Dear colleagues,

As you may be aware, the FDA released its long awaited proposed rules on Food Safety Modernization Act on January 4, 2013. Since then, organizations and individuals across the country are scrambling to digest the massive rules and identify what impact they may have on family farms and producers.

The sheer volume of rules – and the coming spring planting – make it very difficult to have enough time to properly analyze the rules and provide substantive comments to the FDA before the May 16, 2013 deadline.

A few organizations concerned especially about the impact of the rules on small-scale producers, have drafted a letter to the FDA requesting a 120-day extension on the comment period. We would like to submit this letter jointly with other organizations concerned about food safety. An extension on the comment period will allow us all more time to ensure the new food safety rules do not undermine food safety by harming family farms and small-scale producers.

The deadline to sign on to the letter is February 25, 2013.

Please click on this link to read the full text of the letter and fill out to the form to sign on to it:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1h-lwv_xl5RNriHnxIteYbqR7KZybbTl9eFEn8e79wT8/viewform

We welcome signatures from nonprofit organizations, co-ops, farms, and food businesses; the sign on form provides a place for you to indicate what category your organization or business falls in. When we send the letter to FDA, we will also send out an action alert so that individuals can support this effort directly.

Please feel free to forward the sign on link to groups, co-ops or farms who might like to sign on as well.

Thank you,

Judith McGeary
Executive Director
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Email: Judith@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org
Office Phone: 254-697-2661