Food safety bill dying? Get the word out
By Gina Spadafori
May 22, 2007
Picking up from a post on Itchmo’s Forum:
It’s great that Durbin (senate) and DeLauro (house) got some bills rolling to address the food safety problem. But, as of today, May 22, those bills are stuck. What that means politically is that bills can die by simply not doing anything. The Senate bill that Durbin introduced (really an amendment to a bill that already had some chance of passing as law), has been referred to the House for action. The bill that DeLauro introduced in the House, has been referred to the Senate for action. And neither the Senate nor House are acting on the bills sent to them by the other.
Even though both bills passed unanimously where they were introduced, in the House and Senate, they are two separate, different pieces of legislation. For a bill to become law, it has to pass BOTH the house and senate, then the President has to sign it, and then have the Appropriation Committee FUND the bill. Currently, the bill by Durbin has passed the Senate, but not the House. The bill by DeLauro has passed the House, but not the Senate. Durbin (in the senate) and DeLauro (in the house) has sent their legislation to the other for action. Neither House or Senate has taken up the bills by the other. They are shown as simply being “referred” to the other. And there they have sat for weeks without action, without being debated, without ANYTHING!!
Those bills are sitting there with no actions being taken. They aren’t on any calendar for action or debate. They are being KILLED, make no mistake about that! this is an often used political tactic to kill a bill by quietly letting it just ‘go away’ after the headlines have cooled down. One reporter said that when everyone, left, right, middle, independent, etc., all agree on a bill, it has no teeth. This bill has teeth, but the problem is that there may be an underlying intention to KILL the bills by doing nothing on them.
THESE BILLS WILL DIE if you don’t call your Senators and Representatives and tell them to GET THOSE BILLS ROLLING, and that you DEMAND funding for those bills. What makes a bill toothless is to pass the bill, but not fund it by Appropriations.
Here’s the rest. This is not “just” about pet food. Go back and read the Washington Post article on the crap that gets turned away and just keeps coming. Go back and read the Business Week article on the threat of bio-terrorism.
And then thank our furry victims for being “canaries in the coal mine.” Don’t let their deaths count for nothing. Get on the phone, send a letter and e-mail. Congress works for us, not lobbyists. Let’s remind them.
Do you feel safe? If you don’t, get busy. Tell them you want action on S. 1274 and H.R. 2108.
Also, bringing up from comments, from the Fort Wayne, Ind. paper:
The United States should yank away the “welcome” sign for many Chinese food and medicine ingredients, Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., told President Bush and the head of the Food and Drug Administration in letters he sent Monday.
Recent animal deaths have been blamed on pet food containing an ingredient imported from China that was contaminated with melamine, a plastic precursor used as a fertilizer. Feed tainted with the same imported ingredient was sent to 38 Hoosier poultry operations.
In addition, the Washington Post reported Sunday that the FDA had confiscated 107 contaminated food imports from China at U.S. ports last month and more than 1,000 shipments of tainted Chinese dietary supplements, toxic Chinese cosmetics and counterfeit Chinese medicines.
Here’s the rest.
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Might as well start calling them the Pet Parent Pacifier Bills. Even if they would pass to the House/Senate by some miraculous event, their implementation could delayed and delayed and delayed over many years. Like COOL.
Another snow job. Any HSUS members should pester this organization for action.
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 9:17 am
I will call my representatives today - but I know all too well that these paid congressmen and our representatives have sold their souls to corporate lobbyists and there isn’t too much we can do about it. Call yes. But it will take babies dying in their mother’s arms, and maybe not even that, to change the influence of these food giants and their (our) dependence upon foreign products and, oh yes, let’s not forget our new bedmate - China.
As I mentioned before, there is more than one way for a country to take over its rival - and it’s not by poisoning them either.
Soon we will all need to learn to speak Beijing -
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 9:28 am
Here is some new info to keep the food safety issue going.http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/22/business/paste.php
More problems with toothpaste, and the manager of one factory says they use diethylene glycol cuz it is cheaper, and have done so for years.
They export toothpaste to the U.S.—-and we should be “reassured” cuz the FDA is looking into it!
(But I’m sure THAT won’t hurt us either, cuz of the dilution factor!)
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 9:32 am
Oops! I will try the link again.
http://www.iht.com/ Then click on the China investigates tainted toothpaste.
This is in addition to the Panama tainted toothpaste!
Teeth can be brushed using salt or soda—-not as tasty as antifreeze toothpaste, however!
