From: Claudia Reid [mailto:claudia@ccof.org]
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 10:28 AM
To: foodfascist.blogspot.com
Subject: your phone inquiry
FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION
Prepared March 2009 by Claudia Reid
Thank you for contacting us about federal food safety legislation such as HR 875 or S 425. CCOF is watching this legislation closely and has provided additional information which you can read by going on our website, http://www.ccof.org/foodsafety.php. There is a link on that page to a review of the legislation, prepared by Food and Water Watch, which articulates Myths and Facts surrounding food safety legislation. I encourage you to read this review since it will put your mind at ease.
Claudia Reid, CCOF’s Policy and Program Director, is paying very close attention to this legislation, as well as to other proposals. According to her colleagues in DC, many organic agriculture advocates and farmers themselves have had meetings with Congresswoman DeLauro, the sponsor of HR 875. Congresswoman DeLauro wants to make clear she is open to constructive criticism, and will continue to be a champion for farmers markets and organic farming, despite all the crazy talk out there. She is not trying to criminalize organic farming. She also wants to make clear that her bill is just a marker bill. This means that it is a placeholder in the legislative process. Congresswoman DeLauro is not on the committee of jurisdiction and ultimately the bill that gets worked on in the House will be a bill carried by Congressman Waxman. In the meantime, Congressman Waxman has to deal with energy and climate change bills. Congressional staff in DC have said many times recently that barring some major new food safety scare, the likelihood of food safety legislation moving in 2009 is slim. There is more likelihood of legislation moving next year (2010) but even this is not a sure bet. In either case, nothing is happening legislatively right away, despite all the messages out there in e-land, on various blogs and action alerts.
If/when the legislation is forthcoming, CCOF will work with other organizations on an advocacy campaign where we will ask members like you to communicate directly with your elected officials. CCOF appreciates your inquiry. Please email Claudia Reid (Claudia@ccof.org) if you need additional information. Thank you.
Claudia Reid
Policy and Program Director
CCOF -- Organic Certification
1755 5th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone 916-443-6480
Fax 831-423-4528
www.ccof.org
Food Fascist contacts CCOF
Thank you so much Claudia,
Yes, there is much misinformation out there. The latest is that Congressman DeLauro is not married to a Monsanto Consultant. Can you state whether this is true or not? I will certainly check out the web site you gave me when time affords it. .
I am in touch with several organizations protective of organic farming & food.
I am analyzing to see how I can help and encourage others to help as well and really appreciate your communication. There is a thread on Thom Hartmann.com beneath the Nationally Syndicated Show tab that is going on with some hysterical posts from Truth Out and Daily Kos. Also, callers into some shows on KRXA540 are saying if these passed, we would not even be able to grow a tomato on our front porches.
How did these rumors get started and what rules are in place now and how would this be so different. As a product manufacturer, I wanted batch numbers on each bottle so that if there was an issue, I would know where to recall only that batch from where and whom.
I would think this would be a best practice already in any business and I would think that small organic farmers do this already as they know who they have sold what crop harvested what day went where and would likely have a smaller distribution and therefore would be able to control this.
Perhaps someone from your organization would write an article we could put into our Coop Reporter, or that I could post on the web sites where this 'hysteria' - if it is, to encourage logical and more constructive conversations.
Perhaps Thom Hartmann environmentalists and big advocate of organic farming and wholistic healing, relays any fears I have in this manner from his book, Prophets Way p 179- was he warning about the Pharisee mentality of organizing and legalizing and defining every little thing, planning out every action, and constantly measuring each other?
