HR 2749, the “Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009” is the latest in a series of misguided “food safety” legislation that utilizes a failed “one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme”. The legislation is completely absent effective regulation for US food imports and corporate agribusiness behemoths such as Monsanto, ADM, Con Agra and Cargill (primary causes of food safety failures). HR 2749 clearly favors the increased greed of the corporate industrial food complex while shifting the cost to small, local farmers, local food producers. It must be stopped at once.There’s more.
According to Farm to Consumer.org, a non-profit organization protecting the constitutional rights of small family farms and consumers, “this bill would be an “absolute disaster for small farms and artisan food production”.
Here is the skinny on the HR 2749:
HR 2749 gives FDA tremendous power while significantly diminishing existing judicial restraints on actions taken by the agency. Power to Quarantine a Geographic Area; the FDA can also Halt All Movement of All Food in a geographic area.
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Random Warrantless Searches of Business Records
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Establishing a Tracing System for Food
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Severe Criminal and Civil Penalties.
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Annual Registration Fee of $500
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Regulation of How Crops Are Raised and Harvested More
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