The House of Representatives voted today on H.R. 2749, The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 by 6 votes. The vote was as follows:
The electronic vote was: Yes: 280 No: 150 Not Voted: 4
The vote required at 2/3 majority which would have been 286 votes.
Further updates will follow as things progress.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Food Safety Bill Update
UPDATE on H.R. 2749, July 27, 2009
WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Frank Lucas sent a letter to his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to not rush the Dingell-Waxman bill, H.R. 2749, through Congress. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the full House as early as tomorrow under suspension of the rules. This means that debate on this bill will be limited to twenty minutes, and there will be no opportunity to offer amendments.
"Our nation has the safest food supply in the world. Even so, we must continually examine our food production and regulatory system, and move forward with changes that improve food safety. But to do so without thoughtful and careful deliberation is simply irresponsible. H.R. 2749 is the result of a flawed and incomplete process. It will lead to huge regulatory burdens on our nation's farmers and ranchers, and it contains very little that will actually contribute to the goal of safer food.
"During a recent Committee hearing on the general topic of food safety, not a single producer witness would support this bill in its current form. Now Members of the House are being asked to vote on this bill without consideration, debate, or the opportunity to improve it. Worst yet, we haven't even seen the bill and we can't even obtain a copy of it.”
"For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote against rushing H.R. 2749 through Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R.
2749. Our nation's farmers, ranchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers deserve better," said Ranking Member Frank Lucas.
We at FoodTRACE urge caution and restraint as well in determining what your next steps regarding food safety, traceability and other cost areas that need to be addressed. Keep these FACTS in mind before committing dollars to the PTI initiative or any other programs that are being discussed.
1. Secretary of Health and Human Services stated on July 7, 2009 – “In the next 3 months, the Food and Drug Administration will issue draft guidance on steps the food industry can take to create tracing systems that will allow us to more quickly detect the sources of contamination and more quickly remove the unsafe food from store shelves. To hear her directly, go to http://usfoodtrace.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to the July 8 posting and watch a 1 minute 42 second clip where her statement as well as statements regarding food safety and traceability are also made by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Vice President Joe Biden.
2. IFT Report Due in September to the FDA. The FDA authorized IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) last September to analyze the various forms of traceability systems currently being used or in development. FoodTRACE® was one of those systems. The IFT was given one year to examine those systems and make their recommendations to the FDA this coming September. This ties in very well with the above comment made by Secretary Sebelius. The produce industry should NOT be jumping into anything, especially as costly as the PTI before understanding what the needs, requirements or at least guidance as stated is made.
3. FoodTRACE has not requested of any company to this point to sign on for our system although we are capable of accepting data and providing reporting options at this time. We firmly believe and continue to be proven by statements and actions in the industry and politically, that we are the best approach regarding traceability, and we go much further than the PTI regarding traceability at a fraction of the cost of overall implementation of the PTI option.
WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Frank Lucas sent a letter to his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives urging them to not rush the Dingell-Waxman bill, H.R. 2749, through Congress. The bill is scheduled to be considered by the full House as early as tomorrow under suspension of the rules. This means that debate on this bill will be limited to twenty minutes, and there will be no opportunity to offer amendments.
"Our nation has the safest food supply in the world. Even so, we must continually examine our food production and regulatory system, and move forward with changes that improve food safety. But to do so without thoughtful and careful deliberation is simply irresponsible. H.R. 2749 is the result of a flawed and incomplete process. It will lead to huge regulatory burdens on our nation's farmers and ranchers, and it contains very little that will actually contribute to the goal of safer food.
"During a recent Committee hearing on the general topic of food safety, not a single producer witness would support this bill in its current form. Now Members of the House are being asked to vote on this bill without consideration, debate, or the opportunity to improve it. Worst yet, we haven't even seen the bill and we can't even obtain a copy of it.”
"For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote against rushing H.R. 2749 through Congress. I urge my colleagues to vote against H.R.
2749. Our nation's farmers, ranchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers deserve better," said Ranking Member Frank Lucas.