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 9:46 am
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_.....dards.html
Some suggestions from the HSUS to keep this PPP bill alive
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 10:13 am
I’m sending letters to state representatives. Who can I contact to send information about the Nutro sale to Mars? Does the FTC handle these types of complaints? Why should this sale be allowed to go through when there is new evidence of contaminated food? Nutro execs just walk away from all liability…aaggghhh!
Comment by Cathy — May 22, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 10:13 am
That is a great link!
It’s a simple painless way to contact your representative! https://community.hsus.org/campaign/FED_2007_pet_food
It will find you representative and send the following email:
You can add your own comments. Then afterwards you may, if you like, send the link and a message asking friends and family to help.
Comment by Peggy (AKA: Big Fat Momma Cat) — May 22, 2007 @ 10:32 am
Comment by Peggy
Pls note the link also discloses the phone numbers of your reps. Always better to to make a phone call also and follow up with Email. . Also better to put some of your own words in the Email. Edit to your hearts content.
Comment by Cathy,
Pls not it is NUTRA(different company) not NUTRO in the latest suspected tainted dry food.
Also scratching my head that Nutro did not sue for such a look alike name. Bet pet food buyers get also confused when buying pet food, thinking they are buying Nutro or vice versa.
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 10:46 am
It occurs to me that this is getting to the point where we might need a more organized article on just who to write to and what to say…
Starting with our own legislators, we need to be telling them to co-sponsor the bill if they aren’t already, and to ask them to work to bring this legislation to a vote.
Next, both of these bills have been sent to Committee, and we need to ask the Committees to accept these bills and return them for a full vote. (In the Senate, S.1274 was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; In the House, HR.2108 went to the Committee on Energy and Commerce…listings of committee members are on senate.gov and house.gov respectively)
Anyone else have further insight on who we should be sending letters to? (And, it bears noting that real honest-to-goodness letters—as opposed to email or phone calls—carry more weight. The others are important too, but the real letter still carries the day. I know this from working for pet legislation.)
Just thinking out loud here…anyone else?
Comment by hildiesmom — May 22, 2007 @ 10:49 am
comment by hildiesmom
You are so correct. Snail mail letters are excellent also. The best ,I think, are actual personal visits( a small group) to your elected rep.(call for appointment) either in your home state or at Washington DC.
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 11:08 am
http://home.businesswire.com/p.....ewsLang=en
I guess the next FDA briefings will be on cyanuric acid?
At least one pet food company suddenly realized.. duh.. it’s more than melamine.
Comment by Ann H — May 22, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
RE: Natura Pet is Testing for Cyanuric Acid, Too.
I just wrote to them this morning telling them I switched to them and asked if they are also testing for cyanuric acid, ammilorine, ammiloride, and aminopterin. I switched to California Natural (Natura Pet) when my other brand sold out for two weeks. This is great news. Natura was the one to step up to test all foods for melamine. This is a positive second step. This company is really trying to win consumer confidence and is trying to show they value pet safety over pocketing as much profit as possible. They deserve some credit in my book.
Comment by petlover — May 22, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
Faxes help too. I immediately got a reply from Rep. David Scott from using the HSUS letter. He asked for a week to review before replying.
I’ll fax tonite and call tomorrow. He’s also on Ag Committee.
Comment by Ann H — May 22, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
Gina, Christie — could you folks update this posting and include the bill numbers and names for both the House and Senate bill?
I e-mail my rep/Senators all the time — their staff tends to take correspondance much more seriously if the bill numbers are attached — it’s easier for them to route — and making their life easier makes it easier to them to help us.
Thanks so much!
Comment by Dorene — May 22, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
Bill numbers added to original post. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — May 22, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Thank you for the bill numbers. I contaced my senators and HR person. I hope all our e-mails and phone calls and letters help. We need a miracle!
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
By the way, have we ever heard on anything from Kucinich after he demanded answers from FDA? Did his office ever put anything out about the responses he requested by a certain timeline?
Comment by Sandi K — May 22, 2007 @ 1:48 pm
comment by Linda
Not really a miracle just be tenacious( like a fox terrier). The two bills resp. H.R 2108 and S 1274 will be very unpopular by industry. By just stalling , the general public will forget about it after a while.(humming the Stones “Time is on our side”).Lobbyist know this. The “no brainer” on dogfights/cockfights took six years. These two bills are too much of a change and will probably be watered down if ever coming to a vote again. Salient points here
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_.....dards.html
Remember that your elected officials like the pampered treatment from lobbyist(who among us would not) but also keep tabs on their voting constituents. The vote of an average person counts just as much as an individual powerful lobbyist.
