Food Safety Bills Reach too Far, Cost too Much

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Policy news from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

In an editorial in Capital Times, Margaret Krome, Policy Director at NSAC member group, the Michael Fields Agriculture Institute, gives her perspective on the two upcoming food safety bills making their way through Congress:

“Food safety is a serious concern, and action is needed to protect the nation’s food safety supply. Private food safety agreements are inappropriate, but federal regulatory approaches need to be calibrated to target actual risks. Legislation should aim for a risk-based process that targets the most likely sources of contamination and protects small farmers from an excessive regulatory burden that would put them out of business. Congress hasn’t yet struck the right balance.” Read the full article.

Margaret’s concerns were echoed by many at NSAC’s Winter Meeting in Santa Fe, and became particularly real when NSAC members had a chance to visit a small, diversified local vegetable farm run by local farmer advocate and NSAC friend, Don Bustos. Small farms, like Santa Cruz farm in New Mexico are likely to be hardest hit by the upcoming legislation.  For additional information about pending food safety legislation, please check out NSAC’s policy brief Food Safety on the Farm.