Food Safety Bill Lives

[ProSense]

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A major food safety bill that had almost been given up for dead was suddenly revived in the Senate late on Sunday evening, and may be ready for House approval as early as Tuesday.

In a parliamentary move laid out on the Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just after 7pm, the Senate took the food safety language that was passed as part of a stop-gap budget plan by the House, attached it to another House-passed bill and approved that by unanimous consent.

A Democratic Senate aide told me that Republicans did not object to the plan, even though the bill has garnered fierce opposition in some GOP quarters.

The move was a surprise, as it seemed like the Food Safety bill was going to die in the waning days of this year, despite strong support in both the House and Senate.



Read more: http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2010/12/19/food-safety-bill-lives/?cxntfid=blogs_jamie_dupree_washington_insider

[Pirate Smile]

1. Yeah! This is no friggin "lame" duck session. It is turning out to be a "kick-ass" session.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Some surprise indeed.

I wonder what other surprises are buried within that bill.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DeadEyeDyck]

4. Do you like this bill?

S 510

[Lord Magus]

5. If only Senate Dems had been this productive in the first 11 months of the year.

Then maybe the elections would've turned out differently.

We lost the House because the dysfunctional Senate prevented the House's accomplishments from actually mattering.

[Elmore Furth]

6. In Sunday-evening surprise, Senate unanimously passes food safety bill

By Alexander Bolton - 12/19/10 07:55 PM ET

The Senate unexpectedly approved food safety legislation by unanimous consent Sunday evening, rescuing a bill that floated in limbo for weeks because of a clerical error.

The Senate passed the Food Safety and Modernization Act on Nov. 30 by a vote of 73-25. But the bill was later invalidated by a technical objection because it was a revenue-raising measure that did not originate in the House — Senate staff had failed to substitute the food safety language into a House-originated bill.

A coalition of groups supporting the bill sent a letter Sunday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) calling for action on food safety.

“Our organizations are writing to support attaching S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, to the Senate's proposed short-term continuing resolution,” the groups wrote. “Strong food-safety legislation will reduce the risk of contamination and provide FDA with the resources and authorities the agency needs to help make prevention the focus of our food safety strategies.”

In Sunday-evening surprise, Senate unanimously passes food safety bill

[Lorien]

13. Gotta keep your promises to Monsanto and find one more way to kick the little guy

no more farmer's markets for you!

[Tumbulu]

7. I am so relieved!

Good work!

[Tx4obama]

8. Food Safety Bill Passes Senate By Unanimous Consent

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Sunday passed a sweeping bill to make food safer, sending it to the House in the waning days of Congress.

It was the second time the Senate passed the bill, which would give the government broad new powers to increase inspections of food processing facilities and force companies to recall tainted food. The chamber passed the bill for the first time three weeks ago, but it was caught in a constitutional snag when senators mistakenly included tax provisions that are by law supposed to originate in the House.

The version of the legislation passed by the Senate on Sunday is amended to avoid another such mishap.

The bill would place stricter standards on imported foods and require larger producers to follow tougher rules for keeping food safe. The legislation has enjoyed bipartisan support, and supporters say passage is crucial in the wake of E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in peanuts, eggs and produce.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/19/food-safety-bill-passes-_n_798884.html

[Go2Peace]

9. Of course it does, it is favorable to corporations

See this post for more info. This bill has a lot of hidden traps:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x572564#572666

[FailureToCommunicate]

10. Food safety schmood safety; we're all just rats in the 'Western diet'

experiment foisted by USDA, Monsanto, Nestle, Kraft, Pepsico, et al. Keeping us safe from salad greens is hardly likely to really keep us safe from all the other serious diabetes, obesity, cancer causing crap in our food chain...

[Lorien]

11. Great. Monsanto's assault on organic produce and Farmer's markets now cheered by

"DEMOCRATS"?? I guess now we know who is working for whom around here. :grr:

[madrchsod]

12. local radio station bill,food safety,dadt...not bad

but that tax thing still sucks

[Maat]

14. This amounts to the FEDRALIZATION of my food supply.

I oppose it! My local officials, who are aware of how much we locals love our locally-grown, organically-grown produce, have regulated our food supply quite adequately.

I didn't want Monsanto stepping in, via the tools in D.C.

If Obama signs this, it'll show his true colors indisputably. I will regard it as yet another stab in the back, and it will be the last straw. I wouldn't vote for him then if he were running against the Devil himself.

[SpartanDem]

15. Do you even know what's in the bill?

small farmers are exempt. Go ahead and not vote for Obama because you believe in death panel-ish lies.

