Kathy Means, PMA's Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, joins us for an exclusive interview regarding PMA's response to the Senate's Food Safety Modernization Act. See below for an excerpt from PMA President Bryan Silberman:<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"An amendment that was added to the bill by Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.) on the eve of the now-ongoing Senate debate exempts processors or farmers who meet certain criteria unrelated to risk. For example, it would exempt a food facility or farm if it has sales of $500,000 or less, or sells half of its food to retailers, restaurants, or consumers in the same state or within 275 miles. If this were enacted, federal regulation would apply based on where the food is sold and how much it earns – neither of which are risk factors.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Because it would require Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate based on miles traveled or other factors irrelevant to safety, PMA must oppose the bill. I recently wrote in the Washington, D.C., publication The Hill that food safety is not a large or small producer issue. The sad irony is that the amendment that exempts these small facilities will hurt small growers and processors — in the end causing them to lose market opportunities. What retailer or restaurant will buy unregulated food when regulated products are readily available?<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In addition, this amendment weakens consumer protection because many products will not be subject to the new safety rules. Consumer confidence is essential to our industry, and having national safety standards for all is critical to building that confidence."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Source: Produce Marketing Association<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
