House of Representatives dumps food safety laws
Remember when Republicans supported state's rights? I understand a need for regularity in food labeling, but usually the government sets a mininum standard and allows the states to pursue stronger measures. This is not the case here. In a similar bill, the House rejected a measure which would allow states to label food that has been treated by carbon monoxide. The poisonous gas is used to redden meat in order to give it a fresh appearance.
The House approved a bill Wednesday night that would wipe out state laws on safety labeling of food, overriding tough rules passed by California voters two decades ago that require food producers to warn consumers about cancer-causing ingredients.
The vote was a victory for the food industry, which has lobbied for years for national standards for food labeling and contributed millions of dollars to lawmakers' campaigns. But consumer groups and state regulators warned that the bill would undo more than 200 state laws, including California's landmark Proposition 65, that protect public health.
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The House approved a bill Wednesday night that would wipe out state laws on safety labeling of food, overriding tough rules passed by California voters two decades ago that require food producers to warn consumers about cancer-causing ingredients.
The vote was a victory for the food industry, which has lobbied for years for national standards for food labeling and contributed millions of dollars to lawmakers' campaigns. But consumer groups and state regulators warned that the bill would undo more than 200 state laws, including California's landmark Proposition 65, that protect public health.
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posted by torporindy at 3/09/2006
5 Comments:
eeew. Not that I'd make it as a vegetarian, but it does give one (well, me) pause...
(word verification - husbqnd)
Nice, I think these word verification things should double as Chinese Fortune Cookies
Remember when Bob Dole ran for president, and his schtick was that he always carries a copy of the 10th Amendment in his shirt pocket? The party of state's rights my patootie. The current GOP doesn't *have* a state v. federal philosophy, it has a big business v. consumer philosophy - particularly big pharma. And we know which side they come down on. This is hand in hand with their attempts to use federal agency rules to preempt every state law from failure to warn for negligent drug labeling to defective design for malfunctioning or badly designed mattress covers which catch fire and injure someone.
Yeah, I forgot about the phony act.
Yeah, states' rights aren't so important now they control the presidency and congress. You're right that it is corporate rights v. the citizenry. I saw that Frist and Hastert brokered another backroom deal to protect big pharma
The Democrats have a chance to shake up Congress this Fall. We need a unifier who has a vision to step up and lead the Congressional delegation. I am not sure Reid and Pelosi can do that. I hate to even mention his name, but we need our own Newt Gingrich.
Except without the adultery and the lobbyist scandal part (not to mention the forcing your wife dying of cancer to sign the divorce decree over her hospital bed so you can marry your mistress).
I weep for the leadership of the party.
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