Jul 24 2013
FDA Requirements on Salmonella Could Force Organic Free-Range Egg Producers To Restrict Hens Or Go Out of Business
Do you think eggs laid by Free Range hens on small farms are healthier than those laid by battery hens on large scale commercial farms? Well, the US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t think so – the government agency has just released a draft proposal for organic and free-range egg producers to comply with a 2009 egg safety rule that could make it harder for these producers to give their hens access to the outdoors.
At the heart of the egg safety rule is concern over Salmonella. However, it is generally thought that Salmonella outbreaks are more likely to occur in caged hens on large-scale farms. But the agency has spent a surprising amount of time, money and energy in holding organic producers accountable.
Meanwhile, the FDA last week revoked a 1967 rule prohibiting the sale of Salmonella contaminated animal feed, in a move that seems to directly contradict its concerns on egg safety.
GUEST: Mark Kastel, co-founder of The Cornucopia Institute, a populist farm policy research group based in Wisconsin and director of its Organic Integrity Project.
Visit www.cornucopia.org for more information about the FDA’s proposed guidelines for organic eggs.
Click here to read the actual FDA proposal.
Click here to submit comments to the FDA on the draft proposal.
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