Demystifying Senate Bill 510

At first appearance Senate Bill 510: The Food Safety Modernization Act is innocent enough, until one realizes the big money interests who supported and co-wrote the bill. The writers of The Food Safety Bill are Big Agra and the GMO monstrosities.

Here are the important questions that people must critically think about when it comes to the intentions and control of our food supply:

How did the bill become law?

What are the preventative measures that corporate interests continue to take in guarding this legislation?

How can the public counteract the process of destroying honest food and the small farming culture, outlined within the bill?

S.510: The Food Safety Modernization Act will now bestow an onslaught of regulation and authority by the FDA. The bill will bring more inspections and a critical demand for small businesses to keep food records and ‘contamination plans.’  S.510 could lead to the extermination of the family farmer and the beseeching of local food movement through higher taxes.  Big companies will be the only ones who can afford to comply and qualify for exemptions. A fee scheme (revenue-generating provision) in the bill, created a hold on the processing in early November 2010, because of a constitutional roadblock. The fee scheme is found in Section 107, which authorizes the FDA to collect fees for food recalls, inspections, re-inspections and registration for food importers.

S.510 is like a holiday turducken, in which the House used blue-slipping to cut through the constitutional roadblock. The result was the House took S.510 and wrapped it up in H.R. 3082 and stuffed into H.R. 2751, in order to have it pass. The final vote was 206 against and 207 in favor of, as the House speaker breaking the stand-off with the deciding vote on December 21, 2010. For those of you who still think that this bill isn’t a bad thing, then why are our senators bribed to support it?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) will face a belt-tightening for fresh produce, a decrease in local farming knowledge, a job loss in small markets and local co-ops. No new requirements are in place for importers outside of the USA. Imported food will just be treated with more chemicals before landing on your plate. The bill will allow increases in areas concerning pesticide contamination at grocery stores, a lax on restrictions for the importation of produce from other countries and a falling apart of agricultural trade, all under the guise of food security. Stores selling natural supplements will soon mirror European countries like Norway, that have been banning natural remedies. The US is now on a fast track to be under the same international laws governing food that the UN establishes for the world.

Grassroots efforts are also targeted by the big interests who got this bill passed. Only supporting local farmers and eating organic foods is not enough to combat S.510. Like chess game over the future of food, corporate interests have labeled activists and attentive government representatives alike as a threat. Look at the private mercenaries who are involved in intelligence gathering on individuals that oppose Big Agra & GMO. Monsanto reportedly spent a few hundred thousand yearly of their ‘generous protection budget‘ hiring Xe (aka Blackwater), who have assessed and anticipate the risk that local activists, media and animal rights groups opposed to the control structure.

Supporters of Food Freedom should not feel hopeless, just because the bill has been passed into law. The battle isn’t finished yet. Everyone who enjoys local organic foods and supporting our farmers can actively take part in bring the ‘State Food Freedom and Safety Modernization Act of 2011‘ to their local representatives and state officials. The push-back and fixing of this mess starts with you. Everyone must read, copy and circulate this new legislation to reverse it! Our voices and actions can effect more of a change, then the dollars it took to purchase the votes for implementing this demeaning bill to food freedom.

Dr. Rima E. Laibow on Food Safety

FDA Power Grab!

Dwight Power is currently serving as an intern for Elephant Journal.

Mr.Power has a BFA from Metro State Denver in Communication Design.

He favors Bhagra, Biomimicry, Bots & Booty.