Local food and small farm advocates stand in way of food-safety bill

The food-safety bill before Congress has come under fire from local food advocates, who say it could hurt small farms. "The opposition of these 'locavores' — advocates for buying food directly from the farm or closer to home — and owners of small farms has become a sticking point in the Senate, which was to vote Wednesday on whether to consider the bill," The Associated Press reports. "Opponents say it could bankrupt some small farms that don't have the means to comply with new standards the bill would impose."

Standards could include registering food safety plans with the FDA and documenting efforts to show food is not contaminated as it is produced. "It's going to put a nail in the coffin of our family food producers," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is planning an amendment to exempt some small farms who market food close to their operations. Tester told AP  that many small farms already comply with state and local regulations to keep food safe.

Food safety advocates say Tester's concerns are overblown and efforts to broadly exempt smaller farms could be misguided. "They argue that the legislation, which would give the FDA more authority to recall tainted products, increase inspections of food processors and require producers to follow stricter standards for keeping food safe, is crucial in the wake of outbreaks of contaminated peanuts, eggs and produce that have sickened hundreds," AP writes. (Read more)