My Letter to Congress: Opposing H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 
Contact Congress
This letter was sent by OpenCongress user
jasmineaye
on
January 12, 2012
in opposition to
H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009.
Privacy setting:
PUBLIC
To:
-
Rep. James McDermott [D, WA-7] Vote on Passage of H.R.875: Not Voted Yet -
Sen. Maria Cantwell [D, WA] Vote on Passage of H.R.875: Not Voted Yet -
Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] Vote on Passage of H.R.875: Not Voted Yet
Opposing H.R.875 Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
I am writing as your constituent in the 7th Congressional district of Washington. I oppose H.R.875 - Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.
93% of users on OpenCongress.org, a free, non-partisan resource, oppose H.R.875.
This part was actually written by me:
I agree that we need to be more aware of food born illnesses and how our food is being processed. However, the organic farmers and small local farmers are not the ones who should be taking the heat for this. They don’t have enough power to change/affect the system the way large corporations like Monsanto or Tyson do. We should be regulating large corporations more heavily on how they treat our food from when it’s living to the time it arrives at the supermarket, not punishing hard working citizens who are capable of maintaining their job in a recession. We need to be working to make healthy, hormone-free food more accessible to the low-income public and aiding local, organic farmers in their efforts.
Instead of pointing fingers at who started the most recent E. coli outbreak, let’s make sure we are all on the same page for what actually causes it.
Mayo Clinic reports that the cause of E. coli can come from 4 areas:
1- Ground Beef. bacteria from animal intestines in a slaughter house getting mixed together with ground beef.
2- Unpasteurized Milk. E. coli bacteria on a cow’s udder or on milking equipment can get into raw milk.
3- Contaminated Soils. Runoff from cattle farms can contaminate fields where fresh produce is grown. Vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are particularly vulnerable to this type of contamination.
4- Restaurant Foods. Cooks or servers who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom can transmit E. coli bacteria to food.
Instead of looking at food born illnesses and trying to treat the symptoms, why don’t we scrap this bill and start over with one that is targeted at the cause: livestock farms and slaughter houses.
Create Change by targeting the Cause!
Thank you for hearing my voice.
Jasmine Aye
Sincerely,
Jasmine Aye
93% of users on OpenCongress.org, a free, non-partisan resource, oppose H.R.875.
This part was actually written by me:
I agree that we need to be more aware of food born illnesses and how our food is being processed. However, the organic farmers and small local farmers are not the ones who should be taking the heat for this. They don’t have enough power to change/affect the system the way large corporations like Monsanto or Tyson do. We should be regulating large corporations more heavily on how they treat our food from when it’s living to the time it arrives at the supermarket, not punishing hard working citizens who are capable of maintaining their job in a recession. We need to be working to make healthy, hormone-free food more accessible to the low-income public and aiding local, organic farmers in their efforts.
Instead of pointing fingers at who started the most recent E. coli outbreak, let’s make sure we are all on the same page for what actually causes it.
Mayo Clinic reports that the cause of E. coli can come from 4 areas:
1- Ground Beef. bacteria from animal intestines in a slaughter house getting mixed together with ground beef.
2- Unpasteurized Milk. E. coli bacteria on a cow’s udder or on milking equipment can get into raw milk.
3- Contaminated Soils. Runoff from cattle farms can contaminate fields where fresh produce is grown. Vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are particularly vulnerable to this type of contamination.
4- Restaurant Foods. Cooks or servers who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom can transmit E. coli bacteria to food.
Instead of looking at food born illnesses and trying to treat the symptoms, why don’t we scrap this bill and start over with one that is targeted at the cause: livestock farms and slaughter houses.
Create Change by targeting the Cause!
Thank you for hearing my voice.
Jasmine Aye
Sincerely,
Jasmine Aye
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Patty Murray [D, WA] on March 16, 2012.
Response from Senator Murray
Dear Mrs. Aye:
Thank you for contacting me about the safety of food in the United
States. It was good to hear from you on this important issue.
Historically, the U.S. has had one of the safest food supplies in the
world. However, recent safety concerns, including the largest egg recall
in history, coupled with resource strained federal agencies and a
dramatic increase of imported food, have highlighted the need to
reevaluate the nation's current food safety system. A number of
different legislative responses have been proposed in both the House and
Senate, reflecting widely varying approaches to this serious problem.
The main piece of legislation in the Senate during the 111th Congress
was S. 510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. This legislation
would improve our capacity to prevent food safety problems, improve our
capacity to detect and respond for food-borne illness outbreaks, enhance
national food defense capabilities, and authorize the FDA to increase
food safety resources.
I supported and voted for the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which
passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee on December 18, 2009 and passed the full Senate by a vote of
73-25 on November 30, 2010.
After technical changes, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act passed
both the House and Senate in December and this legislation became law on
January 4, 2010. I am proud of the protections for small farms and
producers that were included in the final bill. I worked to make sure
that this bill maintained the right balance between allowing small
farmers to operate and the need for protections for families.
I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind as the Senate continues to
address food safety issues during the 112th Congress. If you would like
to know more about my work in the Senate, please sign up for my weekly
updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates
y.senate.gov%2fupdates> . Again, thank you for contacting me and please
stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
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