The recent introduction of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 or HR 875 to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Agriculture has created quite a stir among the “Buy Local” community.  Many fear the creation of the Food Safety Administration and the amped up regulatory power they would have over essentially all food produced in the US would spell an end to small farms, farmer’s markets, and would be a deathblow to sustainable and local agriculture in general.  While the bill will most certainly go through some changes as it’s passed through Congress, the concerns are justified as the vagueness of the bill does not explain exactly what will cause a food or food production operation to be deemed “unsafe”. Continue Reading