The Food Safety Modernization Act is the first major update of federal food safety laws since 1938. FSMA gives the FDA new abilities to prevent food safety problems, detect and respond to food safety issues, and improve the safety of imported foods. The act is geared to help prevent the outbreaks of food-borne illnesses that are on the rise-- though seldom traced back to small local producers.
Yet the biggest danger these proposed rules represent is its impact on small farms. Today on the program Sheri Quinn profiles an independent organic grain farmer and his concern about its impact on the livelihood of small scale farmers, and a local food distributor who sees problems for his neighborhood farmers.