The House of Representatives passed HR 2749 by a 283-142 vote. The bill deals with food safety to try and handle the recalls of recent years, including beef, tomatoes, spinach, and peanut butter.
But not everyone is thrilled with the bill. Smaller farmers may have problems because tracers make free-range animals more difficult to maintain. And the bill contains a number of exemptions.
It's good that Congress is even considering a food safety bill. But a good food safety bill that goes after corporate farms and doesn't harm smaller farms would be a better bill.
In the political process, the Senate version would have to be rectified. But the Senate version may be worse for these same parties afflicted by the House version.
And it seems sad that we need a food safety bill to protect ourselves from corporate farms. Things that are happening to our food supply should be obviously illegal and immoral, but there isn't much common sense in our food policy.
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