I just received a terrified email forward from alert reader Chloe Satterlee regarding the potential outrages precipitated by the imminent passage of
HR 875, the "Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009".
After an admittedly superficial review of the actual legislation, I can find no language outlawing organic farming - as was proposed by the overly sensational email.
Now, it is true that companies like
Monsanto engage in devious and manipulative business practices, use their extensive lobbying funds to press their agribusiness advantage over any possible competition, and are
biologically modifying plants into the equivalent of genetic terrorist cells, BUT they can't control EVERYTHING.
The problem facing organic food production is not this bill per se, but the potential influence of Monsanto and others to interpret the meaning of the legislation in such a way that organic farming CAN NOT be legal under the law. And then that extremely vocal and invested community can lobby for an amendment.
If this very caring community wants to really change the game, I suggest they use this bill as the vehicle for OUTLAWING unsafe use of chemicals and genetically modified foods....
Some cogent thoughts from alert reader Silas Everett:
The one size fits all approach makes the bill look dodgy, especially given the complexity of food production and already existing agencies with mandates similar enough to the one proposed. Is this the work of Henchmen of the Homeland Security of Food Safety or just the work of a few frustrated bureaucrats?
But how common are illnesses from foodborne diseases in the U.S. and where do they come from?
According to the
Center of Disease Control’s website:
To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated How many of these diseases are known to come from organic food production? From food handlers versus growers? Big growers versus small growers? Local or foreign? Etc. A quick web search in a
CRS report from 2005 read…
Safety of Fresh Produce. The Florida State officials asked FDA on June 3, 2005 to look into whether gastrointestinal illnesses caused by a parasite Cyclospora were related to fresh basil. So far there were 293 laboratory-confirmed cases of illness in 32 Florida countries.61 This is only one example of recent outbreaks linked to fresh produce. In fact, CDC estimates that about 12% of foodborne-outbreak associated illnesses were linked to fresh produce. Contaminated fresh produce may pose a risk of microbial illness because it is often intended to be eaten raw. Personally I wouldn’t mind the 1.4 bouts of diarrhea CDC suggests per year from foodborne illnesses if it meant less legislation.
