Food Safety Enhancement Act Stresses Prevention
Legislation Improves Food Safety, But Not US Health
Often we are told you are what you eat. In an effort to improve the safety of what we eat on a daily basis, the United States government is attempting to enact the most significant food safety bill since 1938, the Food Safety Enhancement Act. The bulk of the bill, which passed in the House in late July, focuses on enhancing preventative measures along the increasingly long supply chain from producers to consumers. While the goals of this bill are certainly admirable – safe food is a luxury that consumers often fail to realize until a contaminated product reaches the shelves – does safe food necessarily equate to better food?
The Possible Impacts of the Bill
Support for the bill is fairly strong from large producers and suppliers of food products. Small domestic producers, however, are concerned on two fronts. One, the legislation does not establish a clear distinction between large producers and small producers, meaning that small producers are subject to the same regulations and penalties. Many of these producers do not believe they have the economies of scale or resources to comply with the new regulations, and so they fear being put of out business. The second concern relates to importers. Small farms have argued that if they must be subjected to the same regulations as large producers, then the inspection and regulation of imports needs to be stricter. Again, if small domestic producers do indeed suffer under the new legislation, it is possible that food imports will increase dramatically to make up for the fall in domestic supply. Thus, greater protection is required.
Safety and Health
While the bill outlines many new measures to prevent contamination along the supply chain, it does not address other concerns that have been increasingly on the public mind, such as organics versus conventional produce, pesticides, and hormones introduced in food products. Indeed, preventative measures are meant to ensure that traces of the latter fall within FDA regulations, thus the overall quality of the food is still questionable. Food that is imported from overseas and thoroughly inspected may be safe to eat, but will it provide better nutrition than locally produced food? The question must be asked in reverse as well.
Part of the impetus for this bill has been to ensure a safer global food supply. But safer does not always mean healthier, as all the increased inspection can increase the time for food processing and lengthen the supply chain even further. Longer production time means greater opportunity for food to deteriorate and lose nutritional value. Should domestic farms fail under this bill, will the US consumer lose the opportunity to determine their desired level of food safety for themselves? As the debate continues the US population must continue to improve its education on food safety and nutrition so as to guarantee the best choice for individuals and families.
Feeding American families.
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