A new bill on the floor of the Senate (S-510) could lead to the restriction of your access to quality, nutritious food and dietary supplements by giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) control over farming practices and starting a slippery slope toward harmonization with Codex food and dietary supplement standards. This bill needs to be amended or defeated.

S-510 includes language that could potentially commit the U.S. government to an objective of international "harmonization" of food and supplement standards through the Codex Alimentarius process. The Codex Commission is dominated by Europe which is implementing an extremely restrictive supplement regime. Under this regime, a supplement containing more beta carotene than a carrot is deemed dangerous.

If this bill passes, it would force the U.S. to adopt strict regulations on all food-related standards, and the overlapping regulations would harm the U.S. organic farmers and cripple local farm stands, co-ops and local farms.

Tell your senators that you do not support S. 510 as it is currently written and urge them to either amend or defeat the bill!

Dear [Decision Maker],

This letter is to express my opposition to S-510, also known as the 'FDA Food Safety Modernization Act', as the Act is currently written.

[Your comments will be inserted here]

S-510 has several deeply troubling provisions. Section 306 (c) 5 commits the U.S. government to an objective of international "harmonization" of food and supplement standards under the FAO/WHO Codex process. Codex is currently dominated by Europe and Codex standards are expected to reflect those of Europe.

Since Europe is implementing a supplement regime that will reduce all supplements to ridiculously low dosages (a beta carotene supplement would have a maximum amount of beta carotene that is less than that in a couple of carrots), committing us to Codex standards would potentially destroy the U.S. supplement industry as we know it and destroy critical health choices to U.S. consumers. The bill's language specifically instructs the US government to develop a plan with "recommendations to harmonize [U.S.] requirements... [with] the Codex Alimentarius."
Other provisions of the bill authorize the FDA to control the practice of farming including, planting, fertilizing and harvesting. The FDA is not expert in these areas and no government agency should have such legal control of farming practices.

We need a food safety bill that truly protects Americans. This bill is in urgent need of amendment. If not amended to remove Section 306 (c) 5 about harmonizing our supplement standards with those of Europe and also remove FDA control of our farms, it should be defeated.


Sincerely,
[Your name here]