[OKC] Food Safety Bill Dead?

[Miles, Karen]

I just heard something on the radio that the Food Safety Bill is probably all but dead now.  There was some provision in it where producers from Canada or Mexico who have a good track record with their produce would pay to have an expedited inspection at the border.  The parliamentarian said that bills with “taxes” in it like that have to originate in the House so the House would have to have a new bill that includes that, pass it in the House, then go back to the Senate to be voted on again.  However, Republicans yesterday said they would filibuster everything except voting on the Bush tax cuts so the odds of such a bill passing in this session is slim.  

Looks like we will be staying with the food regulations written in 1938 (that was before we even had a fraction of the chemicals, like pesticides, we have now).  Since the new bill provided its own funding for new inspectors, that will not happen and inspections of large food conglomerates will continue to be done an average of every 10 years in the U.S. and every 1800 years for food facilities overseas.

Karen 


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-----Original Message-----
From: Shauna Struby [mailto:sstruby at cox.net] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 10:09 AM
To: SOKC list serv; Oklahoma Food Coop listserv; OSN list serv
Subject: [OKC] Food Safety Bill Passes Senate, Including the Tester Amendment

>From the Organic Consumers Association and NY Times:

 

Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations 

By Gardiner Harris and William Neuman 

The New York Times, Nov 30, 2010 

Straight to the Source 

 

Organic Consumers -- Editor's Note: Thanks to all the groups who campaigned
tirelessly on this issue. OCA is pleased that the Tester Amendment passed
along with the bill, but like the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (quoted
below), we have some concerns about the implementation of these regulations
and will continue to monitor this issue and keep our eye on the FDA. 

 

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the
nation's food-safety system, after recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter
and spinach that sickened thousands and led major food makers to join
consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight. 

 

The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly
strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent
decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety
of foods. The bill is intended to get the government to crack down on unsafe
foods before they harm people rather than after outbreaks occur.

 

Full story here :::
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_22113.cfm 

 

Shauna Lawyer Struby

imagine, innovate, collaborate, transition

Co-chair, Transition OKC

Past-president, Sustainable OKC

www.goinglocalokc.org <http://www.goinglocalokc.org/> 

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