We at FoodTRACE urge caution and restraint as well in determining what your next steps regarding food safety, traceability and other cost areas that need to be addressed. Keep these FACTS in mind before committing dollars to the PTI initiative or any other programs that are being discussed.
1. Secretary of Health and Human Services stated on July 7, 2009 – “In the next 3 months, the Food and Drug Administration will issue draft guidance on steps the food industry can take to create tracing systems that will allow us to more quickly detect the sources of contamination and more quickly remove the unsafe food from store shelves. To hear her directly, go to http://usfoodtrace.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to the July 8 posting and watch a 1 minute 42 second clip where her statement as well as statements regarding food safety and traceability are also made by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Vice President Joe Biden.
2. IFT Report Due in September to the FDA. The FDA authorized IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) last September to analyze the various forms of traceability systems currently being used or in development. FoodTRACE® was one of those systems. The IFT was given one year to examine those systems and make their recommendations to the FDA this coming September. This ties in very well with the above comment made by Secretary Sebelius. The produce industry should NOT be jumping into anything, especially as costly as the PTI before understanding what the needs, requirements or at least guidance as stated is made.
3. FoodTRACE has not requested of any company to this point to sign on for our system although we are capable of accepting data and providing reporting options at this time. We firmly believe and continue to be proven by statements and actions in the industry and politically, that we are the best approach regarding traceability, and we go much further than the PTI regarding traceability at a fraction of the cost of overall implementation of the PTI option.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
FoodTRACE - How it works
The following video will provide you with an understanding of how the FoodTRACE program works. In addition to the traceability features, reporting, notifications, compliance information, recall assistance and much much more is provided by FoodTRACE all at one low monthly price. No hidden costs, just a data analysis fee to get the proper fields of data determined and a low monthly fee is it. No numbers to buy which can be thousands of dollars, no software modifications to your current systems, no software to buy, no hardware or scanners to purchase, no additional labor required for managing and implementing additional systems, no syncronization fees or any other hidden or ancillary costs -- you want transparency --- here you get it. See how the program works here:
Additionally, FoodTRACE is very clear on what it costs. See the schedule below and you can see for yourself, that literally any company in the United State OR abroad can participate in this program. We GUARANTEE that we meet all current requirements of the U.S. Government regarding traceability. Based on the current laws being discussed as of this posting, FoodTRACE also EXCEEDS every nuance of every law that is being discussed that includes any parameters regarding traceability. FoodTRACE is here, it is now - Welcome to the end of traceability confusion.
FoodTRACE does MORE for LESS!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Take the Government's Word For What's Going On
These videos speak for themselves.... The first one is "snippets" of portions of the speeches on July 7th regarding traceability and tracking. The link below the video will take you to the entire 21 1/2 minute announcement by Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Vilsack and Vice President Joe Biden
To see the full announcement click here ---> http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Blogging-to-the-Middle-Improving-Food-Safety
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
FoodTRACE exceeds current Government Direction
FoodTRACE™ meets EVERY suggested requirement of the comments made today in Washington D.C.
IMPORTANT information announced today by, from left to right above, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelium and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
On July 1, 2009, the Working Group submitted its general principles to the President. The Working Group identified three core food safety principles to guide the development of a modern, coordinated food safety system.
• Principle 1: Preventing harm to consumers is our first priority: Too often in the past, the food safety system has focused on reacting to problems rather than preventing harm in the first place. The Working Group recommends that food regulators shift towards prioritizing prevention and move aggressively to implement sensible measures designed to prevent problems before they occur. Key to this approach is setting rigorous standards for food safety and providing regulatory agencies the tools necessary to ensure that the food industry meets these standards.
• Principle 2: Effective food safety inspections and enforcement depend upon good data and analysis. High-quality information will help leading agencies know which foods are at risk; which solutions should be put into place; and who should be responsible. The Working Group recommends that the Federal government prioritize crucial inspection and enforcement activity across the world; support safety efforts by States, localities and businesses at home; and utilize data to guide these efforts and evaluate their outcomes.
