"Let us seek truth everywhere;
let us cull it wherever we can find its blossom
or its SEED. Having found the seed, let us scatter
it to the winds of heaven.
Where ever it may come,
where ever it may blow, it will germinate.
There is no lack in this wide universe of souls
that will form the new ground." --Roman Rolland,
From The Forerunners.
Nobel Peace Prize for literature, 1917
Co-Founder of the International Biogenic Society
with Edmond Bordeaux Szekely,
20th Century Essene prophet,
co-founder Rancho La Puerta,
Tecate, Mexico.
EddieW
I’m afraid it will simply give FDA Federal DEATH Administration more power, and they horrifically abuse the power they already have…It’s ok for a drug that kills over 13,000 people and gives over 100,000 people heart attacks and strokes, that’s fine…but a Doctor in Colo who discovered and used a person’s own stem cells to cure hundreds of patients of various ailments…and Big Pharma wasn’t making big money on it…so FDA shut it down!!!
They have raided countless business and shut them down for the most flimsy of reasons, but any drug big pharma wants to put on the market…whether it works or not!! Is OK with FDA It makes them more money…FDA’s only main interest!!
But in a little-known footnote to the egg recall, inspectors from the Agriculture Department regularly visited the Iowa egg facilities to grade the eggs and noted unsanitary conditions but never told the FDA about them.
That kind of poor communication and coordination between the government's main food agencies is routine, and the legislation stalled in the Senate would do little to correct them.
___
The blame lies with a tight Senate calendar, a stubborn senator from Oklahoma and an unusual coalition of left- and right-wing advocates for small farmers who have mounted a surprisingly effective Internet campaign. Their e-mails have warned, among other untruths, that the bill would outlaw organic farming.
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs, said in an interview that she was still confident the legislation would pass, although she confessed to being bewildered by the lengthy battle to schedule a vote.
"This is a historic opportunity," Hamburg said. "This legislation would provide FDA with important resources and authorities that we really need to
September 16, 2010 04:49 PM
Eastern Daylight Time
S. 510: The Loss of A Unique Opportunity
to Improve Food Safety, Says Bill Marler
The Food Safety Modernization Act Appears Dead in the Senate, Future Uncertain
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Reports from Washington, D.C. indicate that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) will not come up for a vote in the Senate this session, rendering it effectively dead.
“This was a unique opportunity to reverse the trend of huge outbreaks — peanut butter, lettuce, spinach, and cookie dough — that sicken consumers nationwide”
“I’m stunned,” said food safety attorney Bill Marler. “Even more than that, I am incredibly disappointed in our Government. This would have been the first real update of our food safety laws in over 50 years. That this legislation, which has been worked on for more than a decade by lawmakers, victims, industry, producers large and small, and a huge coalition of advocates like myself can’t come up for a vote in a body where it would easily pass is ridiculous. I can’t explain it — not to myself and not to those who have lost their health, livelihood, or loved ones to contaminated food.”
After passing the House (as HR 2749) overwhelmingly in July 2009, the bill moved to the Senate, where it has remained. The Food Safety Modernization Act aimed to bring regulation in line with twenty-first century food production, with the goal of reducing the number of those who are sickened by food. Every year, 76 million Americans fall ill from something they ate. Of that number, 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die.
“This was a unique opportunity to reverse the trend of huge outbreaks — peanut butter, lettuce, spinach, and cookie dough — that sicken consumers nationwide,” continued Marler. The Wright County Egg Salmonella outbreak is a perfect example. The FDA does not have the resources or authority to protect the food supply, something this bill would have provided. Public health was sidelined, and the public doesn’t even know what derailed it. We don’t know and we should.”
ABOUT BILL MARLER: An accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert in foodborne illness litigation, William Marler has been a major force in food safety policy in the United States and abroad. He and his partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. His advocacy for better food regulation has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety. Mr. Marler spends much of the year speaking on how to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Alert Webmaster
