Crippling trade in real food in the name of “food safety” — Bill S-510 already?

Underground sources report that U.S. food safety legislation is already being implemented. Here are a few snippets:

S510 is going into effect.  For those who supported it, arguing it was needed and wasn’t going to destroy local farmers and food producers, here is the reality.

This radio show gives detail.  Listen to the podcast at: http://www.derrybrownfield.com/tracks/042511.mp3

They are using it to try to shut down Mike Callicrate and/or people doing the same work he is, with HACCP.   He produced raw beef and delivers it fresh every day, within just hours of grinding it (or cutting, too?).  They are imposing a “test and wait” rule, in which ground beef (or other kinds, too?) has to be tested daily (sent off for tests?) and then held for test results (for days).  This would kill the business of anyone producing fresh meat.

Praise for Michael Schmidt’s concluding speech in his campaign to become the provincial PC candidate for Grey Bruce

From the “Balance your apple” blog:

Farmer Michael Schmidt. Photo of image from Owen Sound Sun Times newspaper

“I have to say that this is the best political speech I have heard in years. I implore all of you to read it. Our small farms are having a hard time surviving as we import most of our fruits, vegetables and a lot of our meat from other countries.

If I lived in Bruce County I would vote for this man who speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to tell the truth. As I talk to farmers and research the future of our agricultural business, I become more and more aware that agribusiness and government double talk are conspiring to destroy our right to real foods. Foods grown without the billions of dollars of pesticides, herbicides and medications used in conventional farming. Foods that humans for thousands of years have eaten.

Michael Schmidt en route to Regina Saskatchewan for meeting with farmers and others interested in cow sharing

Michael sends these pictures via Facebook:

On the way to Regina passing grain elevator in little prairie towns.

Raw milk thoughts on Kat’s Food Blog

As far as I know, Kat is just another blogger sharing her perspectives on food and the culture that surrounds it. Here’s a bit of what she says about raw milk in a recent post:

Media mashup of pictures and titles from Kat's blog. And yes, that's Kat on the left.

“I don’t drink raw milk. I used to think all those raw milk people were crazy. This past spring I started getting raw milk locally, just to try it out. Now I use raw milk for making my yogurt and I can’t go back! If someone took away my raw milk, I would be the one going crazy!

Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund helps keep real food farmers like Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm farming

A War story from Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm:

Farmer Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm

“Thursday, Sept. 2 Mark Gresge, owner/chef of L’etoile restaurantin Charlottesville, notified us that Pamela Burke, a Charlottesville City Health Inspector had been in and written up a critical hazard for using eggs from an “unapproved source.” Interestingly, and in totally aberrant behavior, she did not confiscate the eggs on the spot–probably oversight more than charity.

Raw milk police — is resistance futile?

David E. Gumpert writes again for Grist.org. This piece is titled “Six things you should know before defying the real food police”:

Raw deal: Are you ready to go to jail for distributing unpasteurized milk? Photo courtesy of eqqman via Flickr

“Resistance has a glorified history in this country, beginning with the founding fathers, and extending to the labor and civil rights movements last century. We honor one of the resisters, Dr. Martin Luther King, with a national holiday.

The ranks of food resisters are now expanding rapidly. Driven by increasingly harsh crackdowns by local and federal agencies on small producers and distributors of unpasteurized (raw) milk and other nutrient-dense foods, growing numbers of individuals involved in this part of the food chain are publicly refusing to abide by government edicts and shutdown orders.

Controversy over Nina Planck’s “Real Food for Mother and Baby” book review

Here’s an excerpt from a recent discussion of the matter on the blog of Kelly the Kitchen Kop:

Picture from Nina's website: http://realbabyfood.info

“…My jaw hit the floor when I read the thumbs down book review on Nina Planck’s Real Food for Mother & Baby in the recent Wise Traditions journal (Fall 2009).  Nina Planck is one of “ours”, and she’s on the front lines fighting for REAL FOOD!  She writes clearly and makes a traditional diet attainable for anyone.  I just didn’t get it.  My opinion is that it should have been given a thumbs UP, with clarifications about the issues mentioned in the review…”

And from Nina Planck’s reply (published on the same blog):