Of all the possible objections, it seems S.510 had a provision for the FDA to impose fees on companies. This is a no-no, as these terms violate the, um, Constitution.

That pesky Constitution gets in the way sometimes. There is a Constitutional provision that says, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives…”

Of all things, Britney didn’t expect to hear that!

So, the House is obliged to give this food safety legislation the “blue slip.” That’s like getting a “pink slip” at work (discharge notice or termination of employment). It means that the Bill is rejected and sent back.

There’s Controversy Over S.510?
The Bill had huge support and the mainstream media ignored the voices of opposition, so most are unaware of the controversy surrounding the Food Bill. The Bill was presented to the public as a good thing…”improving public safety.” After all, it’s called “The Food SAFETY Modernization Act.”

S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, was created to put new regulations on the food industry with the well-publicized intent to prevent food-borne illnesses. The bill was hyped to the public to “improve food safety.” After all, we are painfully aware of the recent outbreaks of E. coli and Salmonella due to filthy conditions on mega farms. Read more about it: Click Here.

Ultimately S.510 isn’t exclusively about food safety, it gives a lot more power to large food produces, at the expense of the small farmer. It increases the bureaucracy on ALL food produced. It also opens the door for government to control home gardens and small organic farms, as well as putting locally grown produce under government’s control.

The controversial Bill will make it illegal to grow, share or trade homegrown food. It also forces small farmers and food processors into burdensome and excessive requirements. It gives large corporations such as Monsanto control over U.S. seed and puts U.S. food and farms under the Department of Homeland Security.

There are two possible outcomes presented because of this surprise calamity. The bill could be put on hold until the next session of Congress or the House of Representatives passes a new version of the bill. Big Brother won’t give up on this one easily. Either way, I believe this Bill will be back.

This Year, May Your Holidays Be Happy And Healthy.

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We know organic cost more than conventionally grown fruit and veggies. It’s usually a good thing to compare apples to apples. For this comparison, I didn’t shop around for the best prices. I made all, but one purchase in one discount grocery store. Most grocery stores carry a line of organic products, so it wasn’t hard to do.

Now, if I was really comparing apples to apples, with each list of groceries, the total on the organic receipt would certainly be higher. Occasionally, it makes sense to compare apples to oranges. When you make the switch to whole foods, not just organic processed foods, the cost is almost identical. Organic processed foods are certainly more expensive. When you purchase whole foods, instead of processed foods, you’ll be surprised that your total food bill hasn’t changed very much! When switching organic foods, compare your total food bill, not just item to item. Processed snack foods are expensive, too. Once they are eliminated from your food bill, you’ll have more to spend on organic foods.

Obviously, organic fruits and vegetables will cost a bit more than conventionally grown. But when you compare boxed pancake mix to the cost of making your own, you’ll save big time! In the recipe section, I have added a very easy to make pancake recipe. It doens’t take any longer to prepare than making pancakes from a boxed mix.

Processed snack foods drive your food bill up! Plus, you’re filling up on fake-foods without valuable nutrients. I purchased two grocery bags full of snack foods. Each bag included the same number of items. The first bag, contained items for whole-food organic snacking . The second bag contained conventional processed snacks.

Each list has seven items. The total was almost exactly the same for each group of snack foods. I purchased the items in Spring 2008. With the cost of gas and inflation, I rounded up each item.

Organic Snacks

1) 4.00—1 quart Apple juice

2) 3.60—1 pound celery

3) 4.20—1 pound raisins

4) 1.80—1 pound carrots

5) 4.20—3 pounds apples

6) 5.30—4 pounds Valencia oranges

7) 1.00—1 pound organic popcorn (I purchased this at a whole foods store, because I couldn’t find where it was located at the grocers)

Total Cost of Whole-food Organic Snacking = $24.10

Conventional Snacks

I added three pieces of fruit to this list, thinking most people eat at least some fruit.

1) 5.70—Case of soft drinks

2) 4.20—1 pound 3 ounces Cheese chips

3) 4.20—Chocolate cream-centered cookies

4) 2.20—Fish-shaped crackers

5) 3.00—Oatmeal cookies

6) 2.50—Pretzels

7) 2.40—3 Gala apples

Total Cost of Processed Food Snacking = $24.20

The cost of eating organic is measured not only in dollars, but health.