Kyle Gebhart

Not.

Just heard noise about a federal bill (HR 875) before Congress. The noise was that this bill would end backyard food gardening. Thankfully, it is just alarmist language being thrown around by the beleaguered organic and raw foodies.

The bill (called the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009) was created as a response to the recent contamination problems within peanut butter, lettuce and spinach which transmitted e. coli to American homes.

The bill, essentially, requires anyone who sells food to register with the US government, receive an identification number, and potentially be subject to inspections by federal employees. Failure to comply with regulations could bring a $1,000,000 fine.

Apparently the bill’s sponsor (Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT]) is married to a Monsanto employee. The conspiracy minded foodies out there have concluded that it is a secret ‘agro-industrial’ plot to prevent us from growing our own food and put CSA’s and Farmer’s Markets out of business. This is not only an unfounded accusation against the Representative, but inflammatory rhetoric. Ironically, this bill has not just polarized the left, but is also making the reactionary right nervous

So, if you get an email about the ‘end of home gardens’ – be aware that you are probably receiving some of the propaganda spreading through the internet and not an accurate of the actual congressional bill. This website has a more moderate analysis of the bill’s purpose. (It almost sounds like they read through the bill themselves…like I did!)

The problem with food contamination is actually because the food distribution system is already too centralized. When one link in the massive food distribution system gets contaminated, it spreads like wildfire to tens of thousands of products and people. The idea that the government plans to step in to make it even more centralized (shiver)…

Local (decentralized) growers maintain genetic diversity and create long-term, personal relationships with their customers, thereby assuring a greater accountability in the safety and quality of their products.

If you are a local grower, you are probably involved with the cultivation of that food from seed to market. You probably feed your family with it. You sell to your friends and neighbors. The bonds of friendship alone ‘protect’ your customers. Of course, it’s also very bad for business to make your customers sick.

I dislike this bill not because it will ‘put organic farmers out of business’ but because it will put the US government even more directly in control of our food resources. It is another example of the US government exhibiting a patronizing attitude towards the American people. In ‘protecting’ us they create a paternalistic dependence.

The ability for humanity to sustain itself with some seeds, sunlight, good soil and a little water has been a most basic skill for all of recorded history. The US government wants to help us now to make sure we don’t make ourselves sick because we eat a bad apple. Do we really need their help with this? In any case, I’m sure that by the time the bill makes it to the floor vote some language ‘de-regulating’ home gardens and small growers will be included. There are probably 15 home gardeners on the Agriculture sub-comittee alone.

The bottom line is that government control of a nation’s food supply is a slippery slope to go down. Though I don’t agree with the tone or rhetoric of the organic fanatics out there – I agree that this is a very unfortunate bill to rule over us if it passes Congress. I might even call it a sign of the times.