New Food Safety Bill to Exempt Small Farms

http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/new-food-safety-bill-to-exempt-small-farms/

An agreement facilitated by Senator Jon Tester of Montana would allow farmers who make less than $500,000 a year and sell directly to consumers, local restaurants and supermarkets within their state or within 275 miles of their farm to be exempt from expensive food safety plans imposed on bigger farms. But state and local authorities would still have oversight over these small farms.

[Maat]

16. Small farmers are NOT necessarily exempt.

One version of the bill had the Tester Amendment; we don't know what will ultimately be enacted into law. Moreover, those small farmers are only exempt under certain conditions. Much is essentially at the discretion of the notorious FDA - the one which allowed nutritious foods to be replaced by GMO foods.

Yes, I do understand - I'm a law school graduate who is familiar with the extensive analysis done by a small farmer who IS an attorney.

There is NO need for federalization in this area; it can only amount to one thing - letting Monsanto and its evil ilk take over the food supply. The Feds in D.C. have no knowledge of my local farmers or their needs, or what will make me safe. They don't know anything about my local open-air market. I don't want such a vital thing as my food supply run by idiots in Washington who have no such knowledge. Remember, it's federal idiots who deemed genetically-modified frankenfoods as essentially the same as foods which have nourished for thousands of years - essentially without study.

Do YOUR research.

[SpartanDem]

17. The version that passed the Senate already had Tester admnt.

Secondly, you are right that not all small farmers are exempt that's because some small farmers act as suppliers to larger companies. The spinach recall happened due to this

[Maat]

18. I can't believe that anyone would support the unnecessary federalization of the food supply.

Enjoy your frankenfood; but, then, if you're not choosing to buy organic, that's what you're eating anyway.

[mommalegga]

23. Exactly..

Thats what I am...

and we wonder why the tea-party grows....

[mommalegga]

21. Not so fast...

There are many small-scale farmers who are under $500,000K and sell outside the proppsed 275 mile limit.

Like Me.

I sold 2000 lbs of an heirloom organic wheat to a distributor who is over 275 mile away. Because of the distance, I wouldnt qualify for the exemption. I need to follow Big Govt Regulations for my
$1200.00 sale.

So Im finished.

And what about the small producer who sells over the internet? Does the 275 mile away rule work?

Big Agribusiness wins.

[Recursion]

22. I'm waiting to see if the Tester amendment stays in

All the farmers I buy from are dead-set against the bill, even with the amendment. *shrug*

[CBHagman]

19. Another surprise, along with the possible revival...

...of the 9/11 responders health care bill, which had been blocked by the GOP.

I'm glad to hear that the food safety bill, which of course had already been passed, has not been given up for dead.

[Scurrilous]

20. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Kingofalldems]

24. K and R

[Maat]

25. This is the email Natural News suggested we send to our rep.

It is chock full of information:

From a www.naturalnews.com email.

********quote********
Dear Rep. Issa:

NaturalNews.com has asked its hundreds of thousands of supporters, including myself and other supporters in your district, to alert you to our concern that the Food Safety Modernization Act (now HR 2751) would severely harm many smaller, local farms and organic producer growers who operate above the $500,000 "exempt" level and yet are still small, family-farm operations that provide local jobs and local food.

To even qualify for exempt status under the Food Safety Modernization Act, small farms must provide three years of financial records and extensive food safety documentation to the FDA, creating an onerous documentation burden that could force many small, local farmers out of business. This would drive up the price of local, organic food by reducing the supply of food available through CSA operations and local farmers markets.

The Food Safety Modernization Act places small farmers in the position of needing to "apply" for permission to grow their own food. Farming and gardening has traditionally been viewed as a natural right of American citizens, but through the mere act of offering to share food with local neighbors and community members through a weekend farmer's market booth, for example, a person must now give up their natural right to produce food and instead apply for permission from the federal government - even if they are only selling a few thousand dollars worth of jellies and jams each year.

While there is no question that food safety has been lacking at the large, multi-million-dollar corporate food producers, this Food Safety Modernization Act would threaten the livelihoods of tens of thousands of small family farmers who farm as little as ten acres of land and yet still exceed the $500,000 earnings level in food sales revenue, even without making much of a profit in the end. To place a large paperwork burden upon the backs and shoulders of these small, local farms -- many of whom are organic farmers -- will force many of them out of business and reduce the supply of fresh, local produce to the people in your district.

I urge you to oppose the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act as currently written. While the notion of food safety is obviously an important one, this Act could devastate small, local growers, forcing many of them out of business and causing more people to resort to eating processed, packaged "factory" foods that have been sterilized and pasteurized which, as you may know, greatly decreases their nutritional value.

For our own health, and for food sustainability and security, we must save our small, local farms from being regulated out of existence by the FDA.

Please oppose the Food Safety Modernization Act (HR 2751).
*****endquote****