S 510 included in a House Bill to be voted on today

Dec. 9, 2010 UPDATE: S.510 Food Safety bill now HR 3082 – Goes back to the Senate

By Rady Ananda

S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act, has been included in a short-term Continuing Resolution on which the House is expected to vote this afternoon. This would overcome the unconstitutional revenue provision in S.510, confirmed an aide in Sen. Tom Coburn’s office.

“The bill has to come back to the Senate for a vote to be scheduled by the Majority Leader. It could still be voted on in the lame duck session,” he said.

Writing about the continuing resolution, the National Journal explained, “Congress must clear an extension before Friday to provide additional time for lawmakers to decide how to wrap up fiscal year 2011 spending.”

We must keep pressure on Senators to reject this bill:

►S.510 is dangerously broad without proper checks to prevent abuse of power;

►The Tester Amendment still requires those who want to apply for the $500,000 annual revenue exemption to submit three years of detailed financial records, detailed hazard analysis plans, and detailed proof of compliance with local, county and state laws. Then, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve each exemption.

(How many of the smallest food producers who donate food to the homeless, or who supply homemade products at bake sales, county fairs, church bazaars, and community picnics are going to bother with such hyper-regulation?)

►The exemption does not extend to tens of thousands of small and mid-sized farms and food stands to be crushed under the weight of rules designed for some of the world’s largest food processors.

►It does not address the real causes of food safety issues stemming from the industrialized food supply chain; and

►It ensures that international trade agreements have supremacy over local laws.

Demand food freedom and reject an over-reaching federal government. S.510 will destroy small and medium food producers to the benefit of multinational corporations.

Fax your Senators. Or call them: http://senate.gov/

For a list of articles that detail all the problems with S.510, see Like the Patriot Act? You’re gonna love the Food Safety Modernization Act.