Slog - Comments on Edwards Calls for Radical Shift in US Food Policy http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo According to a meatpacker industry journal called Meat and Poultry (via the Ethicurean), John Edwards supports radical changes in US food policy and food-industry regulations. Among other things, Edwards would implement country-of-origin food labeling (currently not required--allowing chickens raised, slaughtered and cooked in China, for example, onto US shelves), strengthen the FDA's regulatory authority, give one agency clear responsibility for ensuring food safety and grant it authority to mandate food recalls (currently neither the USDA nor the FDA can order a recall), and require all countries exporting food to the US to have food safety systems equal to or superior... Copyright 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:44:25 -0800 Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:35:35 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Levislade More and more, he's my man. Go Edwards!

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883435 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883435 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:42:14 -0800 Comment by gfrancie I have such a crush on him. This merely cements the adoration.

]]> gfrancie http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883437 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883437 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:43:35 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Well, he just lost Iowa, but it's smart policy.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883441 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883441 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:44:40 -0800 Comment by Hernandez Wow, that's actually very impressive. Little by little, things like this draw me closer to the Edwards camp. Thanks for posting this, ECB.

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883444 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883444 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:46:04 -0800 Comment by Greg Now there's a Christmas treat.

]]> Greg http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883458 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883458 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:53:29 -0800 Comment by Sam M. Decent start. Too bad Edwards (and the rest) will never make a stand against the excess of federal cash we pay out to corn over-producers and other cash-croppers based largely out of--BIG SHOCKER--Iowa.

http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7887994

The farmers will publicly cry, "You need us for ethanol," while pumping out enough corn syrup and other cash crops to keep the farm landscape unfairly titled for another decade or two. This will only become a hot-button issue when it's too fucking late to get American agriculture back on track.

]]> Sam M. http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883459 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883459 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:54:13 -0800 Comment by lorax @3, this is actually likely to be popular in Iowa, where small farms have suffered as a result of industrial farming operations and cheap food imports from places like China.

]]> lorax http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883462 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883462 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:57:53 -0800 Comment by brandon good for him. not exactly a hot-button issue right now, so it seems sort of weird for him to even bring it up. a refreshing change from the focus group-style politics we get from certain front-runners, even though this will almost certainly fuck his shit up in iowa.

]]> brandon http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883464 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883464 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:58:18 -0800 Comment by Levislade Yeah, you know what? This just inspired me to do something I've never done before and donate to a presidential candidate. $100 says go JRE!

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883475 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883475 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:08:14 -0800 Comment by Fifty-Two-Eighty This makes WAY too much sense for it to ever happen.

]]> Fifty-Two-Eighty http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883482 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883482 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:14:28 -0800 Comment by Will/HA Edwards' policy focus has always been on issues that don't resonate with the Seattle-type NPR liberals.

Hopefully, should he be elected, he'll go further on this issue and others.

]]> Will/HA http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883484 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883484 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:15:31 -0800 Comment by tsm I wouldn't think that this is as "unsexy" as some are saying. It's not as if we haven't been bombarded with enough stories of dangerous Chinese goods to freak out the average consumer. And nation-of-origin labeling sure polls well.

]]> tsm http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883555 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883555 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:45:19 -0800 Comment by sceptic Yeah, put the Feds in charge of our food.
Just like they make us safe on airplanes with TSA.
And, like they made New Orleans safe with the Corps of Engineers, and the rescue of one agency's failure by another group of dolts, FEMA.
And, the outstanding FedJob of making our drug supply safe with the FDA.
Yeah, more money, different attitude, blah,blah,blah,
tell it to the Russians.
The end up is crackup.
Christ don't you ever learn?
Always looking for someone to save you from yourselves?

]]> sceptic http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883565 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883565 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:54:20 -0800 Comment by treacle That's all well and good, but it'll never happen. Too much $$$ involved to have a do-gooder change things that much.
But since we're on food-policy topics:
How about allowing "GMO-free" labels on actual GMO-free food products.
Or removing federal subsidies for meat production, and letting the free-market(TM) set the actual price of meat.
And that comment about "food safety systems equal to or superior to the US system"
Yeah, like the way we feed "downer cows" ground up to other cows... USDA: "Is there a BSE test for meat? No."
Yum.

]]> treacle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883573 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883573 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:59:16 -0800 Comment by Cato the Younger Younger I just may have moved from Obama to Edwards with this one.

]]> Cato the Younger Younger http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883655 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883655 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:00:31 -0800 Comment by ivan Edwards is the only presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican, who seems to be making it a priority.

Edwards is the only presidential candidate, Democratic or Republican, who is making *a lot* of important things a priority -- such as stricter accountability for the health-insurance industry.

These statements on food policy are much-needed and long overdue on the campaign trail. Thanks, Erica.

]]> ivan http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883761 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883761 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:41:23 -0800 Comment by NaFun @13

"Yeah, put the Feds in charge of our food.
...
Christ don't you ever learn?
Always looking for someone to save you from yourselves?"

The Feds are ALREADY in charge of our food, you just haven't heard the news yet. The US govt lays out thousands of regulations dictating the production, processing, transportation, storage, labeling, and trade in our nation's food. Didn't you see the part above about the billions in subsidies we give to farmers? Those subsidies are for the Big Five crops: corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, and rice. D'ya think that those subsidies have an impact on what gets grown and used for food? Now think about why there's corn syrup or corn starch in just about everything you eat. Now you're starting to see how Washington already guides most of what we consume.

At the very least we need to start whittling down that subsidy imbalance, which can go a long way towards reducing the amount of direct payments to farmers and restore some balance and sustainability to our nation's food supply, not to mention start to reduce the impact we have on drinking water and our fisheries.

We can change the subsidies in several ways, from reducing the amount given for different crops, expanding the types of crops that get we subsidize, reducing the overall amount of subsidy, and backing away from direct payments altogether and going back to something more similar to the insurance/loan programs we had before the 70s.

To say the current system is free-market is to not know ANYTHING about current US farm policy, or really the US government as a whole. Most free-market principles were lost several decades ago, Republican rhetoric just refuses to admit it.

]]> NaFun http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883869 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c883869 2008 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 17:21:44 -0800 Comment by sceptic "Now you're starting to see how Washington already guides most of what we consume."

And you really think it's going to get better with even more medding?

Oh yeah, it will be better meddling.

]]> sceptic http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c884025 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/12/edwards_calls_for_radical_shift_in_us_fo#c884025 2008 Fri, 28 Dec 2007 06:35:35 -0800