Our food supply is in jeopardy on many fronts and we must all become informed and involved before the affordability and quality of food is forever “transformed”. Over the past several decades, the face of farming has changed from the traditional family farm to industrial agricultural giants. Small to medium sized food processors are being bought and merged into giant corporations with significant lobbying power. In addition, the majority of agricultural chemicals are produced by just a few mammoth companies also with a powerful lobby. The same companies that produce these chemicals are often also producing drugs for animals and humans. The industrial agriculture and drug lobbies are powerful forces in Washington, easily overwhelming the voice of the family farmer and small businessman. In addition, university research is often funded by these same corporations, thereby directing and possibly tainting any findings. This situation is ripe for deception and self-interest, and Congress is happy to harvest the fruit even if it is a bit bruised!

Congress, in the name of public safety, is trying to pass new legislation that will dramatically alter the way our food is grown and processed. The end result may well be that the US food supply will be controlled by industrial agriculture. HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 was passed by the House of Representatives last July with just 40 minutes of debate and has been in committees since. The resulting uproar delayed the bill moving forward…so…the Senate wrote its own bill,
S 510 FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.

These 2 bills place fees, onerous mandates (burdensome paperwork and record keeping) and inspections on small farmers and producers. The bills require the same management, filing and inspections for a family farm as they do from giant corporations. The bills were proposed to address incidences of food born pathogens which are typically traced back to large processing plants and industrial farms. If the bill’s aim was real solutions, the mandates would be targeting the sources, large corporations. Instead, in a knee jerk reaction to appease affected families and corporate lobbyists (never let a crisis go to waste), Congress writes bills that paint all farms and processors with the same broad brush even though their needs are quite different. This will possibly leave the small farmer and businessmen unable to comply or compete. If his legislation is enacted, Food prices will “necessarily skyrocket”.

Both of these bills will grow the size and of government (FDA) and neither will be funded fully by the registration and inspection fees; taxpayers to the rescue. The verbiage of these bills gives extraordinary, unchecked authority to the FDA and its inspectors. The language is ambiguous and open to interpretation. If this authority gets combined with the Commerce Clause, the reach of the federal government will be daunting, as history illustrates time and again.

The FDA with all this expanded authority will be led by Food Safety Czar (“special advisor to the President”), Michael Taylor. Who is Michael Taylor? Michael Taylor left his position as Vice President of Public Policy (Lobbying) for Monsanto to accept this position. What is Monsanto? Monsanto is one of the biggest agricultural giants in the world and is a leader in GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) crop sciences, production and research. Michael Taylor has moved between positions with the US government and Monsanto several times. Michael Taylor’s wife, Christine Lewis Taylor, is/has been a liaison between the FDA and the FAO/WHO (Food and Agricultural Organization /World Health Organization, arms of the UN). She has expressed the opinion that nutritional supplements should be strictly limited and is in favor of the UN’s Global Food Safety Standards, “Codex Alimentarius”. The UN is trying to enact Global Codex Standards. Nations that do not adhere to these strict standards will have heavy tarriffs imposed on exports. The pressure to commit to Codex is tremendous.

Now in the “interest” of protecting amateur and professional athletes from themselves, Sen. John McCain has introduced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. This legislation will obstruct the availability of herbal and nutritional supplements to the public, a main objective of the global Codex standards. It seems amazing that natural products that have been used for eons (ie: Stevia, very interesting history with the FDA) are going to be scrutinized while laboratory created GM foods are considered GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) without thorough assessments! This Act would also interfere with consumer access to supplements protected by DSHEA, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. The power of the chemical industry, big pharma and industrial agricultural lobbies is certainly impressive.

Meanwhile with all its grandstanding, Congress never addresses some  truly serious issues with our food supply. GMO Foods are a consumer and possibly an environmental concern. Genetically Modified crops have never been required to undergo genuine safety testing. As FDA Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Michael Taylor allowed GMO foods to be classified as GRAS in 1991 basing that decision on the GM industry's own trials. Taylor was previously an attorney representing Monsanto and the Food Biothechnology Council, does this seem a bit like a "conflict of interest"? At the very least, foods that are genetically modified or contain GM ingredients, should be required to be labeled as "GM" so that consumers can make informed purchases. Nations around the world are banning the import of GM crops and questioning the environmental and health consequences. There are reports of crop failures (820,000 hectares of corn in South Africa, 2009) and the deaths of livestock that have grazed in GM Cotton fields in India. Should the American public be given the ability to make informed consumer choices or be kept ignorant?

Another matter is that the nutrient content of food grown in the US has been slipping for decades. Industrial agricultural methods have led to soil mineral depletion, research Nutrient Dense Farming for more information. Proper soil management needs to be addressed immediately for the needs of our population and future soil fertility.

In addition, our bees are mysteriously vanishing, a phenomenon labeled  CCD, Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists note that bees are under stress from several natural and imported diseases and pests. This stress is exacerbated by agricultural chemicals, specifically neonicotinoid pesticides, and GMO crops. This combination of factors seems to be pushing them over the edge. Without bees, crops fail.

These significant issues should be first in research spending and legislation but these concerns run counter to the big lobby interests in Washington and are virtually ignored.