Posted: | December 5, 2017 12:21 PM |
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From: | Representative Angel Cruz |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Improving Food Safety by Labeling Pesticide Information |
In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation amending Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to further provide for food safety by requiring labeling of pesticide information. Pesticides are widely used in producing food to control pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, mold, fungi and bacteria. While their role is to protect food and us from such pests, legitimate concern has been growing that exposure to pesticide chemicals can be linked to certain acute and chronic human health problems. Recent studies, including those conducted at Columbia University and those published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, have shown that exposure to low doses of pesticides through diet may have adverse health effects. These studies have also shown that the populations that may be most adversely affected are children and pregnant women. Some of the health problems observed in the studies include ADHD and low IQ in children and fertility issues, among others. My legislation would require the shipping container of a raw agricultural commodity that had a pesticide applied to it after harvest to have a label clearly and conspicuously declaring the presence of the chemical and the common or usual name and function of the chemical. If the commodity is removed from the shipping container, a clear and conspicuous declaration is still required when it is held or displayed for sale at retail. Without such a declaration, the commodity would be deemed misbranded. The Environmental Protection Agency states that “just because a pesticide chemical is detected on a fruit or vegetable, that does not mean it is unsafe.” The same thing has been said about lead levels, but now we know that no amount is safe. If you believe as I do that we deserve to know what is on our food, please join me by co-sponsoring this legislation. Thank you in advance for your consideration. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my Harrisburg office at 717-705-1925. |
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Introduced as HB1989