OK, that’s not what the legslation is called. Its official name is S.510, otherwise known as the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. The purpose is some ridiculous standard of food safety that will mean more federal bureaucracy in the back yards of those who grow any of their own food and it will make food more expensive.
“While the bill is designed to give the Food and Drug Administration greater authority over the nation’s food supply, opponents say it could bankrupt some small farms that don’t have the means to comply with new standards the bill would impose,” reports NPR.
“It’s going to put a nail in the coffin of our family food producers,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who has written an amendment to exempt some small farms who market food close to their operations. He says many small farms already comply with state and local regulations to keep food safe.”
Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser emailed a message in support of Tester’s amendment. “S. 510 is the most important food safety legislation in a generation. The Tester amendment will make it even more effective, strengthening food safety rules while protecting small farmers and producers. We both think this is the right thing to do.”
Even if the Senate passed S.510 there is no time for reconciliation with the House version. In that case, the House would have to accept the Senate version exactly as is, which may pose a problem since the Senate bill doesn’t specify how the FDA is supposed to cover the costs of this new oversight regime.
Perhaps this goes back to a question one can ask about the TSA’a new extreme safety regulations are airports. Is it the government’s job to prevent anything bad from happening to anyone at any time and are we prepared as a nation to give up our freedoms in order to receive that “protection”?