AMS and f/v safety

There are objections from some consumer groups, organic growers and community farm organizations about the House farm bill amendment that explicitly gives the USDA AMS authority to regulate food safety in the context of marketing orders. Luis posted this story and ongoing thread on the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group earlier in the day. Here is a good sum-up quote from that piece:

"If enacted, this scheme would fracture an already fragmented food safety system and leave consumers unnecessarily vulnerable to the risk of foodborne illness." said Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety. "Marketing orders are price control and quality assurance programs, not food safety programs. AMS not only lacks food safety expertise, but, as the mission of AMS is to help promote and sell agricultural commodities, it would also have a distinct conflict of interest as a food safety oversight body."

TK: Although I couldn't reach a USDA spokesman today, previous conversations have indicated that USDA AMS believes they already have authority to address food safety issues in marketing orders. In fact, for almonds and pistachios, there are marketing orders that are doing exactly that. But it does appear the USDA wants language in the farm bill to expressly spell this out and remove the threat of a legal challenge. One cautionary note: if a U.S. marketing order would prescribe food safety rules that also apply to imports (commodity marketing orders typically cover both domestic and imports), what would prevent agriculture departments in other countries to devise food safety rules that U.S. commodities would then have to meet?