It is good for your health and bad for my business. If you do not have one, shoot me an email at bmarler@marlerclark.com. From my friend Pete: “People trust the accuracy of the bimetallics, thinking that they are protecting their families’ health by using it, could actually be putting their families at risk. Bill, can
TSA, Thanksgiving and Safe Food – Makes Staying Home Seem Reasonable
I travel alot. However, I will not be traveling this week, and if I was, I would not be carting the following:
Baked goodies: Cakes and pies will be allowed through security checkpoints, although they may be swabbed for explosives, said TSA spokesman Jim Fotenos. Just about everything else that goes into a Thanksgiving feast
Thanks Phil Brasher for explaining the unexplainable in the Senate on Food Safety
I stole the below from Phil Brasher, as he has given the best explanation of the unexplainable.
The Senate has put off finishing work on an overhaul of federal food-safety regulations until after the Thanksgiving holidays. However, Senate Democratic leaders have announced a deal on the amendments they’re considered. They will include a ban on spending earmarks sought by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Corburn also has a substitute bill “to modernize Federal food safety efforts without placing unnecessary burdens on food producers, increasing food prices, or saddling taxpayers with additional debt.” Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., is planning another run at killing a tax reporting provision that was used to pay for the overhaul of the health-care system.
Remember that whatever the Senate passes still must be merged with a House-passed bill or else the House will have to approve the Senate bill as is.
Here’s the agreement on how to proceed on the bill in the Senate: (The Harkin amendment is the bill language that’s being substituting for what came out of the Senate health committee a year ago. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., is the chairman of that committee and the manager of the bill.)Continue Reading Thanks Phil Brasher for explaining the unexplainable in the Senate on Food Safety
Who put the crazy in the Tea Party and Safe Food?
I know people get worked up over legislation, but the blather coming from the tea baggers (sorry, err, Tea Party) is a bit over the top. Here are my favorite tweets of the week:
“You know what’s next after food safety? Socialism and shariah law. DEMINT FOR PRESIDENT.”
“Locals say Food Safety Modernization Act will
Senator Coburn “… we’ve got the best legal systen in the world.”
During yesterday’s Senate debate as a reason not to pass S. 510, Senator Coburn said, “We’ve got the safest food in the world because we’ve got the best legal system in the world!” Or, another way to say it, “we don’t need no stinkin’ food safety bill, we got Bill Marler!” I nearly fainted.
I
Where Oh Where is S. 510, The Food Safety Bill? Oh Where Oh Where can it be?
Here is a brief outline from a variety of sources on the agreement the Senate seems to have reached – for now – as of late last night now that the Tester Amendment has been folded into the full Bill.
Senator Reid filed yet another cloture motion on the bill, and the vote on that
Tester Amendment to Allow FDA Oversight on Farm Sales to Wholesalers
Progress on fixing the Tester Amendment is making slow progress. Here is where it is at as a few moments ago. I am pleased to see that FDA will have oversight over sales between Farmers and Wholesalers. This is a good thing.
Summary of Tester Amendment
Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has sponsored an amendment to
Great quote from Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan on S 510 – FDA Food Safety Act
“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.” Eric Schlosser & Michael Pollan
This is from Food Safety News this morning:
The
Food Safety from the Jet Stream
I am finally sitting on a plane (an hour and a half late) heading home to Seattle from Atlanta nearly two weeks after leaving Seattle for Los Angeles and from there to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Shanghai, China and then to Savannah, Georgia.
Tired is not quite the right word I feel and I’m not sure I can adequately express my desire to not see the inside of an airport or an airplane – for at least a week or so.
Welcome to my world. It is quickly becoming a flash and blur of time zones, air miles and cultures, however, with common denominators of bad food, poisoned people and platitudes by business and government leaders about food safety – from “farm to fork” or “paddock to plate” – you get the drift. I’ve learned to move easily between my roles as food safety advocate and victims advocate, as easily as I’ve learned how to pack for two weeks without ever having to check a bag.
Food is big business, very big business. I cannot even fathom the amount of business generated by the worldwide production of food. We all eat – some better and more safely than others, some more healthfully, exotically, sustainably, and in varying amounts. However, we all eat. We eat for all kinds of reasons. We eat for comfort, out of boredom, to be sexy or because we are starving. But eat we must.
Safe food is another matter. To some people, safe food includes issues like GMOs, pesticides, high fructose corn syrup, etc. — issues to be sure but not as basic as my concerns. When I think food safety it usually involves feces and the bugs in them that can kill or maim in days, not decades. I know I should think about the other, prospective food safety issues, but it is hard to think long term when you are focused on animal shit in your salad or milk today.Continue Reading Food Safety from the Jet Stream
Brokenhearted and Disappointed in Shanghai
On a day the China Daily ran a story touting a new openess to the public about foodborne illnesses, I am sitting in the magnificent Shanghai Airport about to leave on a flight to the US East Coast in a few hours – yes, it is Thursday here. This is my fourth trip to China