Vilsack Statement about S510 / HR2751

Tom Vilsack, United States Agricultural Secretary, made a statement on the passing of Senate Bill S510/ HR2751 (which is now all amassed in the HR2751 package), more broadly known as the Food Safety and Modernization Act.

He stated, "The Food Safety bill will provide the Federal Government with improved tools to prevent foodborne illness and address challenges in the food safety system by promoting a prevention-oriented approach. I applaud leaders in Congress for passing this important bill and look forward to President Obama signing this legislation. Protecting consumers from harm is a fundamental function of government and with passage of this landmark food safety legislation USDA remains committed to keeping food safety a top priority."

It is a time of celebration for United States lawmakers who were able to resuscitate this behemoth of a bill who was nearly as sick as the system it is trying to correct. For almost two years, this bill has been tossed around and reconfigured a number of times to satisfy all parties involved.

One thing that we have to remember is that if our system doesn't get fixed, we'll be more dependent on imported food. Using our dependence on other countries to "sustain" our oil intake as an example, it's not a far stretch to see just how bad of an idea it is to depend on other countries for our food.

By keeping strict adherence to food safety laws in the United States, we set an example for our companies who have headquarters in other parts of the world. In an industrialized food system, the need for regulation is strong as other countries have different (not always more lax, but certainly not always better) standards for food production.

And as the food supply is truly guided by consumer demand, it is more necessary than ever to support local, seasonal, ethically raised food systems. In this way, we can drive prices of high-quality, seasonal food down to meet a similar range of price as "conventionally" raised food, increasing the opportunity for lower-income markets to have access to high-quality food.

We know consumer demand works by the increase in farmer's markets around the country as well as many new models for community supported agriculture (CSA) that market towards more affordability with shorter subscription rates.

Food safety is one of the most important facets of a prospering country - and all being said, The United States already has a reasonably low incidence rate considering the amount of food we produce. To make the incident rate even lower will be one of our greatest triumphs. So let's take this issue very seriously and for those of us that can, vote with our dollars for a better and more accountable system for everyone rooted in food security and food safety.

Photo credit: bran.dan