Just hang in there persistently over the years. Change will not come overnite.
One thing that this country has over communistic China. We are afterall a democracy. Make your vote count!!!!!
Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 2:33 pm
link did not work. Salient point below
DURBIN, DELAURO INTRODUCE NEW FOOD SAFETY BILL IN WAKE OF WIDENING RECALLS
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
[WASHINGTON, DC] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) today introduced legislation that will revise and upgrade the nation’s food safety system. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of the federal agencies charged with safeguarding the U.S. food supply, has come under fire recently in the wake of nationwide recalls and/or quarantines of tainted pork, spinach, peanut butter and pet food.
Durbin and DeLauro’s legislation would give the FDA the power to order mandatory recalls of adulterated food products, establish an early warning and notification system for human food, as well as pet food, and establish fines for companies that don’t promptly report contaminated products.
“The product recalls that we have seen in the past few weeks - first with pet food and then with food intended for human consumption - have shown us that food-borne illness is a dangerous and real threat in this country,” Durbin said. “There are gaps in the inspection, monitoring, notification and enforcement elements of our food system and we must act now to address them. We simply cannot afford to let consumers continue to be the guinea pigs in our food safety system.”
“After the countless recalls, alerts and advisories from the past year, along with the latest CDC numbers showing increases in various food-borne illnesses, the evidence is clear our food safety system is collapsing and one of the main agencies charged with protecting it, is asleep,” stated DeLauro. “This needs to change immediately - it is time to transform the FDA from the toothless agency it has become to one that takes the proactive steps necessary to protect our food supply and the public health.”
Durbin and DeLauro said that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that as many as 76 million people suffer from food poisoning each year. Of those individuals, approximately 325,000 will be hospitalized, and more than 5,000 will die. With emerging pathogens, a population at high risk for food-borne illnesses and an increasing volume of food imports, this situation is unlikely to improve without decisive action.
Some of the new responsibilities given to the FDA under Durbin and DeLauro’s new legislation include:
Providing the FDA the authority for mandatory recalls of contaminated or dangerous food. The FDA currently has no authority to order food recalls, but must rely on the industry to voluntarily pull products from store shelves.
Establishing an early warning and notification system for human food as well as pet food products. The legislation directs the FDA to work with professional organizations, veterinarians, and others to disseminate information about pet food contamination and in cases of both pet and human food, to keep up to date, comprehensive, searchable recall lists on their website.
Establishing uniform federal standards and better labeling of pet food. The guidances and practices that today govern the pet food industry are implemented on a voluntary basis by manufacturers and state departments of agriculture. However, there is no requirement for states to adopt these practices and they don’t have the force of federal guidelines. Inspections are not coordinated state to state and some states have different standards than others.
Improving FDA’s ability to regulate imported food products. The sources of the recent human and pet food contamination were wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate that originated in China. Neither shipment was inspected by FDA; in fact, FDA inspects fewer than 1.5% of imports. FDA does not currently certify that trading partners have food safety standards that are at least equivalent to those of the United States. This bill would direct FDA to establish a certification program with trading partners interested in exporting food products to the United States. Foreign food safety systems and plants would be inspected by FDA prior to certification and the Secretary would have the authority to revoke certifications and deny importation of food if it presented a public health risk.
Requiring companies to maintain records and make them accessible to FDA as part of an investigation. This provision would prevent delays that could keep contaminations from being traced as quickly as possible. In the case of the recalled peanut butter this past winter, an FDA report showed that inspectors were denied documents when they requested them. The bill would clarify that when FDA conducts inspections, it will have access to those documents needed for purposes of safeguarding the food supply.
Durbin and DeLauro have been actively engaged on food safety issues for over a decade. This Congress they introduced legislation that calls for the development of a single food safety agency and the implementation of a food safety program to standardize American food safety activities (The Safe Food Act - S. 654 and H.R. 1148 in the Senate and House respectively). Currently, there are at least 12 different federal agencies and 35 different laws governing food safety. With overlapping jurisdictions, federal agencies often lack accountability on food safety-related issues.
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Comment by Serijna — May 22, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
OK I have e:mailed one reps office, have a message in to another and am getting ready to call the 3rd and final one. Any other suggestions on who to contact? I am NOT giving up even if it feels like we are back to square one!
