The Price of Safety: The Food Modernization act

A lot of fiery emails haved hit the author's in-box denouncing a new legislative behemoth, S. 510, which passed through the U.S. Senate seemingly trouble free (73-25), despite all the turmoil surrounding it. This isn't surprising considering that stalwart Republicans like Orrin Hatch (Utah) cosponsored the bill with Chris Dodd, a departing Democratic Senator from Connecticut. Discovering this made the author reflect on his last political article "On Politics and Eggs."

Senator Durbin touts the bill as major success, that will help prevent "food safety problems" like E. Coli and Salmonella, which hospitalize 325,000 people a year, while also improving the traceability of food born illnesses. Opponents say it will kill small businesses with taxes, take away our right to grow our own food, and put us another step closer to communism.

The press release  from Senator Boxer's Press Office report that small private farmers who sell at farmers' markets and restaurants that grow their own produce, like French Laundry and Pasquinis (just north of Yuba City), will not be affected by the new regulations, as the bill focuses on food processors and not growers. and that "organic foods" would be still covered by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990." Also included in the brief are emphatic denials that victory gardens will be affected in any way, a cause celebre of liberals, gourmands, and survivalists alike.

It has definitely been entertaining watching the 'debates;' Harry Reid (D-NV) gives a long, empassioned editorial in the Huffington Post on behalf of MomsRising.org about the dangers of food poisoning, while Jon Stewart has another go at Glenn Beck.  Survivalists claim it will ban all food production in favor of government control of the food supply, while consumer advocates claim it will protect eaters far and wide by giving the FDA the power to order recalls and assigns liability, much like the Uniform Commercial Code, and allows inspection of  food production facilities "more than once a year," according to one pundit. 

Interestingly, the language of the bill itself is fairly readable and collaborative. It requires contingency planning, innovation, and system improvements, all of which should be a part of any decent business model anyway, and contrary to what many are reporting, farms and restaurants are expressly excluded. (Sec. 101.4). Nevertheless, OpenCongress.org reports a measly 14% public approval rating.

Here is the FDA's official report: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm237934.htm

and the actual text: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111s510es/pdf/BILLS-111s510es.pdf

for further legal food issues, this is an excellent blog: http://www.foodliabilitylaw.com/promo/about/

and  of course one can always go to Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp