SB 510

I think people have a vast misconception of "food safety," and SB 510 is the representation of this misconception. Sure, we all want and have the right to safe food, but corporate farming/agribusiness has made our food cheaper while not making it any safer. Our meat is doused in bleach to clean it to meet FDA standards. Why? Because it comes from a confinement yard where animals live in their own shit. We spray chemicals on everything in the name of "safety." We genetically modify food for "safety." The reason foreign countries don't want our food: it's covered in shit and chemicals and radiation, and it's genetically modified. It has nothing to do with the way small growers grow and process food and everything to do with how corporate farms process food. Small growers make food that is more safe and more nutritious (and vastly more expensive) with fewer interventions. Now the small grower will suffer because we are trying to protect our food from harm that exists mainly because of the way corporations farm. Don't get me wrong, though. The FDA has to be around to make sure we have health standards. However, the definition of "healthy" food and food "safety" have definitely changed since our grandparents were cooking.

It's really crazy. I guess I'll have to have the FDA inspect my kitchen before I make those Christmas cookies for my neighbors! The FDA is trying to make our food standards equal to foreign standards so they will buy our food - which will never happen because in order to meet foreign standards we'd have to actually cut down on the amount of processing done to our food instead of increasing the amount of regulation. Europe and Asia are saying, "Hey, we don't want irradiated beef and modified corn." The US is hearing, "We need safer food, so let's increase regulations" which is the wrong approach on our part.

Check out cornucopia.org and search SB 510 for more information. They are some smart folks, much smarter than me, and they have a great idea for risk-based regulations. I keep trying to post a link to their website, but I can't get it to work. Told you they are smarter than me.