Food Safety and Small Ag Need Our Help!!

SENATE FOOD SAFETY BILL S. 510

Start the New Year off right, by talking with your Senators about safe and healthy food!

Big Ag and Big Food have distributed melamine-contaminated milk from China and salmonella-contaminated peppers from Mexico. Yet Congress hasn't gotten the message that they need to solve the real problems - the centralized food distribution system and imported foods - and not regulate our local food sources out of business.

In November, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) approved S. 510, the "FDA Modernization Act of 2009." Although the Committee members made several comments about addressing the concerns of small and sustainable farmers, S. 510 still imposes many burdensome and inappropriate requirements on local foods, without solving many of the real problems in the mainstream, centralized food system.

The full Senate is expected to vote on it early this year, possibly even this month. Please take action now!


As Sen. Al Franken states “We need to make sure that as we take important steps to ensure food safety that we don’t subject our organic and sustainable producers to two conflicting or duplicative sets of regulations issued by the two agencies. We need to require the FDA and USDA to work together when developing food safety regulations, and to streamline the guidelines for organic producers and sustainable agriculture.”

Call your senator or email a concern to your senator directly. We need to work together to save the local and organic farmers from BIG government oversight and overregulation.

Here is a list of contacts for your state http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Ask to speak with the staffer who handles food safety issues. Engage that staffer in a discussion about the importance of local, nutrient-dense foods to you and your family, and why your local food sources should not be subject to FDA regulation. If you get their voice mail instead of the staff, leave the following message:

"Hi, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I'm very concerned that S.510, the FDA Modernization Act, imposes unfair and burdensome regulations on local food sources, which are very important to me. The Committee version of the bill does not address my concerns, and I'd like to talk with you about where the Senator stands on this issue. Please call me back at ____________."

Calling educates the Senators on the issues, and lets them know how their constituents want them to vote at the critical moment of voting.

TALKING POINTS

1. The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all been caused by the large, industrial food system. Small, local food producers have not contributed to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet S. 510 subjects the small, local food system to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to the industrial food system.

2. FDA regulation of local food processors is unnecessary and overly burdensome. FDA has not used its existing authority well. Instead of focusing its resources on the problems posed by imported foods and large processing facilities, it has chosen to target small processors. While approving unlabeled GMOs to enter our food supply, it has outlawed raw milk and interfered with the free choice of informed adults who want access to this healthy food. Simply giving FDA increased authority and power will not improve the food supply because the agency needs to have clear limits set by Congress to prevent it from targeting small producers and raw dairy.

3. Relying on HACCP will harm small processors. Increased regulations and record-keeping obligations could destroy small businesses that bring food to local communities. In particular, the reliance on HACCP (the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system) will harm small food producers. Although the theory of preventative controls is a good one for large, complex facilities, the federal agencies' implementation of HACCP, with its requirements to develop and maintain extensive records, has already proven to be an overwhelming burden for a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the country. In the meat industry, HACCP has substituted paperwork review for independent inspections of large meatpacking plants, while sanctioning small processors for paperwork violations that posed no health threat. Applying a HACCP system to small, local foods processors could drive them out of business, reducing consumers' options to buy fresh, local foods.

4. FDA does not belong on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA regulation of how farms grow and harvest produce. Given the agency's track record, it is likely that the regulations will discriminate against small, organic, and diversified farms. The House version of the bill directs FDA to consider the impact of its rulemaking on small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable limits or protections for small diversified and organic farms from inappropriate and burdensome federal rules.

5. The bill's requirements apply to all food, not just food in interstate commerce. On its face, the bill applies to any farm or food producer, regardless of location, size, or scope of distribution.

6. S. 510 favors foreign farms and producers over domestic. The bill creates incentives for retailers to import more food from other countries, because it burdens family farms and small business and because it will be practically impossible to hold foreign food facilities to the same standards and inspections. The bill will create a considerable competitive disadvantage for ALL U.S. agriculture and food production (see analysis at http://ftcldf.org/news/news-20Oct2009-2.html).

Please help keep our food whole, healthy and as pure as possible.

Thanks to Summer Waters, L.Ac., N.T.P. for all the great information on this important topic.

