ACTION ALERT! Urgent: Stop the National Uniformity for Food Act (H.R. 4167) before it wipes out hundreds of food safety labeling laws

[Guest guest]

Urgent: Stop the National Uniformity for Food Act (H.R. 4167) before it

wipes out hundreds of food safety labeling laws

 

At this time it is essential that you protest the passage of H.R. 4167

with members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor,

and Pensions from your State. That's the Senate committee that will

review H.R. 4167 in the Senate and decide whether or not to recommend

the bill for passage by Senate. (Access a list of committee members

here.) If there is no member from your State on the committee, contact

one or more of the others. Since Republicans are in the majority on this

committee, it would be wise to contact one or more Republicans

regardless of whom else you share your concerns with.

 

It is appropriate to contact Senators from your state as often as you

like, with as many comments or questions as you have. Ask your family

and friends to do the same.

 

 

HISTORY

 

For years, the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) have lobbied

Congress to legislate away food labeling laws. Most recently, their

rallying cry has been " uniformity " -- strip individual States and

Municipalities of their right to require standards higher than the

uniformly minimal/low standards of the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, and provide uniformly low/minimal standards for all.

 

On March 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Bill H.R.

4167: The National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005. On March 9, 2006,

the bill was sent to the Senate.

(http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c109zFhrto:: or

HR4167-SenateBill)

 

The GMA has been trying to get a bill like this passed by Congress for a

decade if not more. Why did it pass the House of Representatives now?

 

Why now? There are three neurotoxic manufactured individual amino acids

popularly used in food: aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and l-cysteine.

Manufactured l-cysteine is most often used as a dough conditioner.

Manufactured aspartic acid is found primarily in the sugar substitute

aspartame, and in many food ingredients that contain manufactured

glutamic acid. When aspartame is used in a product, the word " aspartame "

must appear on the product's label. Manufactured glutamic acid is

invariably found in the flavor enhancer called " monosodium glutamate "

and in over 40 other ingredients with names like hydrolyzed soy protein,

sodium caseinate, and autolyzed yeast extract. It is very often found

in products such as natural flavoring.

 

Both manufactured glutamic acid and aspartic acid cause adverse

reactions such as migraine headache, atrial fibrillation, asthma,

tachycardia, irritable bowel, seizures, and depression in people who are

sensitive to them and ingest amounts that exceed their individual

tolerance levels for these substances. In addition, both are well know

to have caused, and still cause, brain lesions and subsequent endocrine

disorders, seizures, retinal degeneration, and learning and behavior

disorders in animal studies. For years, consumers concerned about the

toxic effects of these two substances have made a variety of attempts to

have products containing manufactured glutamate (MSG) labeled as such;

while consumers concerned about the toxic effects of aspartame (which

must, by law be labeled) have made a variety of attempts to have the use

of aspartame outlawed.

 

The most recent attempt at banning sale of products containing aspartame

(a product owned by Ajinomoto, Company, Inc) was made in the State of

New Mexico, where several attempts have been made to have the New

Mexican legislature (which showed considerable support for banning the

sale of aspartame) ban the sale of products containing aspartame.

Although a large number of industry supported lobbyists have, to date,

been successful in keeping legislation banning the sale of products

containing aspartame in New Mexico from being passed, efforts to get the

legislature to ban aspartame continue.

 

In New Mexico, safe-food advocates came closer to having aspartame

banned than they had ever come before. Dangerously close. We think so

dangerously close that manufacturers and industry users of aspartame did

something they thought would assure them that aspartame would never be

banned in New Mexico -- or anywhere else. We think that the National

Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives this

year because Ajinomoto, Company, Inc., the world's largest producer of

" monosodium glutamate, " individual amino acids, and " aspartame, " added

their financial strength, their expertise, and the connections they have

used for over a quarter of a century to keep information about the toxic

effects of MSG hidden from the public. That's what we think. If you

want to know why we think that, read " The Toxicity/Safety of Processed

Free Glutamic Acid (MSG): A Study in Suppression of Information. "

(http://www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.html)

 

If you are interested, you might want to ask any congresspersons from

your state who voted for the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005

for copies of their financial records to determine what food industry

contributions they have received. Names of legislators who voted for

the bill can be accessed at:

(http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll032.xml or names)

 

 

INDUSTRY'S INITIATIVES

 

 

THE GROCERY MANUFACTURES ASSOCIATION has proposed UNIFORMITY -- to strip

individual States of their right to require standards higher than the

uniformly low/minimal standards of the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, and provide uniformly low/minimal standards for all.

(http://www.gmabrands.com/publicpolicy/docs/whitepaper.cfm?DocID=606 & or

HR4167-GMA).

 

THE BILL

 

THOSE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WHO VOTED FOR THE BILL

 

THE POWER of AJINOMOTO COMPANY, INC. in CONTROLLING the U.S.

