare the food and not caring about cleaning up before, during, and after the cooking. They are making a mountain out of a grain of sand and should be looking at basic education of the cooks before they start inserting governmental control where it isn’t needed.
Thanks for the H/T Larry. The more I look at the bill the less sense it makes. All it appears to do is expand government authority into the food industry. It does very little to police the real offenders and creates bureaucratic red tape that will drive small local farmers out of business. This is absolute madness! And they’re all in on it (conservatives and liberals) with the exception of a few.
This is why I believe with all my heart that no matter who we elect it simply will not matter. This January we will have a new crop of conservatives that will be swayed by corporate interest. The only way to fix is through the states exercising their constitutional authority. Think about this, we’re asking the fools that created this mess to fix it. Take a look at this bill. Who exactly benefits from this terrible bill? Well the only ones that appear to benefit are the large corporate food producers and the government. With this bill the large corporate food producers can and snuff out their competition simply with the red tape it will cost the smaller producer. The costs outweigh the benefit for the small producer to stay in business.
Take a look at how the government benefits. By writing the bill in vague language it leaves too much for interpretation; exactly how the feds like it. Because when a bill is vague you can pretty much make it up as you go…and that my friend is extremely dangerous. We’re being played Larry big time. This is why they were quietly trying to push this nonsense through. They don’t have the guts to look us in our eyes and tell us they’re stealing our liberties once again. CALL, WRITE, EMAIL your representative and senator now! Great job Larry.
You are welcome, John. There isn’t much I need to add to your comment. The bill simply doesn’t make sense, unless they are looking to exert the control of government into areas where it has no business.
A similar law passed for children’s toys… to make sure the lead content wasn’t too high. I am of mixed feelings about this. Have many people become sick from eating a turnip bought at a local farmer’s market? On the other hand, how do you trace hamburger bought at a produce market if people do get sick?
Thanks for the link Larry!
This bill makes no sense to me. While I understand the need to protect the people from food bourne illnesses, the fact is that this bill exempts those that are most likely to spead diseases while targeting those that are the least likely to have a problem. Most people who get food poisoning get it from either a restaurant or a large food processing plant, yet they are exempt.
I can see no other reason for the Congress passing this bill other than the fact that they want even greater control over our lives.
You’re welcome, Steve and Amen to everything you said.
Good news! According to NaturalNews, “The final floor vote on Senate Bill 510 has been delayed until November 29th, giving us all more time to oppose this dangerous new expansion of FDA power into our farms, greenhouses, farmer’s markets and seeds.” Yeah! We still have our work cut out for us but at least we can buy time. Of course, note the after Thanksgiving period when they think we the people will forget! Wrong!
Here are two links from NaturalNews for those of you that might want to read them.
Here’s the latest update on the status of this bill, including an attempted amendment to kill the 1099 paperwork nightmare that was passed into law as part of Obamacare legislation:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030462_Food_Safety_bill_FDA.html
In today’s editorial, I ask the commonsense question: Can we really trust the FDA with yet more power over our food? This is an agency steeped in fraud, corruption and politics, and it is responsible for the deaths of countless millions of Americans over the last two decades. Read why:
http://www.naturalnews.com/030461_Senate_Bill_510_Food_Safety.html
BTW – a little side note – kind of. Did you know that if you give money to someone at church – an offering lets say – as of 2011 you will have to give it to the church and they will have to give it to the person with a 1099 and they will have to pay taxes on it! Churches are exempt! Or I thought they were. Geesh.
NaturalNews says this about giving the FDA more power (God help us if we do) “Besides, as we now know, the problem with e.coli, salmonella and other pathogens in the food supply is really a problem with factory animal farms — notably cattle and chicken operations. That’s where these pathogens come from (e.coli grows in the intestines of animals), so cleaning up factory animal farms is the answer to food safety, not invoking the FDA and its food irradiation agenda.”
I’m telling you, you really want to watch the FOOD INC documentary. I was so disgusted after I watched it I won’t eat beef unless I buy it. Gross. This is why this power grab is happening.
I agree with NaturalNews, maybe some changes/updates need to be done but we don’t need this law to ensure safety. Actually, all we have to do is enforce across the board, the rules/laws that are already in place.
You know, I seem to be saying that a lot lately about food, immigration, crime, and on and on. Why not just enforce the laws of the land instead of adding yet more laws and bureaucracy?
That is a good question. I think it is because this has nothing to do with enforcing the law and everything to do with growing the government.
It is the same old thing.. a bill with the government really writing the rules which will end up being any control they wish, just like the Consumer Protection Bill. Why congress continues to legislate its power over to Zero is beyond me.
If this passes the way it currently is written, it will hurt the small growers, especially those that sell only at their roadside stand or at local farmers’ markets. Personally, I’d rather take my chances with local food, bought directly from the farmer than some bought from a big, faceless company paying slave wages in Mexico.