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Bill Inspires DC Food Fight

There’s a battle brewing in Washington over who gets to regulate food warnings – Congress or the states. The food fight is hardly new, but the legislation has made substantial progress for the first time in years, causing some to conclude that this may be the year the food industry gets its way.

At issue is a bill that would create nationwide standards for food labeling and warnings, a move that would force states to repeal warnings of their own. The legislation has food safety advocates concerned it could wipe out hard-won gains, such as a California labeling program that warns consumers about chemicals that cause cancer and birth defects.

Under the proposed law, states would have to petition the federal government for the right to maintain individual labels, such as one that identifies arsenic-tainted bottled water or another that labels lead-containing candy. States would be allowed, however, to retain their own laws requiring warnings about mercury in fish.

Grocery manufacturers and food associations have spent millions lobbying for the legislation, which has already passed in the House. A study by the Congressional Budget Office determined as many as 200 state laws could be wiped off the books if the legislation passes.

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To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org