Comment by Sandi K — May 22, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
The real problem is that as we speak, our elected officials are wining and dining a Very Important Trade delegation from Bogus where more important issues such as Intellectual Property Rights and the control of the Yuan by the Bogus government are being discussed.
China just bought what…9.7% of Blackstone, the sub prime lender, which put it just under the wire of congressional investigation? This is much more important than food safety. You and I and our pets and whether or not we can obtain safe foods is soooo unimportant in the grand scheme of greed. We don’t count. There doesn’t seem to be an interdisciplinary awareness that if we are too sick from diethylene glocol or melamine poisoning, we can’t pay our refinanced mortgages because so many of us have little or no health insurance.
Get used to it.This is what happens to the little people. We are lucky we got this far, thanks to the Internet and persistence on the part of Itchmo, this Blog and other sites. (strange popping noise heard in background). Oops, that was my brain exploding. Time to feed my 6 dogs and hope the raw food they are eating is as safe as I can make it, which isn’t saying much.
Comment by Deb — May 22, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
Deb,
do you have big dogs or little dogs? I find feeding my crew quite a chore so I had to start adding back some dry food. Tell me your secrets please.
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 3:03 pm
I have six small dogs Linda. The largest is 21 lbs, the smallest is 10. I am extremely fortunate because I belong to two co-ops supplied by 2 different manufacterers, and have from the getgo, when the raw food manufacturers first opened for business. They no longer do co-ops, and wholesale to retailers only. I can’t give more information because the manufacturers would get flak from irate buyers who have to sell at retail or near retail and would feel undercut by our existence.
Comment by Deb — May 22, 2007 @ 3:14 pm
Thanks Deb. My dogs are all over 65 pounds and two are over 90lbs.
It not only is getting very expensive to feed all homemade - it is getting almost too much of a chore when I work full time and want some time to play and have fun. Thank goodness all are healthy. Then I rescued a new pup two weeks ago and now I know why he was abandoned - Mr. energy and spunk and howls and is quite the character - reminds me of the Dog in the Mask, and he is eating all homecooked too. I thought there was some magic to it all - guess not.
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
Linda, I wish there was some magic in it. I think we could all use a magic wand right about now.
Comment by Deb — May 22, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
“Tomato-Killing Virus Detected in Calif.—-
An insect-borne virus that has killed tomato plants across Central America, Florida and Georgia has been detected in California for the first time.”
————-
However, the FDA/USDA has stated they feel the risk to humans is low.” (my comments, I’ll save them a press conference)
:-)
Comment by Donna — May 22, 2007 @ 3:48 pm
I just wrote to Senator Salazar abpit S1284, the bill for food safety.
I, also, buy California Natural.
My girl cat wheezes much less (she was allergic to the wheat) with this product, if at all.
Instead of jumping from brand to brand and having each new one recalled, I am having more success with this company, both as to no more recalls and the cats are much healthier.
I get discouraged but for now refuse to give up.
Comment by Evelyn — May 22, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
Giving up is not an option Evelyn…but sometimes I’m alittle itsy witsy bit tempted to move to the country and buy a farm and start my own “Dogpatch” garden.
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Contacted my representatives regarding the Bills…
What ARE they thinking??? Or maybe they’re not thinking at all?
Thousands of animals have died, our food supply is tainted with melamine, China keeps trying to ship “garbage” to us to consume, and our representatives are just sitting on this?
I think the upcoming elections are going to be very interesting.
If they don’t want to listen to their constituents…then vote them out.
Comment by Marcy — May 22, 2007 @ 4:13 pm
I’ve started to use Natura food (EVO canned). I just bought a single can of California Natural as well to evaluate. What I don’t get is why don’t more companies act like Natura. Sure they aren’t perfect either but they seem to be doing and saying more than anyone else out there. There are lots of companies that could make a lot of money if they play this right.
Comment by Jenny — May 22, 2007 @ 4:16 pm
The bills don’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell. The corporate special interests and the China lobby will never let them pass. If by some miracle it did, the President would certainly veto it in a wink.
Does anybody really believe that pet lovers carry any weight in Congress? We have no money, no lobbyists, no special interest support; we don’t have a chance.
I’ll still write and email and call because Nutro pouches from Menu Foods with Chinese poison killed my best friend – he is gone forever as are so many others we love. We only have our grief and our anger – they have the power and they know how to use it.
