Reprinted from Food & Water Watch
National Uniformity for Food Act
The House of Representatives voted to wipe out over 200 state food safety laws, and to jeopardize state food safety programs. By passing the National Uniformity of Food Labeling Act, they bowed to industry pressure, selling out consumers in the process. Everything from state warning levels about carcinogens in baked goods, arsenic in bottled water, and toxins in shellfish would disappear.
This bill (HR 4167) is so damaging to consumer protections and state food safety programs that 37 Attorney Generals oppose it, noting, �states would be forbidden from adopting their own policies, even if the federal government has not acted on a particular area or adopted a particular warning.� The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture strongly object to this bill, believing it inhibits states from protecting consumers against adulterated food.
We thank you for contacting your Representative on this bill! Now we need to oppose this terrible legislation in the Senate. Call 202-224-3121 and tell your Senator to oppose the National Uniformity for Food Act.
Article on the bills passage
AFDO's Press Release
Final Vote Result: Roll Call 32
The National School Lunch Program
96 Minnesota School Distrist's place order in 2004
Elizabeth Archerd, Member Services, Wedge Co-op, Co-op Consumer News.
Verbatim Excerpts from Expert Testimony
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL HEARING INTO FOOD IRRADIATION
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Health and the Environment
JUNE 19,1987
San Francisco School Board Bans Irradiated Food from School Lunch Program
Concerned Parents and Consumer Groups Praise Decision
SAN FRANCISCO - In a unanimous vote last night, the seven members of the San Francisco Board of Education followed five other California school districts by passing a resolution that forbids the 116-school system from purchasing irradiated food for any of its meal programs for five years. This resolution follows a USDA decision to include irradiated ground beef in the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced price school lunches to 27 million children annually; 61% of SFUSD�s students qualify for the federally subsidized meal program.
California is leading the country with a new trend of banning irradiated food from their school cafeterias in order to safeguard students who would otherwise have no way to protect themselves from eating meat that has been treated with the controversial irradiation technology. Federal law states that while irradiated meat must be labeled in grocery stores, it does not have to be labeled when served in cafeterias, restaurants, or hospitals.
"The USDA clearly ignored the will of the public when it approved irradiated foods for the National School Lunch Program," said Mark Sanchez, school board commissioner and co?author of the resolution. "San Francisco's ban will send the USDA a message th at they can't use our children as guinea pigs for this questionable technology."
In May 2003, the USDA decision to approve irradiated meat for the school lunch program was controversial because the federal agency sided with industry over parental concerns. More than 400 comments from Californians were submitted during the open comment period. Of the thousands of comments in total, 93% opposed the proposal to include irradiated meat in children's lunches. In March, the Parent Advisory Council to SFUSD voted 14-1 in favor of banning irradiated meat from San Francisco schools. The Student Advisory Council and the United Educators of San Francisco, the union representing San Francisco public school teachers, also support the ban..
When the radioactive material is raised, lights and alarms are sounded to warn people that the product is being irradiated. Once the food is irradiated, the rod automatically returns to the resting position in the pool. The food glides out on the conveyor belt consumer ready and endorsed by the National School Lunch program.
Under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the USDA must allow government-approved food safety technology, such as irradiation, to be used in commodities procured by the federal school lunch program. Districts purchasing irradiated beef will find the boxes arriving at schools clearly labeled, but students and parents may not find themselves as informed. Schools choosing to introduce irradiated meat are encouraged to tell parents but not obligated.
In the aftermath of record meat recalls and heightened consumer fears over food borne illness many parents believe irradiation will protect their children from contamination. Similarly, schools may be operating under a similar assumption; that irradiation will circumvent the threat of contamination thus insulating their district from potential lawsuits.
Irradiation kills most bacteria in meat, which leads to food borne illness therefore irradiated beef is marketed as a �safe� alternative. This offers little reassurance when you consider most incidences of contamination happen during storage and preparation, in which case irradiation is a useless and unnecessary chemical process that depletes nutritional value and induces vitamin loss. This means that if contamination occurs in a school settling districts will accept sole responsiblility.
The FDA approved irradiation as a food additive on the basis of seven studies. These were selected out of a pool of more than two thousand studies, over four hundred of which appeared potentially good enough for preliminary review. Clearly, there are many potential biases in selecting such a small number of studies with which to base a major decision. The safety of irradiated foods has been called into question by scientist all over the world including Marcia van Germert, former FDA toxicologist in charge of evaluating irradiation for all foods. Since the fight over irradiated foods van Germert left the FDA but openly admits that �we were not happy with the data. The data was very poor.�
Even more appalling, districts planning to serve irradiated beef are not required to tell parents or students, undermining consent and the right to refuse. Currently, all decisions regarding irradiated food rests in the hands of local school districts, talk to your school board. Unless your district has something in writing, your children may be eating something you would never purchase or serve in your home.
Currently, there is a bill pending in the House & Senate that requires school districts to identify irradiated beef on the lunch menus, the bill extends public notice along with a 30 day public comment period prior to the purchase of irradiated meat, to be enacted by respective school boards. This bill represents a simple commonsense solution that empowers parents and children to decide what they will eat and preserves consumer choice without imposing a financial burden on local schools.
Whether you are in favor of irradiated food or vehemently opposed all parents have a right to accurate, unbiased information and the right to refuse irradiated foods.
1) a moratorium on the use of irradiated meat in school food programs until the long-term effects on children have been studied and documented
2) distribution of factual, accurate and current information on food irradiation to parents and guardians
3) notification to parents and guardians in those schools where irradiated meat is or is intended to be used
This resolution is not binding, but is a strong recommendation to the state Department of Education not to purchase irradiated meat.
In recent years, however, a new term appeared on the scene. In the literature on food irradiation, doses began to be referred to in terms of grays (Gy) instead of rads. A single gray is the equivalent of 100 rads. One thousand grays equals 1 kiloGray (1 kGy).
Suddenly, the dosages involved in food irradiation did not seem so formidable. Indeed, the 1 kiloGray dose approved for fruits and vegetables seems almost insignificant. Until you remember that it is really 100,000 rads.