Dateline: 11 June 2014
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| This ancient way of making cheese is now against the law |
Every living American consumes food, but precious few Americans produce any of the food they consume. So it is that when the American bureaucracy imposes increasingly burdensome regulations on those who produce food, relatively few citizens know, and even less care.
Government regulates under the auspices of “food safety.” Average Americans, because they are disconnected from the realities of food production, and because they are easily manipulated by fear, are in favor of more government-imposed food safety regulations.
However, increasing regulations imposed by the centralized government bureaucracy are destroying the food security of our country. Food security comes when there is a vast, decentralized network of small-scale food production, which is what America once had. But those small-scale food producers have been, and are being, systematically regulated out of business.
Who benefits from the imposition of this kind of destructive overregulation? First, the bureaucracy benefits. Hundreds of thousands of government employees make a good living through food regulation. These people are not producers in the economy of this country. They are a parasitic class that feeds off the hard work of those who do produce.
The large-scale food producers (Big-Food) also benefit from government overregulation of food-production. They have the advantage of an economy of scale; it is no big deal for them to comply with regulations that are onerous enough to drive more and more of the small producers out of business.
Large food-production industries have no problem with regulations that eliminate their small-scale competition. And if it happens that Big-Food isn’t happy with some point of regulation, they have the influence (money) to get their way in the circles of centralized power.
Do the masses of ignorant food consumers in America benefit from government overregulation of small-scale food producers? Is the food they eat safer? No.
Most, if not all, of the food poisoning and food safety scares that hit the news come from Big-Food. Rarely does one hear of anyone getting sick from food produced by small-scale, local producers. And if it does happen, it is a relatively minor occurence.
I have related all of this as a lead in to a recent blog post by Doreen Hannes at Truth Farmer. Doreen does an excellent job of keeping Americans-who-care informed about the destructive regulation of small-scale food producers by America’s expanding bureaucratic dictatorship. Please take a moment to read No More Artisan Cheese For Americans and learn about the latest food-regulation absurdity.
This matter of bureaucratic overregulation, leading to the controlled consolidation of food production in America, is no small matter. The financial vibrancy of free enterprise is being strangled by the force of this bureaucracy. America is in decline and this is but one of so many examples of tyranny coming from the centralized power structure of this nation.
UPDATE
12 June 2014
The USDA has changed its mind.
"Most, if not all, of the food poisoning and food safety scares that hit the news come from Big-Food. Rarely does one hear of anyone getting sick from food produced by small-scale, local producers. And if it does happen, it is a relatively minor occurrence."
ReplyDeleteThis is a legitimate "inconvenient truth" you cite, Brother Kimball! Once again, we continue in our belief in "the system" (e.g. Big Food, Big Ag, etc.) undoubtedly for the sake of comfort and convenience and the maintenance of lifestyles packed with frenetic activity, but increasingly devoid of true meaning. As others have observed - yet again - true freedom and liberty aren't simply about unrestricted choices and activity, but essentially about our assumption of our legitimate responsibilities, without interference from interlopers from any government! These laws and regulations are not only unconstitutional, they are immoral and Lawless "laws!"
I am increasingly of the mind that we in our localities are going to be required to simply ignore and massively resist such "laws".
Regards,
David Smith
Not only are the regulations controlling what food can be sold, they are allowing Big Food to produce things that make people sick. Let me explain.
ReplyDeleteMost cheese in this country is made from milk that is A1, or has a protein that can and does make many people sick. On top of that, the vast majority of commercially made cheese in this country is made from GMO rennet, which has been banned in many other countries. When I found this out, I was surprised, disgusted and disappointed.
Now I make my cheese from whole, raw goats milk, which is A2, and imported rennet. But I sell nothing because of, you guessed it, regulations.
Fern
The biggest thing to come about in the last hundred years is the belief in centralization. You see it everywhere, it is a result of the progressive (religion?) movement which needs to control as their socialism is naturally a failed system so control and centralization keeps it alive. Centralization is like putting all the eggs of the whole country in one big basket. Great when things work well but one day something will fail and it will not be pleasant.
ReplyDeleteJust one more example of how the government is for sale.
ReplyDeleteyou know the answer to all of this is for the states to finally say NO. You can keep your school money, you can keep your highway money. We will produce what we want and buy what we want within our own borders and no longer listen to you. If they try to enforce the FDA rules then the state gaurd can kick them out. Of coarse we all know that will never happen.
ReplyDeleteMore and more I fear we will have to fight,physically, this out of control goverment. Voteing and hopeing that will change things just isnt working anymore.
ReplyDeleteIm a firm believer in civil dis-obedience and ignoreing unconstitutional "laws" but it has gotten way out of hand and the rural citizens vs.the urban citizens civil war, I believe, is inevitable at this point.
Sorry to sound crazy but it's what I believe.
Regards,
JT
People nearly BEG me to sell them cheese from my goat's milk! Of course, I can't legally do that. I AM trying to create as many happy goat farmers in this area as possible by selling them babies and mentoring them in tending to their herd. I've taught some how to make cheese, others I've taught how to make soap. Here a little, there a little....I feel it is my ministry to teach and to share.
ReplyDeleteOh, and that cheese I can't sell goes for $1/ounce......
Thank you! Any way they can figure out to make money & keep us dependent. Peculiar also that they recommend 8-10 servings of grain per day & grain farmers are subsidized & heart disease, diabetes, and obesity effect 2/3+ of Americans.
ReplyDelete"The store" is not where our food comes from - too bad a vast majority don't know that.
cheese is safe for now.
ReplyDeletea lot can happen in 3 days. . . .
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/06/10/fda-backs-down-in-fight-over-aged-cheese/
Thanks for the comments everyone. And thanks Kelly for the very good news. I'll post an update with a link to the article you have provided.
ReplyDeleteJust read the update (Thanks for the link!), and, as far as it goes, this is indeed good news. However, the greater issue obviously remains: an unconstitutional federal agency, whose unelected bureaucrats can create law and policy on a whim. And unless we're paying attention all the time, who can keep up? Most of us simply don't have the time, money or energy to keep track of this petty tyranny!
ReplyDeleteRegards,
David Smith
This is a wonderful post! I really enjoyed it. You don't usually see people standing up for what they believe in and not fearing what others think. Thank you for this!
ReplyDelete