We (the little people as we are referred to by the politicians and special interests in Washington) don’t have a prayer. They will poison our pets and some of us. The poison will keep coming in from communist China and our corrupt political system, fueled by greed and megabuck will not change.
Welcome to the reality of YOUR democracy.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 22, 2007 @ 4:37 pm
MFEMFEM. I hear you, but I don’t agree.
The key here is to figure out who to bond with.
Think. Which major group with money and lobbyist would WANT something like this?
American Farmers.
American food producers
All the companies that lost jobs and markets because they couldn’t compete against China.
It’s a question in some cases of figuring out who wants food safety for their own profit (vs. the lives of pets -or people).
The other thing is Understanding the process.
Sen. Durbins office is smart. Each time there is a tragedy that points back to need for a good food safety regulation they move a bit of the story forward.
We need to help them, it will help us.
Also, in addition to the proactive part that people are doing. Let’s think about who will be blocking this, how and why.
And we call them out.
I have some thoughts about how to do that.
More Spocko techniques! Whee! We are moving the ball.
Keep alert, we need to be prepared to make noise and effective communicate when we can.
Comment by spocko — May 22, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
I’ve got about 10 faxes qued for S.1274, S.1292, H.R.2108 - Food Safety & Amend Meat & Poultry Inspection Act
If you want to see the status of the bills, co-sponsors, other related bills then GovTrack.us is very good. http://www.govtrack.us/
http://www.govtrack.us/congres.....l=s110-654
I’ve got to think about funding the FDA unless it’s a temporary measure. I’m for merging and realigning the agencies - as in reform for the long run. Short term - I gotta make sure that doesn’t get in the way of funding food safety and passage of this stuff.
Comment by Ann H — May 22, 2007 @ 5:17 pm
Comment by spocko — May 22, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
“American Farmers.
American food producers
All the companies that lost jobs and markets because they couldn’t compete against China.”
“American Farmers”
American family farmers (family owned farms) are about 5% of the voting public or less and only a small fraction of the agriculture business. Giant agribusiness controls agriculture in this country and it is globalized. The small family farm is pretty much a myth.
“American food producers”
The big chicken producers can’t wait to get permission to send chickens to China for processing (cheap) and then sell them back here. This is the direction of much of the larger food producers in the US. Small and medium size producers might provide support however.
“All the companies that lost jobs and markets because they couldn’t compete against China.”
They are out of business.
Wish it weren’t the case.
We need 10 Ralph Naders.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 22, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
Spoko?
Is there a collection of industries that are coming out strongly in support of COOL? I think I’ve read several and they are realizing the consumer and their benefits under the current climate.
How do you find the ties from the PFI to the by-products industry?
Comment by Ann H — May 22, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
The cattle industry came out strongly in favor of COOL. (thanks google alerts)
http://www.foodproductiondaily.....ne-imports
The call by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (F-Calf) follows concerns raised on the safety of imports, which it claims have increased, while inspections have fallen.
In a letter to Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sen. Herb Kohl, who both chair Agriculture subcommittees at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the group claims that while imports have doubled since 2000, inspections have fallen by 40 per cent.
The letter stated that the safety and integrity of food is in serious jeopardy because of uncertainties about the origin of imports.
“The pet food poisoning scandal has revealed how out-of-control the situation has become,” the letter stated. “Rice, wheat and corn gluten have been systematically spiked with melamine to falsely increase lab tests for protein, without providing nutrition, and to gain higher market prices for the ingredients.”
Really good, really, really good. YEAH!
Comment by Ann H — May 22, 2007 @ 5:35 pm
Ann H,
A good website to find out which organizations are part of the coalition supporting COOL, go to http://www.americansforlabeling.org
MFEMFEM,
There are still some family farms and ranches out there, we are a tough bunch of folks and have been fighting the fight for COOL and numerous competition reforms to give us the tools to compete with foreign imports.
The opposition is well-funded and has the ear of congress and the govt agencies because of political donations, I assume.
However, a determined and loud minority can win, and us bloggers are determined and mad as H***!
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
What would our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers be thinking about this? The country they all fought for so We could keep USA free of things like this? I just can’t believe it has come to this. We can never give in. It’s just tough that rich people built factories over there. They should bring them back here. And keep America, American made. I really don’t care if they lose money or not. This is OUR country!
