The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance led a coalition that we were a part of in 2010, which convinced Congress to exempt small, direct-marketing farmers from the new rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). But now that the rules are being implemented by the states, the Texas…
Food Contact Surfaces
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services inspectors routinely cite 9 CFR 416.4(a) and 9 CFR 416.4(b) when alleging noncompliance because these regulations are not straight forward. They rest on terms with no official….
ACT NOW: Support the Interstate Milk Freedom Act!
On December 12, 2019, Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME) introduced the Interstate Milk Freedom Act. Please call your House Representative and tell him/her why you care about this legislation.
TAKE ACTION: USDA’s Proposed Changes Could Hurt Small Beef Processors!
Under the new proposal, FSIS would take the same number of samples from a small facility that processes 50,000 pounds/day as from a large facility that processes a million or more pounds of product per day. Act now to protect small beef processors! Deadline to submit comments is Dec. 27…
FTCLDF and Member File Raw Butter Lawsuit
This week, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and one of its members, Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy, filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Our lawsuit seeks to force…
Equipment and Utensils
Sanitation requirements for equipment and utensils found in the Bureau of Animal Industry sanitation regulations, first published as 7 CFR 8 in the 1938 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), remain intact. But times have changed. Stainless steel and plastic have replaced cast iron, steel, and…
Dressing Rooms, Lavatories, and Toilets
This is the last article in a series about facilities. Dressing rooms, lavatories, and toilets are a life necessity. We do not talk about them much, but we cannot avoid them. If you prepare food for human consumption, they are essential because this is where you maintain your personal…
Water Supply
I took precautions yet I still contracted Shigella dysenteriae. Most likely this was from consuming fresh fruit from a vendor who washed it with water contaminated with human feces. You cannot take the safety of the water for granted. 9 CFR 416.2(g) shares…
Plumbing and Sewage
In 21st century America, it is easy to take the pipes that carry potable water in and non-potable water out for granted. Out of sight should not be out of mind. My father was a plumber and routinely put me up close and personal….
Ventilation
When it comes to food safety, ventilation is neither the cause nor the solution to odors, vapors, and condensation. You prevent odors with structural containment and exhaust to the exterior, not by relocating odors elsewhere through air…
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