Are you thrilled or worried about the effects of the new food safety bill? We now have one, the first since 1938. The House passed the bill 215-144 yesterday to finally give the bill to President Barack Obama to sign into law.
The easy answer is yes, as the bill does a number of good and necessary things. But different factions, not just on the right, haven't been thrilled with the process, the bill, or both.
Smaller food processors have been concerned over threats that the FDA will go after them and not the larger food companies. Those on the right are complaining about government overreach and/or interference.
This process is rather unfortunate, given the necessity of having a bill.
While there is a temptation to celebrate the food safety bill, there is still much that we don't know.
While the bill calls for $1.4 billion over the next four years — 2,000 new FDA inspectors — there is no method within the bill to pay for the new inspectors. So those people upset with the bill may get what the rest fear — not enough oversight of the potential damage to our food supply.
The Tester Amendment will go a long way toward determining whether the bill's effects will damage small farmers. The impact on raw milk also will be an indicator.
And though oversight on foods coming in from other countries is part of the deal, will we still keep our Mexican Coca-Cola bottles?
We deserved better. We deserved a food safety bill that would have been out in the open, targeting larger companies more than smaller companies, based purely on track record. We deserved a less rushed process to reduce paranoid and legitimate concerns. We deserved a better Senate than the one that passed the bill but put in literally unconstitutional elements into the bill, delaying its passage.
But we don't have any of those things. We have an imperfect food safety bill. If anyone thinks the fight is over, well, 2011 will show you differently.
Enjoy the victory while it lasts, but rest up: 2011 will have to continue the food safety battle, especially with a hostile-GOP-led House of Representatives.
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