Lots of things have been going on in food politics which will affect all of us who consume, use and/or produce local, nutrient-dense and environmentally-friendly foods and products.

Here is a short list of the current hot topics with a brief bit of information and web links for you to read more and take action!!

1. HR 875—The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009

   This bill is a large, convoluted bill that purports to be necessary to stop the ever-increasing outbreaks of food-borne illnesses we see in our food supply.  There are a whole host of serious problems with this bill, some of which are that most of the Congress people who will vote on the bill have not read it and do not understand that it does not scientifically address the food safety issues in this country.  It is a “one-size-fits-all” application that will greatly hurt small, independent farmers who are a boon to health and the economy and cannot possibly stay in business if forced to follow the requirements of this bill.  I suggest you go to some of the following links to read about the bill, make your own decisions about it and take action as detailed at many of these websites.
   -Organic Consumers Association:
   http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17370.cfm
   http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056
   
   -Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund:
   http://www.ftcldf.org/news/news-02mar2009.htm



2. Other Flawed Food Bills:
   There are several other food bills in the legislative process that have similar flaws and/or can be tied to NAIS.  Here are some website alerts that tell you how to contact your legislators.
   -Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance:  Scroll down to Action Alert #2
   http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/food_safety_bills_09
   -Cornucopia Institute
   http://tinyurl.com/cornicopia

              



3. Organic Fertilizer Fiasco:
   Two organic fertilizer companies were investigated for adulterating their product with non-organic chemicals.  There are several stories on the two incidents with links below.  What it amounts to is the fact that many consumers bought certified organic produce and products from national companies and it was not truly organic.  This information has not had much mainstream media coverage and large organic retailers like Whole Foods did not seem to be aware of the problem. You can read the information at the links below and contact any stores, co-op groups, organic food companies that you support and let them know that this was not acceptable even if it was not their fault, the items should not be marketed as organic.  Also, notify any news media outlets in your area.
   http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/12/29/12322/890
   http://tinyurl.com/fertilizergate
   http://tinyurl.com/growingproduce