Food & Water Watch

Don't let Congress hijack state food laws!

Not content to prevent federal consumer-friendly labeling laws, Congress is trying to eliminate state and local food labeling and safety laws as well. The House of Representatives recently passed a bill to pre-empt state and local laws on food labeling, which would mean that good laws would disappear. For instance, the National Uniformity for Food Act would jeopardize California’s law requiring that consumers be notified of contaminants that are known to the state to cause cancer or birth defects (Proposition 65) as well as many states' laws requiring warnings on shellfish. This bill threatens state and local food safety laws across the country. For this reason, 39 Attorney Generals, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and the Association of Food and Drug Officials oppose the bill.

The Senate will be voting on this terrible bill shortly. Let your Senators know that you oppose The National Uniformity for Food Act! Consumers want the hard-won state and local food labeling laws to stay put! Email your Senator below or call: 202-224-3121.

Read the House version of the bill.

July 30, 2010

Subject:

Dear Senator,

I am writing to express my opposition to the National Uniformity for Food Act.

The National Uniformity for Food Act would nullify state and local food safety or labeling requirements  - unless the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants a waiver to a state. State laws that are very important to consumers, such as California’s law requiring that consumers be notified of contaminants that are known to the state to cause cancer or birth defects (Proposition 65) would be eliminated. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the Association of Food and Drug Officials oppose the bill because they believe that state food safety laws could be repealed.

Currently, state and local agencies perform a variety of food regulatory activities across the farm to table spectrum – they conduct a majority of food safety inspections, are normally first to respond in the investigation of food borne illness outbreaks, and provide invaluable capacity in preventing or responding to threats to the security of the nation's food supply.

If enacted, this legislation would significantly diminish the authority of state and local food protection programs. Consumers have fought hard for the state and local food labeling laws that they have; passage of the National Uniformity for Food Act would strip these hard-won gains and eliminate information that is important to consumers.

Please oppose the National Uniformity for Food Act!

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