There are many things to consider when it comes to food safety. How does the government play a role in the food industry? Is the food that we are digesting clean and healthy? These are just a few questions that we should all be asking, but most never do. Eating is vital, everyone eats, but very few actually think about what they are ingesting and how it affects their bodies and surroundings.
The Food and
Drug Administration has done a lot of good when it comes to improving food
labels, trying to keep the food industry clean, and keeping people educated on
foods that cause illness. The food industry is so vast though, that it is very
easy for important factors to slip through the cracks and for enforcement of
laws and regulations to be weak. For example:
“The use of animal manure on food
crops has been linked to numerous food and waterborne outbreaks, but is subject
to almost no oversight by the federal government.
Issues like egg safety can remain
unaddressed for over a decade because shared jurisdiction prevents the
development of needed regulations.
Inspection resources are being
duplicated in some areas and are completely absent in other areas (Is Our FoodSafe?).”
These are
just a few out of the many places where lack of oversight has led to big issues
within the food industry.
Ever thought
of food terrorism? Well it exists. Much of the food that we eat every day comes
from far off places and for all we know, they could be contaminating our food
with deadly bacteria and spreading disease across the nation. Most food is
shipped to the US and swiftly distributed without any inspection beforehand. This
is an example that best shows why we can’t rely on old laws to regulate new
hazards. It could take weeks or even months to recognize a food-borne illness and put out warnings.
“The
deficiencies in our federal food-safety system have left consumers- and the food
industry itself- vulnerable (Is Our Food Safe?).”
As a youth in my community and a Vermonter, I feel it's important to be informed about those who make the laws that effect my diet. As I searched, I found that our government does a very good job at not allowing us to access that information. I wanted to humanize the process of determining food rights and laws, to hold people accountable for the approval of things I both agree and disagree with.
What I found, instead of figuring out who makes our Vermont food laws, was who the people are that dispute them. Those who take action and appeal food laws are very transparent, so much so that they ask others who share their vision to stand by them and make themselves equally as vulnerable. Take the people behind the Vermont Right to Know GMO's for example.
The question now is: how can you be involved in the making of food laws? Well, in 2011 President Obama implemented the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This means that laws will be posted, for public access, on the Federal Register (FR) and then comments/thoughts can be sent to the FDA through this program where it will be taken into consideration when the final ruling is made.
If that process is not active enough for your liking you can create a petition and use social media to create awareness around whatever issue you're trying to dispute. Talk to your local food farmers, and community members. You can also contact your legislature via email, phone, or handwritten letter ([Your legislator] 115 State Street Montpelier, VT 05633-5501). To figure out who your legislators are you can go here.
Speak up to create the future you deserve. Get involved to cultivate a better world.
