This bill intends to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply.
There has been a lot of talk about this bill lately, some fearing that it could affect gardening in your own back yard. This doesn’t seem likely (unless you plan on selling your produce), but if the bill passes the house vote and is signed by the president, the FDA will have an immense amount of power to regulate all aspects of food production and processing affecting not only huge agribusiness farms, but small organic farmers, farmers who sell raw milk, and even farmer’s markets. Hypothetically, these small farms could be shut down by the FDA acting on “reason to believe” that the farm practices at a particular farm could make someone ill. And, as consumers, would we be forced to buy conventional food or pay absurdly higher prices for organically grown produce? Of course, we won’t know what the actual scope of the regulations will be until the bill is enacted. I’m still learning what this bill is all about and welcome any insights people may have. I did find a website that offers a lot of good information about S. 510. Check it out: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510
Herb Talk 