• Principle 3: Outbreaks of foodborne illness should be identified quickly and stopped. The Working Group recommends the establishment of a food tracing system that shortens the time between outbreak detection, resolution, and recovery. It is in everyone’s interest for outbreaks to be rare in number, limited in scale, and short in duration.
NOTE: FoodTRACE is the ONLY system available for traceability today that combines traceability with epidemiology. As we have continually stated, part of our program includes working with illness data to assist in shortening the time of the overall impact of an outbreak.
An additional statement made today in this announcement was:
IMPORTANT information announced today by, from left to right above, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelium and the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
On July 1, 2009, the Working Group submitted its general principles to the President. The Working Group identified three core food safety principles to guide the development of a modern, coordinated food safety system.
• Principle 1: Preventing harm to consumers is our first priority: Too often in the past, the food safety system has focused on reacting to problems rather than preventing harm in the first place. The Working Group recommends that food regulators shift towards prioritizing prevention and move aggressively to implement sensible measures designed to prevent problems before they occur. Key to this approach is setting rigorous standards for food safety and providing regulatory agencies the tools necessary to ensure that the food industry meets these standards.
• Principle 2: Effective food safety inspections and enforcement depend upon good data and analysis. High-quality information will help leading agencies know which foods are at risk; which solutions should be put into place; and who should be responsible. The Working Group recommends that the Federal government prioritize crucial inspection and enforcement activity across the world; support safety efforts by States, localities and businesses at home; and utilize data to guide these efforts and evaluate their outcomes.
• Principle 3: Outbreaks of foodborne illness should be identified quickly and stopped. The Working Group recommends the establishment of a food tracing system that shortens the time between outbreak detection, resolution, and recovery. It is in everyone’s interest for outbreaks to be rare in number, limited in scale, and short in duration.
NOTE: FoodTRACE is the ONLY system available for traceability today that combines traceability with epidemiology. As we have continually stated, part of our program includes working with illness data to assist in shortening the time of the overall impact of an outbreak.
An additional statement made today in this announcement was:
Developing Industry Product Tracing Systems: Within three months, FDA will issue draft guidance on steps the food industry can take to establish product tracing systems to improve our national capacity for detecting the origins of foodborne illness.
Also today in a press release by the PMA’s President, Bryan Silberman stated the following as a part of his comments:
“Similarly, the traceback announcement appears consistent with our efforts on the Produce Traceability Initiative, though we will need to review the details as they emerge. The recognition of the clashing jurisdictions and the resulting disruptions to agencies charged with food safety is an important step toward creating a more rational and workable regulatory system.”
NOTE: The PMA cannot state as a fact that the GS standard or PTI as proposed, will, as a certainty, meet government guidelines.
FoodTRACE™ continues to be the only program being offered that has, and still, meets every nuance and area that has been or currently is in discussion regarding the requirements of the government regarding traceability. FoodTRACE™ offers a much more in depth program and at a fraction of the cost of the PTI.
We have been and will continue to follow the developments at government levels, but at FoodTRACE™, compliance with government guidelines, we have exceeded every area that has been discussed and continue to be affordable to all size companies.
Also today in a press release by the PMA’s President, Bryan Silberman stated the following as a part of his comments:
“Similarly, the traceback announcement appears consistent with our efforts on the Produce Traceability Initiative, though we will need to review the details as they emerge. The recognition of the clashing jurisdictions and the resulting disruptions to agencies charged with food safety is an important step toward creating a more rational and workable regulatory system.”
NOTE: The PMA cannot state as a fact that the GS standard or PTI as proposed, will, as a certainty, meet government guidelines.
FoodTRACE™ continues to be the only program being offered that has, and still, meets every nuance and area that has been or currently is in discussion regarding the requirements of the government regarding traceability. FoodTRACE™ offers a much more in depth program and at a fraction of the cost of the PTI.
We have been and will continue to follow the developments at government levels, but at FoodTRACE™, compliance with government guidelines, we have exceeded every area that has been discussed and continue to be affordable to all size companies.
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