Food Safety Bill: Protect your access to local food

Will the dangerous “food safety” bill pass?

Probably. There’s too much bi-partisan support in Congress.

But thanks to the Downsize DC Army, and many others, Congress is feeling the heat. Senators are considering amendments to improve their version of the bill. These changes could help to protect  . . .

* Small farms
* Your access to locally grown food

Let’s encourage these changes! Please send a letter telling Congress to protect small farms and your access to locally grown food. 

You may borrow, modify, or copy this letter . . .

I want safe food. There should be stiff civil and criminal penalties for food producers and sellers who engage in fraud, negligence, and reckless endangerment. But that’s where the government’s role ends. This means . . .

I don’t believe regulations are necessary. Top-down, one-size-fits-all regulations too often end up benefiting big companies while destroying small producers and adding little or no protection for the consumer.

Informed citizens know how the Washington game works. We know that regulations are often constructed to help influential companies EVADE responsibility. This is why . . .

If you do pass a “food safety” bill I demand that you follow both the Constitution and common sense, recognizing that  . . .

* Congress has no Constitutional authority to regulate food products that do not cross state lines
* Small-scale farming was not to blame for any of the recent food-borne outbreaks

I therefore insist that you support amendments that . . .

* exempt small food processors and food sold to local markets
* exempt produce growers who primarily sell directly to consumers and restaurants
* exempt farms with low risk or no risk processing
* bar the FDA from requiring farms to hire consultants to write food safety plans. http://tinyurl.com/y4ygcq3

Without these amendments, the Food Safety bill will destroy the family farm and the local foods movement. Instead, food will only be distributed by corporations with vast national distribution networks. This means that contaminated food will reach more people. Without these amendments, food will become LESS SAFE.

You MUST oppose this bill ESPECIALLY if these amendments aren’t included.

END LETTER

Thanks for being a part of the growing Downsize DC Army

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

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