LEGISLATURE, the FDA, and the PUBLIC: " THE TOXICITY/SAFETY of PROCESSED

FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG): A STUDY IN SUPPRESSION of INFORMATION "

 

 

OPPOSITION TO THE " NATIONAL UNIFORMITY FOR FOOD ACT OF 2005 "

 

" This is a bill that stands for ignorance. Keep people ignorant, and

they'll never know what's really in their food. That's exactly the way

the food industry wants to keep Americans: Under-informed and

over-fed. " (NewsTarget)

 

" The goal is to override nearly 200 state laws and make the Food and

Drug Administration the final word for food labeling on everything from

fruit to nuts. " (Nebraska Journal Star)

 

" Attorneys general of 39 states sent a joint letter to Congress noting

the uniformity labeling proposal " eviscerates " important consumer

warnings now carried on labels in their states. " (Nebraska Journal Star)

 

" Four major states have already determined that this bill will

invalidate many of their food safety laws and regulations, leaving wide

gaps in the nation's food safety chain. FDA does not have the staff,

authority or budget to step in to provide the same oversight. Large

segments of our consuming population will not be protected by any

government oversight. An aging population, new and emerging pathogens,

large amounts of imported foods, increasing concern about the security

of the food supply and safety of our consumers indicate a need for

increased food, milk and shellfish safety, not decreased oversight.

Public confidence in the government's ability to ensure a safe milk,

shellfish and food supply will be eroded. A significant portion of BSE

feed inspections and dairy, seafood and food manufacturing/processing

plant inspections are contracted to state agencies and would not be done

if the state's laws and rules were invalidated because they were not

identical to the federal counterpart. State and local compliance and

enforcement procedures will not be able to remove adulterated and

contaminated products from commercial sale thereby endangering the

consumer. There would be no meaningful role for state and local agencies

as timely responders to terrorist threats and imminent health hazards

when notification and petitioning to the Secretary is required

beforehand. " (Southeastern Fisheries Association:

HR4167-SoutheasternFisheries.html)

 

which in September, 2004, and again in February, 2006, Following are

articles culled from the Internet after the House of Representatives

passed the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005. Some give details

not found in others. Reading them will help you understand what the

Grocery Manufacturers of America has just accomplished -- and the boon

that the National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005, if passed by the

Senate, will be to Ajinomoto Company, Inc., a company that has, since

the 1980s, fought hard and been successful, in keeping information

about manufactured glutamic acid (MSG) off food labels and hidden from

the public, and has beaten down every attempt by consumers to have

aspartame banned. We begin with an article from Consumers Unioncalled

various versions of the National Uniformity for Food Act " uniformily a

disaster for consumers. " (When available, both an Internet source and a

copy saved on our Web page are cited.)

 

 

" National Uniformity for Food Act - Uniformly A Disaster for Consumers! "

Consumers Union, September 28, 2004

(http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_food_safety/001400.html) or

HR4167-ConsumersUnion

Jean Halloran, Director, Consumer Policy Institute

 

" More food labeling needed, not less, "

Nebraska Journal Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, March 12, 2006

(http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/03/12/business/doc4411f59a64be34697213\

92.txt

or HR-4167-JournalStar.htm)

by Alan Guebert

 

" National Uniformity for Food Act of 2003, HR 2699, Impact Analysis "

The Southeastern Fisheries Association Web page

(http://www.southeasternfish.org/Legislative/National%20Uniformity%20for%20

Food%20Act%20of%202003%20.pdf) or HR4167-SoutheasternFisheries.html)

Submitted by:

Shirley Bohm, Retail Food Protection Team

CDR Peter Pirillo, Shellfish Safety Team

CAPT Richard Eubanks, Milk Safety Team

March 26, 2004

 

" Urgent: Stop the National Uniformity for Food Act (H.R. 4167) before it

wipes out hundreds of food safety labeling laws "

News Target (http://www.newstarget.com/019184.html) or

HR4167-NewsTarget.htm

Posted Saturday, March 04, 2006 by Mike Adams

 

" Political Action against National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 "

Accidental Hedonist Web page

03/01/06 at 05:30:00 am by Kate Hopkins

http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php/2006/03/01/political_action_against_\

national_unifor_2005

or HR4167-Accidental Hedonist-3-1-06)

 

" Toxics: National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 "

The Sierra Club Web site on March 15, 2006

(http://www.sierraclub.org/legislativetracker/109HR4167.asp or

HR4167-sierraClub)

Ed Hopkins, Environmental Quality Program

ed.hopkins

202-547-1141

 

" National Environmental Health Association Position Regarding HR 4167:

National Uniformity for Food Act of 2005 " Adopted February 3, 2006

National Environmental Health Association Position Paper

(http://www.neha.org/position_papers/positionHR4167.htm) or

HR4167-NationalEnvironmentalHealth

Ron Grimes, RS, MPH, DAAS

President, National Environmental Health Association

 

" Congress Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Your Right to Know What's in

Your Food "

Organic Consumers Association Web page on March 15, 2006

(http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:oxiR81xRTFwJ:www.organicconsumers.org/rd/la\

beling.cfm+National+Uniformity+of+Food+Act & hl

=en & gl=us & ct=clnk & cd=18 & ie=UTF-8 or HR4167-Organic)

 

" Congress vs. food safety "

Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee), February 28, 2006

Editorial

HR4167-Chat

 

" The Abusive New Federalism "

The New York Times

Editorial

Published: March 2, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/02/opinion/02thu2.html?ex=1142658000 & en=5c6b135d3\

781893d & ei=5070

or HR4167-NewYorkTimes-3-2-06

 

" Food Uniformity Bill Passes in the House Despite Widespread Opposition

- Members of the House put special interests before public interest "

 

Center for Food Safety Web page

March 15, 2006

http://ga3.org/campaign/fooduniformity_house_passage or

HR4167-CenterForFoodSafety

 

 

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/HR4167-A-websPage.html

 

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