Comment by Trudy Jackson — May 22, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
“However, a determined and loud minority can win, and us bloggers are determined and mad as H***!”
Good, I’m mad as H***! too and I could drive a tractor before I could drive a car. I’m not saying the situation is hopeless, but it’s going to be dam* difficult and the opposition will try to crush us at every turn. We are really up against the devil.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 22, 2007 @ 6:49 pm
I’m quite aware of the myth of the “family farmer” that is used to sell everything from the estate tax to crop subsidies.
I was talking more along the lines of finding the parts of these industries like Ann H said that are for certain things. The are not usually monolithic.
For example their are parts of the beef industry that wouldn’t let processors in Nebraska test their beef for BSE so that they could sell it to Japan. Why? Because if they tested it then Japan would want EVERYONE to test their beef. Instead the let that company lose all the Japanese beef business and said to the government to put pressure on Japan to buy our beef. We of course said that Canada can’t sell US beef! Why? Not enough BSE testing!
Crazy eh? (as my good friend in Canada say.)
So for example there are LOTS of Chicken producers that don’t WANT to have to compete against cheap labor and processing in China. THOSE are the folks to get on our side.
Other groups. Food importers at the supermarket level. On one hand they can say. “We really want to access to cheap goods.” but on the other hand killing their customers is bad PR.
If they won’t go for a ban then they can push for COOL and that is one thing that could lead to more safety.
This is both a strategic plan and a tactical one.
And here’s a tip. We are ALL acting as the Ralph Nader’s of our age. We’re it.
We can do it in the memory of the sick and dying pets.
Comment by spocko — May 22, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
I hope another “Window of Opportunity” doesn’t present itself - because it will be tragic and death and pain. And no one wants any more of that, but it probably will happen if we keep dealing with food products from China. Sigh.
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
P.S. I think there is more than economic issues here with trade with China - there is an ally needed and our allies are shrinking these days.
Comment by Linda — May 22, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
Comment by spocko — May 22, 2007 @ 6:58 pm
“We are ALL acting as the Ralph Nader’s of our age. We’re it. We can do it in the memory of the sick and dying pets.”
I hope so, I pray it is so.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 22, 2007 @ 7:02 pm
Interesting,
http://tinyurl.com/2vw55n
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 22, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Spocko,
It was the USDA that wouldn’t allow Creekstone to test all their cattle for BSE! Creekstone had a good business with Japan as they assured the Japanese that their product was born, raised and slaughtered in the USA.
The cattle industry lost a lot of our export markets because of the Canadian BSE problem, and the big 4 meatpackers import a lot of beef from Canada, Mexico and other countries but didn’t want to label it.
However, Creekstone sued to be able to do their own testing and WON! I think it even had to go to the supreme Court. They resumed shipments of USA Creekstone beef to Japan just recently.
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
Spocko,
My previous comments were “in a nutshell”. (Big nutshell, huh)?
You were right that some of the cattle groups were against Creekstone testing their beef for BSE. NCBA claims to represent cattle producers but instead is a mouthpiece for the 4 big meat packers and AMI.(American Meat Institute) That is why many cattle producers now belong to R-CALF USA, the group that is working for Country Of Origin Labeling.
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 7:27 pm
Comment by E. Hamilton — May 22, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
“Interesting,
http://tinyurl.com/2vw55n”
“For globalization was never merely about access to bigger markets than could be found at home. It was also about extending commerce beyond the bounds of regulation and unions and meddlesome meat inspectors.”
Meyerson couldn’t be more correct, and if a few thousand pets, or humans die, well, free trade isn’t exactly free, but food and athletic shoes are cheaper, right.
Comment by MFEMFEM — May 22, 2007 @ 7:35 pm
Many of the smaller chicken farmers are under strict contract to grow chickens for Tyson—vertical integration is what they call it, and, because of the contracts they would be afraid to speak up.
A feedlot owner in Kansas was discriminated against for speaking out against the big 4 meat packers, they wouldn’t buy his cattle when they were ready and he incurred economic damage, sued them and won an undisclosed amount in court. He then started his own company Ranch Foods Direct, has his own slaughter facilities and processes only USA beef, no hormones etc.
Comment by Elaine — May 22, 2007 @ 7:41 pm
I became aware of the USDA’s stupid position when my local agricultural newspaper ran an article about the victory.
I got a real education when I learned that one of the big players against the testing was the USDA. Told my dh, you aren’t going to believe who is throwing a wrench into private companies testing for BSE. Shocked him as well.