Natural Standard Blog

Natural Standard Blog - noted Authority on Integrative Medicine

A wonderful source for all things natural with a science base and medical expertise.

http://blog.naturalstandard.com/natural_standard_blog/

Keeping healthy during this wonderful flu season:

Stay Home If You're Sick
It is just good sense to stay home from work or school when you're sick, to prevent the spread of contagions.

Keep Your Hands Clean
Washing your hands frequently, especially before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or using the bathroom. Make sure to use warm water and soap, and lather up for 20 seconds!

Cover Your Nose and Mouth When Coughing or Sneezing
Avoid spreading cold and flu germs to others by coughing or sneezing into a tissue. If none is available, don't cough or sneeze into your hands! Instead, turn your head away from nearby people and, if necessary, aim for your shoulder or elbow.

Don't Touch Your Eyes, Nose, or Mouth
Cold and flu viruses are actually transferred through the eyes, nose and mouth. Try to keep your hands away from your face as much as you reasonably can.

Gargle with salt water
The flu virus in particular tends to anchor in the back of the throat and festers there. Gargling with a mix of sea salt, if you have it, and tepid water several times a day at the first sign of sickness, will possibly prevent a full-blown case. And while you are sick, it helps to clean out the germs, to aid in quick healing.

Get Plenty of Rest
Getting plenty of rest gives your white blood cells the time they need to do their job. The best cure to any oncoming illness is to REST as much as possible, the body will heal itself.

Avoid Unnecessary Close Contact
It's an unfortunate fact that a person can spread flu germs a full day before exhibiting symptoms, and then up to five days after that. Steer clear of those with flu-like symptoms - they'll understand. And if you're sick, avoid close contact with others.

Eat Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables
Eating right is always important, but particularly during cold and flu season. The vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables can boost your body's immune system.

Get Fresh Air and Exercise
Fresh air in the lungs will clear out any potential germs that you have come in contact with. If you work in an enclosed environment, take "air breaks." Try not to chill yourself too much, this can make your body work over time to regulate temperature, when it should be reserving energy to stay healthy or fight sickness if needed.

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Helpful protease enzyme supplement video

Anti-inflammatory effects and good digestive aid

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid8325816001?bctid=6614214001

Know Your Fats Article

http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html

Please read this article I found it doing some research for an article I am writing.

Trans fats = BAD
lauric acid = GOOD

FYI -
Cookies such as macaroons, if made with desiccated coconut, are good sources of lauric acid, supplying as much as 6 grams of lauric acid per macaroon

Publish Post

Health Benefits of Goji Berry Juice

Article published at Live Strong website
Unfortunately there was no credit given due to a glitch in the system...

Eastern Wisdom Health Basics

My article published at Live Strong website
Unfortunately no credit was given on a few articles with this publisher due to some glitch in the system...

Herbal Benefits of Culinary Herbs

My article published at Holistic Junction website

Check out my health consulting website
http://www.greenhearthealth.com/

The Potentially Adverse Effects of Prescription Drugs

Courtesy of:
www.meta-ehealth.com

Discovering dangers of prescription drugs after they have been marketed to the medical community and public is common. Generally, 51% of FDA-approved drugs have serious adverse effects not detected prior to approval.1 Each year prescription drugs injure 1.5 million people so severely they require hospitalization. In addition, prescription drugs cause 100,000 deaths annually.2 With these numbers, how can the public be protected from dangerous drugs?



A recent study in JAMA examined the incidence of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions (ADR) in hospital patients. An ADR is any harmful, unintended, or undesired effect of a drug. This definition does not include drug abuse nor intentional or accidental drug overdose.2 The results of this study were conclusive: the rate of severe and deadly adverse drug reactions in U.S. hospitals was found to be extremely high—high enough that ADRs ranked fourth, after heart disease, cancer, and stroke, as a leading cause of death in the U.S.2



Despite FDA attempts to incorporate various drug safety measures prior to approving prescription drugs, they often overlook potentially dangerous effects. The use of prescription drugs is often crucial; however, in order to avoid potentially harmful side effects and drug-interactions, natural remedies should be incorporated whenever possible. Herbal therapies and nutritional supplements may support the relief of many health problems without the harmful effects of prescription drugs.