Bill targets state food label warnings

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060820/ap_on_he_me/food_warnings


<snip>

Rather than wrestle with labeling laws that vary from state to state, the food industry wants Congress to prohibit states from requiring food warnings that are tougher than federal law.

In March, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would pre-empt state warnings. The Senate held a hearing on the issue in July.

As many as 200 state laws or regulations could be affected, according to the Congressional Budget Office. They include warnings about lead and alcohol in candy, arsenic in bottled water, allergy-causing sulfites and mercury levels in fish.

Opposition is fierce, especially in California, where voters put their right-to-know law on the books 20 years ago. Known as Proposition 65, the law has been used to reduce arsenic in bottled water, mercury in fish and lead in candy and dishes.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., said state warnings can fill critical gaps in federal law. Californians passed Prop 65 "because they wanted to know if dangerous contaminants were in their food and drinking water," Boxer said at the Senate hearing.

[Phredicles]

1. Remember when Repugs were the party of states' rights?

I guess that's only when they don't control the federal government.

[Double T]

2. With this congress and WH, NOBODY has any rights...........

individuals, states, you name it. Seems the big corporations are the ONLY ones with ALL the rights and they are kicking the @#%&*$ out of ALL of us. The high fructose corn syrup and crisco lobbyists must be pressing congress very hard.

[rodeodance]

4. Repugs are all for Big Gov. (NCLB) with low standards but control the

purse.

[Tesha]

10. "States Rights" only applies when it's supporting a Republican issue.

"States Rights" only applies when it's supporting a Republican issue.
For example:

Adding racism: "States Rights" applies

Removing discrimination agiants gays: "States Rights" doesn't apply

Adding abortion prohibitions/regulations: "States Rights" applies

Trying to prevent pollution: "States Rights" doesn't apply

It's easy once you have the secret decoder ring!

Tesha

[madrchsod]

3. big grocery don`t like those labels

hamburger from god knows where and processed under standards not up to the usda standards...no thanks. lead in mexican candy...

[Tellurian]

5. MONSANTO is chewing up family farmers for breakfast!

Please rent the movie, "THE FOOD WE EAT." A chilling documentary of how the corporate
giant Monsanto is suing farmers, forcing them out of business. Monsanto holds thousands
of pattens on GMOs..Genitically Modified Seeds, which eventually migrate to nearby farms
growing soy beans, cotton, corn from classic family generated seed, thereby intermingling
with virgin seed and then accused of growing their GMO's without paying for a license.

That isn't the worst of it. The genetical makeup of seed has been so biologically altered
with ecoli genes, antibiotic genes and pest resistant genes; tests have never been conducted
on the effects the produce of these altered seeds have on humans. So far the only tests recrded
are on lab rats and those tests showed a propensity of producing cancerous tumors after
consuming high does of the crushed seed. Independent lab experiments showed caterpillars dying before chrystalis after eating contaminated pollen spilt on vegie plants used for the testing.

It's a eye popper to see who are on the board of directors...All the usual suspects. From
Rumsfeld to The former Secty of Ag..All protecting corporate profits at the expense of America's
health and welfare.

This is a must see event..something Hillary Clinton should Champion for every living breathing citizen
in this country.

[BadgerKid]

7. Gotta wonder about flour then

It is basically crushed seeds (or "berries").

[Tellurian]

8. Flour is made from grain..

here is a link to the making of flour:

http://www.dovesfarm-organic.co.uk/how-flour-is-made.htm

[AZCat]

11. A few years back...

I was lucky enough to have a tour of a still-operating all-wood flour mill. It was pretty fascinating seeing how many different steps there were in the process.

[Taoschick]

9. Refined wheat flour

Removes everything good and leaves a bunch of garbage with no nutritional value. It should have a warning label.

[diamidue]

12. My favorite Monsanto

product was their "New Leaf" potato. A potato so toxic that it had to be registered as a pesticide. I understand it is not longer allowed in the US and Canadian markets, but it is probably being sold in some third world country knowing Monsanto.

[PSPS]

6. They've neutered the federal standard

They've neutered the federal standard, so this is their way of neutering all state labeling laws that were put in place because of federal standards that were already lax before they further neutered them recently.

They don't want you to know what they're putting in your food, and how they're producing it.

[warrens]

13. This is just aimed at protecting processed food companies

And they give mucho dinero to the repukes. Kraft et al would prefer they didn't even have to list ingredients, much less salt, calories, cholesterol, etc. This bill has no purpose other than to help out the big food companies. There is no consumer benefit at all, and the red herring about added costs is ridiculous. They want a toothless federal law rather than truly effective label requirements. And it's harder to bribe 50 states than one Repuke congressman.

[Tellurian]

14. Half of Bushes cabinet are sitting board members for Monsanto n/t