Protect your right to grow, store and distribute food...
REWRITE OR KILL BILL H.R. 875: FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2009
In the United States, a new piece of legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives that you may not have heard of or don't think it applies to you.
It is H.R. 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009.
Although an okay piece of legislation, the language is too broad and non-specific as it stands. It is intended to improve food safety, but is diluted by poorly written language that could jeopardize your rights if taken literally.
For example, the bill defines a "food production facility" as:
"FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term 'food production facility' means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation."
Additional ambiguous statements in Sec. 3 read:
"SEC. 3 DEFINITIONS
"(9) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-The term "category 5 food establishment" means a food establishment that stores, holds, or transports food products prior to delivery for retail sale.
"(13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-
"(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 tranports food or food ingredients."
[The bill defines "food" as "a product intended to be used for food or drink for a human or an animal and components thereof"].
As written, this bill could potentially create some serious future issues for anyone that grows, stores, or distributes fruits and vegetables or other foods including:
-private citizens with well-stocked pantries and food storage
-private gardeners who grow their own fruit and vegetables
-private gardeners that donate their produce overage to food banks
-backyard poultry owners
-community bake sales
-farmer's markets
-Slow Food Nation gardens
-urban community gardens
-roadside produce stands
Because of the nonspecific language of the bill, the above could be required to adhere to strict federal registration, tracking, and inspection guidelines or be subject to a fine of $1,000,000.
Are you potentially a "food production facility" under this broad definition?
There are a number of groups that are opposing this legislation with tactics that can be interpreted as "fear mongering" which this group hopes to avoid in order to have our legitimate voice be heard in a more respected way.
If you have not read the full text of the bill, you can do so at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875
If you feel that this bill needs to be rewritten or killed all together because of its ambiguity and lack of definition, the first action you can take is to write to the member of Congress that represents you. You can do that via the internet by visiting http://www.congress.org
Take part in making sure that the laws being formed and passed in our nation's capital are in your best interest.
The following is a sample letter that you may wish to use as a springboard when writing your own letter:
Dear Rep. ___________,
Please oppose H.R. 875: Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 as it is currently written. The definition of "food production facility" is too broad as it stands reading:
"FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term 'food production facility' means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation."
Additional ambiguous statements in Sec. 3 read:
"SEC. 3 DEFINITIONS
"(9) CATEGORY 5 FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-The term "category 5 food establishment" means a food establishment that stores, holds, or transports food products prior to delivery for retail sale.
"(13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-
"(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 tranports food or food ingredients."
[The bill defines "food" as "a product intended to be used for food or drink for a human or an animal and components thereof"].
As written now, this bill has a huge loophole that would require federal regulation of all of the above as well as:
-private citizens with well-stocked pantries and food storage
-private gardeners who grow their own fruit and vegetables
-private gardeners that donate their produce overage to food banks
-backyard poultry owners
-community bake sales
-farmer's markets
-Slow Food Nation gardens
-urban community gardens
-roadside produce stands
This is a waste of taxpayer dollars and an infringement on basic Constitutional rights. Instead, resources would be better utilized by
focusing on improving the existing FDA regulations.
Please oppose this bill until it is re-written with specific size delineations that will not impact small farmers and any of the above.
Sincerely your constituent,
You
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