You probably missed Rep. Bart Stupak's (MI-D) presentation on the House floor last week, complete with graphic, showing the difference between two packages of ground beef. One had been treated with carbon monoxide, the other not -- and both packages were five (5) months old. One package was perky-looking pink and the other obviously showed its age.
Guess which one was treated? And guess which one would make you sick? Check after the jump.
[UPDATED -- 08:23 PM EST -- Want to get the action request above the fold.] TAKE ACTION NOW: KEY VOTE IS TOMORROW. Contact your rep and ask them to vote NO on HR Bill 4167 on March 8. We want food safety laws and labels strengthened, not weakened; don't let corporate mega-farms and other corporate interests take away your states' rights to protect your food. Please call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask them to connect you with the office of your Representative.
BOTH samples of ground beef would make anyone extremely ill, but the carbon monoxide-treated meat looked like it was very fresh. With the implementation of HR 4167, states that prohibit treatment of meat with carbon monoxide could no longer do so. Our last chance to protect our families from contaminated food like this carbon monoxide-treated meat would be gone. And this is only one example; there are many, many more differences between states on food labeling and handling. Michigan, for example, does not permit certain parts of the pig in its hot dogs, while neighboring Ohio puts in everything, right up to the squeal. Sorry, neighbors, but I really prefer to know what's in my hot dog; HR 4167 would do away with this key difference.
You don't have to take my word for it; check out Organic Consumers Association's (OCA) website and get the whole story:
http://www.democracyinaction.org/...
You can also read up on related news at the above link, including these stories:
Related News Headlines
3/2 - New York Times Slams Special Interest Bill to Eliminate State Food Safety Labeling Law
3/1 - Congress vs. Food Safety (Chatanooga Press)
2/28 - Industry Lobbies Congress Over Food Labels (Associated Press)
2/25 - States right in food fight (Toledo Blade)
2/24 - State Leaders Take Charge (Wall Stree Journal)
2/18 - Feinstein-Boxer: Don't Preempt California Food Safety Laws (Ubanet/CA)
2/2 - Federal food label law would trump California's Prop. 65 (Scripps Howard News Service)
1/30 - "Food Labeling Uniformity" Bill Will Actually Eliminate Consumer Choice -- Act Now
1/16 - Corporate Food Giants & Congress Threaten States' Rights to Label Food
12/15 - House Republicans Move to Kill State Food Safety Labels
11/8 - Industry Pressing Congress to Outlaw States' Rights to Require Labels for GE Food
Ideally, federal standards would be stricter and hold across the country. All Americans should be assured of the same food safety across the country. But until we get a progressive majority in office, we have to keep our food safe at state and local level.
TAKE ACTION NOW: KEY VOTE IS TOMORROW.
Contact your rep and ask them to vote NO on HR Bill 4167 on March 8. We want food safety laws and labels strengthened, not weakened; don't let corporate mega-farms and other corporate interests take away your states' rights to protect your food.
Please call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask them to connect you with the office of your Representative.
THANK YOU!!