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  • From: Gerard Coursey <gcoursey@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] House votes Food Uniformity bill
  • Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2006 17:42:35 -0800 (PST)

I guess it's time to make this a campigne issue in the
states of the yea voters.

--- "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net> wrote:

>
> *House Moves to Strip Food Warning Labels*
>
> By LIBBY QUAID
> The Associated Press
> Wednesday, March 8, 2006; 11:04 PM
>
>
> WASHINGTON -- The House voted Wednesday to strip
> many warnings from food
> labels, potentially affecting alerts about arsenic
> in bottled water,
> lead in candy and allergy-causing sulfites, among
> others.
>
> Pushed by food companies seeking uniform labels
> across state lines, the
> bill would prevent states from adding food warnings
> that go beyond
> federal law. States could petition the Food and Drug
> Administration to
> add extra warnings, under the bill.
>
> Lawmakers approved the bill on a 283-139 vote.
> Supporters expect a
> Senate version of the bill to be introduced soon.
>
> "This bill is going to overturn 200 state laws that
> protect our food
> supply," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. "Why are
> we doing that? What's
> wrong with our system of federalism?"
>
> The bill's supporters argue that consumers deserve
> the same warnings on
> supermarket shelves across the country. The bill
> would allow a state to
> seek a nationwide warning from FDA.
>
> "We ought to do it in all 50 states," said Rep. Mike
> Rogers, R-Mich.
> "Chicken grown in Louisiana is going to end up on a
> plate in Michigan."
>
> Rogers mentioned a warning his own state about
> allergy-causing sulfites:
> "If they're bad for Michigan citizens, I think
> they're bad in all of the
> other 49 states," he said.
>
> Nationwide, as many as 200 state laws or regulations
> could be affected,
> according to the Congressional Budget Office. They
> include warnings
> about lead and alcohol in candy, arsenic in bottled
> water and many others.
>
> The government would spend at least $100 million to
> answer petitions for
> tougher state rules, according to CBO.
>
> Opponents of the bill scored one victory Wednesday:
> State warnings about
> mercury in fish would remain. Lawmakers amended the
> bill to let states
> keep those warnings. That amendment, sponsored by
> Rep. Debbie Wasserman
> Schultz, D-Fla., passed on a 253-168 vote.
>
> About a dozen states have safety and labeling rules
> for fish. In
> California, white signs with "WARNING" in red
> letters tells grocery
> shoppers about high mercury levels in certain fish.
> Rep. Anna Eshoo,
> D-Calif., displayed the placard during debate
> Wednesday on the House floor.
>
> Eshoo noted the bill's supporters have personal ties
> to food industry
> lobbyists.
>
> "This is not about consumers. This is about special
> interests," she said.
>
> California is a primary target of the legislation.
> There, the
> voter-passed Proposition 65 requires companies to
> warn the public of
> potentially dangerous toxins in food. California has
> filed lawsuits
> seeking an array of warnings, including the mercury
> content of canned
> tuna and the presence of lead in Mexican candy.
>
> Of particular concern to the industry is acrylamide,
> a chemical linked
> to cancer that forms in starchy food cooked at high
> temperatures, such
> as french fries and potato chips.
>
> California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has sued to
> force Burger King,
> Frito Lay, McDonald's, Wendy's and other companies
> to warn consumers
> that acrylamide is present.
>
> There is widespread opposition among state
> officials. Attorneys general
> in 39 states are opposed, as are the National
> Conference of State
> Legislature and the associations of state food and
> drug officials and
> state agriculture departments.
>
> ___
>
> On the Net:
>
> Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov
> <http://thomas.loc.gov/>
>
>
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