Comment by TC — May 22, 2007 @ 8:27 pm
Protect American farmers and manufacturers with high tariffs on Chinese and Indian products and services. This problem never even existed before we started buying food products in great quantities from Asia. Protectionist measures already introduced in Congress have a much greater chance of passing and being enforced than the two “food safety” bills. This is an inconvenient truth.
U.S.-China Trade Talks Open With Food Safety an Issue
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05.....e-web.html
Comment by Palomino — May 22, 2007 @ 8:29 pm
Spocko,
Loved your letter to the White House re Willie and Barney. Wouldn’t it be something if that’s the letter that fixed everything?
Comment by kb — May 22, 2007 @ 10:05 pm
Hey folks - another slip from Menu Foods - something they “accidentally left off the list”
http://www.itchmo.com/read/men…..e_20070522
Comment by Lynn — May 22, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Comment by Lynn — May 22, 2007 @ 10:09 pm
al Jazeera picked up an AP article I found earlier this morning on SignonSanDiego& (of course) put a new title to it & spun it about 10 times, then coughed & puked this up…
http://english.aljazeera.net/N.....3463D4.htm
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....trade.html
Comment by Kat — May 22, 2007 @ 10:56 pm
Chinese paper slams handling of pet food scandal
BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s handling of the tainted pet food scare in the United States was “shameful”, but other countries should not use that as an excuse to discriminate against Chinese products, a state newspaper said on Wednesday.
“Our quality watchdogs’ contradictory statements regarding responsibility for the sensational pet food scandal was a shameful example of lack of professionalism,” the government-run China Daily said in an editorial.
“They first denied, then soon admitted, that the contaminated pet food originated in China,” added the English-language newspaper, which is often used by Beijing to get its message to the outside world.
… In the latest cases, the Dominican Republic has banned the sale of two brands of Chinese toothpaste because they may contain a lethal chemical responsible for mass poisoning deaths in Panama last year.
Nearly 90,000 units of the toothpaste, imported from Panama and sold under the brand names Excel and Mr. Cool, have been confiscated by authorities in the Caribbean country since late last week, the Dominican health secretary said.
Panama pulled thousands of tubes of the toothpaste from stores last week after tests showed they contained high levels of diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in engine coolants. …
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/070523/3/32a52.html
Comment by Kat — May 22, 2007 @ 11:03 pm
Now we have franken rice to worry about. Read this link.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200.....ntria_dc_1
yummy.
Comment by 6catmommy — May 22, 2007 @ 11:04 pm
!!!!!!!!! “We have grown it for nine years in North Carolina, California and South America as well,” he said. !!!!!!!!!!!
?????????????????????????????
Comment by Kat — May 22, 2007 @ 11:22 pm
And, they continue to scratch their NUMB-SKULL and wOnDeR W-H-Y the bee colonies are collapsing !!!!!
I think I’d choke to death if I were a bee & tasted that CRAP! I know rice is a grass, so bees aren’t going to go for nectar there, but — other franken-plants do flower.
HOW could anyone even think a HUMAN PROTEIN in rice would be a good idea???
Will this make us a canibal?
!! BOYCOTT BAYER !!
Comment by Kat — May 22, 2007 @ 11:27 pm
APHIS received more than 20,000 comments on Ventria’s application, with only 29 groups or individuals supporting the planting of the GMO rice in Kansas.
Sounds like a massive outcry — NO!
And, they did it anyway !!! ??? !!!
Comment by Kat — May 22, 2007 @ 11:29 pm
WELL SAID!
Food safety system is a mess, needs complete overhaul
SUZANNE HAVALA HOBBS
Our food safety system is more than broken. As scandals go, it’s the food system equivalent of Enron or WorldCom.
And there’s little evidence that much is being done to fix it.
In the latest outrage, melamine, an industrial chemical, apparently has been added to wheat flour and gluten products imported from China and sold as an ingredient in pet food and in feed for animals destined for human consumption. …
… More recently, we’ve learned farm-raised fish in Canada were fed melamine-infused feed.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t want you to stop eating pork or chicken. According to Secretary Mike Johanns, it’s safe for you to eat meat from animals that ate the same chow that killed cats and dogs. Officials argue that levels of contamination are so low they are unlikely to cause harm.
At the same time federal government officials offered their assurances that the food is safe, they asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to put special emphasis on monitoring the nation for an increase in human kidney failures.
