Tester-Hagan Amendment

Outbreaks of food-related illnesses stemming from contaminated eggs, spinach, and peanut butter (which have sickened thousands of people in recent years and lead to countless food recalls), helped to expedite the recent passage of the FDA. Food Safety Modernization Act. This act aims to keep consumers safer by giving the FDA more power to recall tainted foods, conduct increased inspections, closely oversee farming, and demand more accountability from producers.Yet, the increased government scrutiny could cause trouble for the growing local food movement. The act would require producers to submit to more government inspections and meet additional safety and sanitation regulations. Compliance can be both expensive and time-consuming. It’s easy for large corporations to adhere to but potentially crippling for already-struggling small farms.

Some say the pending Tester-Hagan Amendment would aim to lessen the risk of putting smaller farms out of business by exempting them from following the same rules that mega-farms would be required to. Senator Jon Tester says these smaller farmers, classified as making less than $500,000 a year and selling within a 400-mile radius, aren’t the producers responsible for the nation’s recent salmonella outbreaks and thus should not be penalized. These are the farms selling at your local farmer’s markets and rural roadside stands. Tester explains,”Food-borne illnesses don’t come from family agriculture.”

While it is clear that some manifestation of food safety reform is needed to combat the escalating salmonella outbreaks and food recalls, many believe that it is also crucial to support local farmers who provide an alternative to the corporate agriculture that these outbreaks originate from. [NYTimes]