'Food porn'?

[Patriot]

What would we do without experts and The Center for Science in the Public Interest?

'Food porn' - Is your favorite restaurant on this list?
November 19, 2010 - 8:29am

WASHINGTON - It's "food porn." That's what the Center for Science in the Public Interest dubbed the 1,030-calorie, deep-fried Lasagna Fritta appetizer at the Olive Garden.

The restaurant, known for its "bottomless" salad and breadsticks, made the consumer group's 2010 "Xtreme Eating Awards".

Other restaurants you frequent also made the list: P.F. Chang's, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, Outback, Chevy's and Bob Evans.



Article here:  http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=2124737

[Teresa]

SENATE VOTING TO CONTROL FOOD SUPPLY!

Harry Reid has forced a Vote on Senate Bill 510, the Food Safety Act.  The vote invoked cloture, which limited debate to 30 hours total.  Twenty four Republicans voted with Reid.  All Reid needed was three-fifths (60 votes), but 24 Republicans already forgot how Americans voted November 2nd and sided with liberal Reid.

S 510 is a step toward increasing the size and cost of government at the expense of Americas farmers-big and small.  The so-called Food Safety Act empowers the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate every part of every farming operation in the nation.

The cost of compliance and record keeping to farmers cannot even be estimated.  Even the farm wife who sells jam, preserves and apple butter at a Christmas bizarre will have to be permitted by the FDA.  The cost to the government- all tax payers-will be $1.6 billion over the next five years, according to Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).  It also requires that a minimum of 4000 staff members be added in 2011 and 5000 by 2015 to implement the Act.  So much for the call to reduce the federal government workforce.

Over the next 30 hours, everyone needs to contact their Senator, especially those up for reelection in 2012 who voted with Reid to withdraw the hold and limit on debate.  Let them know their vote did not represent your views and demand they now vote against the bill, but also let them know that this vote will be remembered in 2012, especially those up for re-election.

S 510 greatly expands federal government's jurisdiction over intrastate commerce, meaning it threatens individual states rights to regulate food produced within their jurisdiction and gives the federal government total control.  It also imposes a one-size-fits-all regulation approach making it more difficult for small farms and food processors to remain in business.

S 510 was expanded by 77 pages when the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released the Manager's Package last August 12th.

REASONS to OPPOSE the Manager's Package of S 510:
1. Gives dangerously broad regulatory and discretionary power to FDA over entire food supply without proper checks and balances to avoid abuse of power; 2. Will impose a one-size-fits-all regulation approach on thousands of farmers, producers, processors, and suppliers who sell fresh products to millions of Americans;
3. Limits our own U.S. domestic laws and ensures international agreements or treaties established by the World Trade Organizations will control;
4. Will preclude the public's right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food nature makes.





http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/212393/50c05b4257/59003347/1292883237/

[Varmit]

Gee, and some people said this would never happen...

Topic posted by me "Maybe I'm just paranoid" March 21, 2009

Has anyone seen HR 875?  Maybe I'm just paranoid but it seems this could be used as a way for the government to require backyard gardners to resister their gardens.  When you look at Executive Order 10999, HR 875 would give the gov't a way to find and control possible food sources for local communities.  After some of the things this administration has done it wouldn't surprise me.  I mean on the surface 875 doesn't sound all that bad, but the wording leaves plenty of room for interpatation.  While it doesn't mention small gardens, it doesn't NOT mention them either.  What are your thoughts?

Gee, guys do you still think it is a "move along, nothing to see here" kinda day??  Do you still think the gov't isn't trying to restrict our freedoms?  And more importantly, do you still think that they give a damn how you vote?

[Patriot]

How do I put this tactfully?  I can't.


We're soooo screwed!

[Patriot]

S510 would still need to go through the House, right?

Maybe it's not to early to start communicating with House members as well.

[Patriot]

S510 would still need to go through the House, right?

Maybe it's not to early to start communicating with House members as well.

Nevermind, looks like S. 510 has been mated with H.R. 2749.   

