House votes to kill state food safety laws

[Guest guest]

If this bill is passed, reading labels will not help us much.

Rosie

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/label060323.cfm

also see: http://tinyurl.com/jgyww

good site to see what's happening: http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Posted 3/23/06

http://www.rockrivertimes.com/index.pl?cmd=viewstory & amp;cat=4 & amp;id=12719>

Rock River Times - Rockford,IL

Viewpoint: What's in the food? We may never know

By Joe Baker, Senior Editor

The arrogance of this government was demonstrated once again earlier this

month when the U.S. House ignored 50,000 letters and phone calls from the

Organic Consumers Association, and a like number from other groups, and

passed a bill that bars local and state requirements for food safety labels.

This legislation more than 200 state requirements for labeling to ensure

food safety and

public health.

The bill, known as H.R. 4167, has four versions before the Senate's

Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. It is opposed by most

environmental groups, Democratic legislators and a majority of state

attorneys general. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates it would

cost taxpayers $100 million over the next five years, with unknown

additional costs to the federal, state and local governments.

Environment News Service reports Rep. Henry Waxman, Democrat from

California, said there have been no hearings at all on this bill. The

measure was introduced last October by, yep of Michigan.

Waxman said: " Dozens of public health and environmental groups, 39 state

attorneys general, the National Association of State Departments of

Agriculture, and the Association of Food and Drug Officials have all

expressed their strong opposition to this legislation, but they have never

been given an opportunity to explain their concerns to Congress. "

The bill reads: " In general, no state or political subdivision of a state

may, directly or indirectly, establish or continue in effect under any

authority, any notification requirement for a food that provides for a

warning concerning the safety of the food, or any component or package of

the food, unless such a notification requirement has been prescribed under

the authority of this Act and the state or political subdivision

notification requirement is identical to the notification requirements

prescribed under the authority of this Act. "

In less windy terms, that means you won't get a good deal of information you

should have in order to make an informed judgment about a food product and

whether it is desirable for your health. The scheme in this bill, under the

guise of having a uniform labeling system in the nation, is really a

corporate protection plan for the food industry.

Tom Udall, Democratic congressman from New Mexico, observed: " This

legislation is vaguely written and jeopardizes consumer protections. The

impact of certain provisions in this bill on state and local regulations is

ambiguous at best, and state and local governments percent of food

inspections citizens. "

State's rights are being targeted by this measure. The legislation would

shift the power from the states to the federal government, undermining

states' ability to prepare for and respond to terrorist threats to the food

supply; prevent states from requiring consumer notifications about health

risks from certain foods; and will create a new federal bureaucracy to

review and potentially disapprove, new state food safety laws.

Whoopee, it's Christmas on Capitol Hill! Just as this administration has

built another layer of ineffective, expensive bureaucracy with the

Department of Homeland Defense, the conservative principle of smaller

government is again being shattered by federal interference and malignant

growth, resulting in FEMA-like confusion and ineffectiveness. The Republican

Congress and Bush administration just keep on giving themselves more

centralized power.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has made a preliminary study

of this potential law. CSPI said it would pre-empt shellfish safety

standards in 16 states, affect milk safety laws in all 50 states and also

would have an adverse effect on restaurant and food service establishment

safety laws in all states.

The Act, as it stands, provides no specific replacement law at the federal

level.

This legislation also would target a law limiting the amount of toxic lead

allowed in candies, outlaw a law requiring warnings to consumers about

excessive levels of toxic chemicals in foods that can cause cancer, birth

defects or developmental problems, and laws mandating the labeling of fish

as wild or farm raised. On all those things, they just aren't going to tell

you.

Illinois is one of two states that have laws on egg safety; the other is

Arkansas. Illinois regulates egg processing to reduce the risk of microbial

contamination. That regulation would be out the window. Arkansas warns

consumers to keep the eggs refrigerated at or below 45 degrees.

In summing up, CSPI said: " This legislation would enact the most sweeping

overhaul of food safety laws in decades, preempting at least 196 state laws

that we know of. While backers are selling this legislation as a

Ocommon-sense' measure to Ohelp consumers make educated decisions,' in fact,

it would eliminate many types of important notifications currently available

to consumers under state laws to help them make informed decisions.

" It also goes far beyond standardizing labeling requirements by pre-empting

numerous state safety standards for foods such as milk, eggs and shellfish,

and laws authorizing inspection and protection of certain foods,

restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and other food service establishments.

States have long had primary responsibility for our nation's food safety

enforcement, and it is in the public's interest to retain states' authority

to be stricter than the federal government in order to protect us all. "

Members of the U.S. House received a letter from the National Association of

State PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups). There are 30 of these groups

nationwide.

The letter said: " The state pre-emption provisions in this bill are based on

the false assumption that the Food and Drug Administration and U.S.

Department of Agriculture have enacted adequate food safety and labeling

standards that fully inform and protect consumers. Unfortunately, this often

is not the case. In the absence of adequate federal regulations, numerous

state and local governments have passed strong food safety laws designed to

safeguard public health that could be affected by federal pre-emptive

legislation. "

Olson, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council,

stated: " The House is trampling crucial health safeguards in every state

without so much as a single public hearing. This just proves the old adage

Omoney talks.' The food industry spared no expense to assure its passage. "

The corporations rule! If you don't like what's happening here, contact your

congressman and senators before they and we swallow something lethal.

>From the March 22-28, 2006, issue