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Alabama woman works to help returning citizens rebuild their lives; Marist polls: Harris leads Trump in Michigan, Wisconsin; they're tied in Pennsylvania; UAW contract negotiations at VW focus on healthcare, safety, wages; NC dentists warn of crisis due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates.

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The Teamsters choose not to endorse a presidential candidate, county officials in Texas fight back against state moves to limit voter registration efforts, and the FBI investigate suspicious packages sent to elections offices in at least 17 states.

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Expert: New Food Safety Rules Mixed Bag for Sustainable Ag

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Wednesday, November 18, 2015   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - It took five years of debate, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally has approved new food-safety rules. Late last week, the FDA set the official standards for the Food Safety Modernization Act, the first major reform in more than 70 years.

Sophia Kruszewski is a policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. She says, overall, the act does right by food producers who choose not to use chemical fertilizers.

"We're pretty supportive of their significant change in their approach to the use of manure, compost that we think will make it a lot easier for farmers using sustainable and organic practices to continue to do that on their farm," says Kruszewski.

The FDA says it's still researching any possible health effects from using raw manure, but for now the Modernization Act won't prohibit farmers from using it, that is, as long as they follow the USDA's National Organic Program standards.

Kruszewski's praising that move, but she claims other parts of the new rules, such as those concerning the water that's used to grow food, could pose problems down the line. Kruszewski says that's because the FDA is using a clean-water standard that is not tailored toward agriculture.

"Its assessment is based on the hazards posed by ingesting water while swimming or while boating, which vary significantly from the hazards posed by consuming produce that's had water used in its growing," says Kruszewski.

She acknowledges that there are provisions in the Modernization Act to work around the water rule, but it could make the transition difficult, especially for produce farms. Kruszewski says for them, this will be first time they have to come into compliance with federal rules "for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce." And she says there's still a big question there.

"Requirements coming from the marketplace and requirements coming from the federal government," she says. "How are they going to be streamlined, so that farmers aren't having to deal with two sets of requirements?"

Kruszewski's hoping that will be answered after the food-safety rules are published in the Federal Register on Nov. 27. The rules will go into effect 60 days after that. Most U.S. farms will have two years to comply.


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