In it’s third year, Food Day — held October 24th — is a nationwide celebration and movement for healthy, affordable, sustainable and fair food. If there’s one thing you can do this Food Day — just one — to ensure that this celebration can continue, it’s to call on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to FIX FSMA!
In late 2010, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the first major update of federal food safety law in over 70 years. Thanks to the hard work of many of our partners and concerned farmers and eaters just like you, a number of critical provisions passed as part of FSMA that would make the new food safety regulations appropriate for farms of all sizes, conservation-friendly, and accessible to certified organic and value-added producers. Earlier this year, the FDA released its draft plan for putting FSMA into practice. Unfortunately, the FDA’s "proposed rules" miss the mark on the positive provisions referenced above, putting small-, midsized- and sustainable farms at risk.
The proposed FDA food safety rules are not yet final, which means they are not yet law. This is why it’s so critical that you take action today – Food Day – to stand up for family farms and good food for all.
Step one: Sign our petition, telling FDA that it’s unacceptable for new food safety regulations to put safe farms out of business, harm farmers’ soil, water, and wildlife conservation efforts, or shut down the growth of local and regional food systems. We’ll submit the petition for you.
Step two: Take a few minutes right now to submit a comment to FDA either online or through the mail. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has put together comprehensive materials to help you do just that – click here to learn more.
If Food Day is all about ensuring healthy, affordable, sustainable and SAFE food for all – there is no better way to do so than demanding we don’t put the very farmers and businesses best positioned to meet these goals out of operation.
