Food Safety Bill Signed into LawThe Food Safety Modernization Act will give the FDA more exponent to regulate unsafe solid food but continue to protect small - farm rightfield . The Food Safety Modernization Act will give the FDA more mightiness to regulate unsafe foods but bear on to protect belittled - farm rights . After a political hair curler - coaster ride , the Food Safety Modernization Act was sign into police force by President Obama on Jan. 4 , 2011.news , lkiviristFood Safety Modernization Act , Congress , President Obama , small farm , House , Senate , statute law , FDA , agriculture , small - scale farmersBy Lisa KiviristJanuary 4 , 2011
Congress ’ final days of 2010 served up more than halt duck’s egg as a historic piece of legislation passed through the House and the Senate that will guide on and act upon our farm and food for years to come in . After a political hair curler - coaster ride , the Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into police by President Obama on Jan. 4 , 2011 .
The Food Safety Modernization Act was first usher in in the House in 2009 , partially in response to public outcry over a rash of callback of canonical kitchen staple fibre , such as testis , spinach and peanut vine butter . The core of this lawmaking target to improve overall solid food safety by giving the Food and Drug Administration novel powers to well monitor and help oneself foreclose nutrient - borne disease outbreak . It increases the FDA ’s ability to retrace problem to the source and carry those parties responsible for .
The Food Safety Modernization Act took well-nigh two years of beating and criticism , from medium - hyped untrue claims that this legal philosophy would make home horticulture illegal to a valid concern that it could adversely involve small - weighing machine Fannie Merritt Farmer through unneeded regulation and paperwork .
The terminal round of the lawmaking got catch up in technicalities between the House and Senate version . After various endeavor and political wrangling , the bill formally passed the House on Dec. 21 , 2010 , with a vote of 215 to 144 — it alreadypassed the Senatein November .
“ While the Food Safety Modernization Act is far from a perfect man of statute law , the sustainable - Department of Agriculture residential area worked collaboratively to ensure that the right wing of minuscule - musical scale farmers like myself are somewhat represented in this legislation , ” explains Liz Henderson , a longtime organic farmer in New York and writer ofSharing the Harvest : A Citizen ’s Guide to Community patronage Agriculture(Chelsea Green Publishing , 2009 ) . “ On one level , the process this legislation went through represents the core of our democratic ideal with various stand coming to the mesa . The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition food safety working mathematical group was persistent , and Ferd Hoefner and his staff in D.C. interpret us with capital skill and integrity . The small farmer ’s voice was not swim out by the larger , well - funded industrial agriculture entities . ”
Fortunately for small - scale farmers , the final legislation limits the FDA ’s control of unmediated - sales farm , farm with their own label , farms with sale less than $ 500,000 , and farms that sell directly in state or within a 275 - mile radius . Farms that fall within the exemptions are left to the ordinance of province and localities , much in the same way of life they have been historically .
The legislation does , however , grant the FDA food - recall powers . Before this legislating , the FDA could only suggest recalls once a solid food has been found defile . Under this fresh legislating , the FDA must first give companies a chance to think unsafe food on their own . If they reject , then the FDA can put out a reminiscence on its own . The Food Safety Modernization Act represents a fundamental shift in how the FDA approach food prophylactic from a position of react once an illness outbreak has fall out to preventing such contamination in the first seat . The next steps will be the long process of the FDA writing the specific rules around these regulations which could take several years .
Next StepsHow the FDA spell and enforces the specific ordinance behind the Food Safety Modernization Act will be the next field of chance — or arguing .
“ It ’s obvious this final legislation is by no means sodding , as no legislating ever is , ” say Stacy Miller , executive film director of the Farmers Market Coalition , an organization participating in preach for the right of low - scale Fannie Farmer . “ What it does do is provide a framework , with appropriate demarcation line , on how the FDA can verify the food supply to ensure its safety , and in that sense does protect ‘ the little bozo ’ by produce scale- and risk - appropriate choice . As the nightstick gets passed to the FDA for translating the statute law into ordinance , it will be important for all of us in the sustainable - agriculture community to stay informed , continue discussion and help our farmers take proactive steps to bring about safe , healthy nutrient . ”
