URGENT: Green Leafy safety legislation proposal (12/3/07 deadline)

[Guest guest]

ALERT:

The government is at it again (still)... They are threatening the availability of raw foods. They may be requiring mandatory measures to "prevent" E. coli and other "contamination". In the similar almond pasteurization issue, it was the conventional, not the organic, produce that had the problem.

Please write letters to the USDA (and others) during this comment period which ends in a few days (December 3, 2007). There are sample letters on the web sites linked below.

From the Cornucopia Institute (they have been fighting the almond pasteurization issue):

Protect Fresh Leafy Greens and Family Farms

Federal Regulations Would Harm Sustainable Farmers and Biodiversity

We need your help in another battle to stop the slippery slope toward a sterilized and industrialized food system that threatens biodiversity and the very existence of family-scale farms that grow food in a safe, healthy, and environmentally sustainable way.

http://cornucopia.org/index.php/protect-fresh-leafy-greens-and-family-farms/#more-362

http://www.cornucopia.org/

From the Community Alliance With Family Farmers (CAFF) http://www.caff.org/foodsafety/:

The USDA is accepting comments on the Federal Register on whether it should enact a Federal Marketing Agreement for leafy greens. There is a possibility that it may try to invoke a mandatory Marketing Order.

Also from CAFF:

If these rules become mandatory, they will hurt family farms and undermine efforts to farm in an environmentally responsible manner.

Leafy Greens at Risk

* iceberg lettuce

* romaine lettuce

* green leaf lettuce

* red leaf lettuce

* butter lettuce

* baby leaf lettuce

* escarole

* endive

* spring mix

* spinach

* cabbage

* kale

* arugula

* chard

Please be vocal about this: Write letters, make telephone calls, contact the news media, government officials (including your congressmen and local gov't), and consumer groups.

They were already able to pass the rules regarding almond pasteurization (which began 9/1/07). Let's do our best to stop this one.

Please send me links and/or contact information of other groups fighting this issue.

Thank you,

Jeff

soystache.com