[Patriot]

November 19, 2010, 12:02 pm PST

The Senate voted this week 74 to 25 to proceed with S.510 Food Safety Act, which gives FDA more power to recall product and require stricter standards for keeping food safe. This had operators of smaller farms and advocates for locally produced food worried that the bill's requirements would force them out of business. Democratic Senator Jon Tester of Montana has put forth an amendment that would allow farmers who make less than $500,000 a year in revenue and sell directly to consumers, restaurants, or grocery stores within 275 miles of their farms to avoid the expensive food safety plans required of the larger operations. State and local authorities would still have oversight over the farms. The Senate will finalize the vote on the bill after Congress' Thanksgiving recess.

Even so, the govt is still growing.

[Teresa]

510, also will regulate food into the Healthcare Plan,....(remember, we have to pass it, to find out what's in it?)...like organic grocery stores, regulated, even seized, or have to authorized by a Dr.

really...Read this.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/11/first_healthcare_next_the_food.html

It is a dangerously broad regulatory bill giving extensive discretionary power to the FDA over the entire food supply chain without proper checks and balances to avoid abuse of power;

It would impose one-size-fits-all-regulations on thousands of small and mid-sized farmers, small-scale local farms and food producers,  and would drastically burden, to extinction,  basic natural and organic food suppliers, thus endangering the lives of Americans who depend on local wholesome foods;

Dr. Silva Chandra says,

   If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public's right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes.  It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one's choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.


What are Republican thinking? Seven out of twelve co-sponsors are Republicans.

It does not reflect a well-thought-out solution, or address the real causes of food safety issues stemming from the industrialized food supply chain; and

It attempts to limit the authority of our own domestic U.S. laws when it includes language ensuring that our US law will not disturb other international agreements that we have made.

Further, how about this for a TSA-brand of intrusion into your affairs? Pg. 3 of the Manager's Amendments to S510 -

  (2) USE OF OR EXPOSURE TO FOODS OF CONCERN.-If the Secretary believes that there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to an article of food, and any article of a food, that the Secretary reasonably believes is likely to be affected in a similar manner, will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, each person (excluding farms and restaurants) who  manufactures, processes, packs, distributes, receives, holds, or imports such article can be acted upon by the FDA.


That would be you and me, if we're hobby farmers at the local farmer's market.

Cosponsors:
Lamar Alexander [R-TN]
Jeff Bingaman [D-NM]
Richard Burr [R-NC]
Roland Burris [D-IL]
Saxby Chambliss [R-GA]
Christopher Dodd [D-CT]
Michael Enzi [R-WY]
Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY]
Judd Gregg [R-NH]
Thomas Harkin [D-IA]
Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
John Isakson [R-GA]

S510 puts all U.S. food production under the control of the Department of Homeland Security. And the Department of Defense. We lose not only private-citizen control of our food supply, but sovereignty as well. The bill sets in motion standardization of the food animal supply chain, focusing on eliminating biodiversity in food animal genetic stocks. It further mandates that the federal government control and empower hormonal, genetic, and antibiotic additions to our food supply while postponing most definitions
of what will constitute "food crimes" under the bill's sweeping and generalized powers.

***
Question is, who's pushing it?   My bet, corporate farms and folks like Monsanto and other big chains. Here's the ugly secret of regulation.  Big companies like it.
They can pay the regulatory overhead and pay folks to fill out the paper work. Small business' can't... so they fold. Competition is reduced, and the extra profits more than pay for the increased overhead.
Want to know why Republicans from agricultural states voted for this?
Look at who gives them their campaign money. I'm betting more of it came from corporate farms than Ma and Pa Kettle. Its not about party... its about money. Its what the Tea Party is about. I hope they (we) flex our muscle on this and say hell no!
I also like the fact that we will be backed by the organic farming people. It just goes to show that money talks. BUT the people can talk louder if we want to...

[Varmit]

Personally I think that it is deeper and more sinster than that.  Lets say that theres a food shortage caused by, oh say a release of a toxin or virus (can you say "70% chance of a leak"), by law people wouldn't be allowed to grow their own food for themselves or neighbors.  Bear in mind that alot of "Elites" (soros, gates, kissenger) would like to see a population decrease.