Congress, Don't Fast Track Trade Treaties that Roll Back Food Protections!
- by: Susan V
- recipient: U.S. Congress
When it comes to food quality, we’ve been led to believe that we can vote with our dollar. But in fact, there are new trade agreements in the works that would intentionally undermine consumer choice and toxify our food supply.
William Warren, a senior trade analyst for Friends of the Earth, says these agreements are a direct attack on consumers’ right to know and will affect the capacity of government to regulate food safety. For example, with both the Atlantic and Pacific trade agreements, shellfish and farm-raised fish from Asia, often produced in filthy conditions and treated with antibiotics and dangerous chemicals, would be deregulated. Americans would have to accept other countries’ claims that the food is safe. Also the volume of food imported “would overwhelm the very meager border inspections that we have.”
Worst of all, adds Warren, specific provisions in these agreements would roll back labeling that would let you know how the food was produced or even its origin.
These provisions are intended to unleash what Warren calls a “tsunami of unsafe foods.” Even worse, these trade deals are allowed to be fast-tracked through Congress, hindering its ability to debate or amend the deal and the public’s access to its contents.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement is now under consideration, so it’s important to act fast to stop Congress from fast-tracking a treaty that would further toxify our food supply.
We, the undersigned, are adamantly opposed to any trade agreements that would roll back the little food safety protections we now have.
If these deals go through even the protections once enjoyed by Europeans, based on the precautionary principle, would be at risk.
Warren says these treaties are not free market agreements as they pretend to be. Instead they are pro-corporate agreements “that would allow companies to sell their goods with no oversight or consumer choice.”
Writer and health advocate, Alison Rose Levy points out how hard consumers have fought in the past few years for the labeling required to protect themselves and their children from adverse effects of food additives like trans fats and high fructose corn syrup, which contribute to diabetes and obesity, and additives like dyes and other chemicals that can cause hyperactivity and other health problems - and particularly the long battle for GMO labeling.
Now, unless Congress does the right thing , this progress for food safety and choice can be wiped out by these new trade agreements.
Congress has an obligation to serve the American people - not the best interests of the corporations when they compete with the health and safety of the public.
We demand Congress reject these so-called trade treaties that serve to undermine the safety of our food and the health of the American public.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.