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While I normally try to avoid anything political like the plague, this issue has me very worried.
I am talking about H.R. 875, also known as the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. With all of the recent incidents of salmonella contaminated produce and tainted peanut butter, it is no wonder that something like this is being introduced into legislation.
On the surface, this bill is supposed to help “protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, etc.” That sounds good and logical, doesn’t it? Of course it does…at least until you actually read the full text of the bill and it’s definitions.
(Read the full text here )
Two of the stated purposes of this bill are: “To regulate food safety and labeling” and “ensure that food establishments fulfill their responsibility to process, store, hold and transport food in a manner that protects public health…” While all of that sounds great, the particular fly in this ointment comes in the form of the bill’s definitions.
This bill lists the following definition for food establishments:
“ (A) IN GENERAL- The term ‘food establishment’ means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.“
The bill also states “(14) Food Production Facility — The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal feeding operation.”
And this bill would require all ‘food establishments’ to register annually with the Food Safety Administration.
So, basically, any place where food is grown or cooked (like your back yard garden and your home kitchen) will have to be registered with the government and can expect to be fined up to $1,000,000 if you don’t comply with the regulations. Oh, and you can completely forget about trying to earn a couple of dollars by letting your neighbors buy up your extra zucchinis and tomatoes.
If this bill gets made into law…where is that going to leave farmer’s markets, home gardeners, the Amish (and other religious groups), the eco-friendly Green movement, etc.? The only people that will benefit from this bill becoming law will be the big AgriBusinesses (like Monsanto & Cargill). And where will this end?
Okay, maybe I am overreacting a bit, but I honestly don’t think it’s too much of a stretch of imagination to foresee this type of legislation leading to a George Orwellian/Big Brother future. It’s already within reach, what with so many people not knowing where their food comes from and the introduction of genetically modified foods on the market (anyone remember the movie, ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’? ). And am I the only one that wonders why it is that food allergies are seen *only* in developed countries?
Regardless of this legislation, I am going to continue to grow as much food as I can. If that means that I will be breaking the law, so be it. I come from a long line of rebellious Scots-Irish hillbillies and thumbing my nose at the government is practically a genetic imperative.
Maybe I should go ahead and have a t-shirt made, with a picture of a farmer holding a pitchfork, that says “Public Health Menace” . Now, where did I leave my copy of Judas Priest singing “Breakin’ the Law”?
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