Why should we accept health risks — however small or uncertain — rather than insist our government take the necessary steps to safeguard our food?
The melamine scandal demonstrates what happens when we leave food safety in the hands of industry and federal agencies such as USDA with mandates to support and protect American agriculture. A few key questions underscore the issues:
• What happened to that recalled pet food? After pets began dying, the government pulled the food from pet stores. Where did it go?
• Why wasn’t the recalled pet food quarantined to prevent it from being resold?
• What is the magnitude of the problem?
The Safe Food Act, a bill introduced by members of the House and Senate this month, calls for oversight of the nation’s food safety functions to be consolidated into one independent agency, the Food Safety Administration. Such a move would eliminate the fragmented system we have today.
The Safe Food Act is a good start. But in today’s political environment, consumers are no match for the influence of industry. We will never get effective food safety regulation until consumers demand change.
…
Comment by Kat — May 23, 2007 @ 12:59 am
Link to above post:
http://www.charlotte.com/192/story/132121.html
Comment by Kat — May 23, 2007 @ 1:00 am
More about the FDA labs closing:
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5962783?source=rss
Comment by Kat — May 23, 2007 @ 1:07 am
Consumer Concerns About Hormones In Food
http://envirocancer.cornell.ed.....rmones.pdf
The FDA has banned the use of Human Growth Hormones. However, according to them, it is perfectly safe to pumped our meats and milk with hormones and genetically modify crops. WTF?????????????
Comment by Tammy — May 23, 2007 @ 1:17 am
‘The agency can’t afford top-of-the line equipment at 13 sites, and some sites are in disrepair, said Diana Kolaitis, the FDA’s director of field operations.’
Maybe that’s because the current administration keeps taking money away from the FDA. There are just too many other things way more important than making sure our food is safe. We have wars to pay for, illegal aliens to take care of, and keep China happy so they keep paying for our deficit. Afterall, they do own more of the United States than the United States.
Comment by Tammy — May 23, 2007 @ 1:25 am
We are being heard.
I just received a phone call from North Carolina Senator Burr’s office in response to an email sent a few weeks ago.
In that email I had expressed my concerns about the poisoned pet food and had asked the Good Senator to please back up Senator Durbin on this issue.
In talking with Dan Woodley from Senator Burr’s office, we today discussed S-1274 and how important it is to keep it alive.
We also discussed “our” (meaning all of us here) concern’s about ingredients coming from China and the impact it has even in the human food. Also the lack of ingredients such as taurine and other vitamins in the U.S. I also expressed our concerns about our farmers and other food and drug companies or lack of in this country.
I told him to expect more letters and emails regarding these issues and that it is of great concern to all of us.
He said he called because Senator Burr is concerned about these issues.
I thanked him for personally calling me to discuss these issues.
I wasn’t surprised to receive a call since Senator Burr really does listen to people. We have corresponded with one another on other issues. But it was really nice to have a person to exchange ideas with.
So please everyone, don’t get discouraged. Keep writing and tell them what your concerns are.
Anyone from NC - “Beat Feet” - send your email NOW.
Comment by Kathi — May 23, 2007 @ 9:05 am
Hank Paulson being interviewed by Bloomberg right now..
Comment by BEE — May 23, 2007 @ 9:13 am
E-Action - letter to officials asking for Country of Origin Labeling. Edit to suit yourself before sending:
http://www.democracyinaction.o.....n_KEY=6119
Consumers Union
Stop Starving our food safety system!
Cat and Dog eat dinnerTainted pet food from China may have caused the deaths of thousands of dogs and cats. Last fall, California spinach contaminated with a deadly strain of e. coli bacteria caused at least three deaths and landed hundreds of people in the hospital. You may have recently thrown out peanut butter due to reported salmonella contamination.
Congress has been cutting back the FDA, the agency responsible for the safety of vegetables and processed food, for over a decade. Now the agency inspects only about 1 percent of food shipments entering the country and visits US food processing facilities only about once every 5 to 10 years.
Our food safety system is fragmented, underfunded and antiquated. We need more inspection, better labeling, and stronger standards. Congress is beginning to consider reforms—lawmakers need to know that you care about ensuring the safety of your food. Send a quick message today!
https://secure.npsite.org/cu/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr008=n4cspa2pc4.app14b&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1581
Similar Petition also by Consumers Union
http://www.thepetitionsite.com...../988291138
Comment by shallah — May 23, 2007 @ 9:27 am