Soy

Help sound the alarm about the dangers of soy! If you are unfamiliar with why soy is so bad for you. Click here, you can also follow Gail Ebek on twitter, or read her story here.

Did you know that soybean oil is the most used oil in food in the United States, accounting for about 71% of consumption? (source: United Soybean Board)

Please write a letter of protest and concern to:

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services
email: kathleen.sebelius at hhs.gov

Kristina Thayer, Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
email:  thayer at niehs.nih.gov

Ask Legislators to OPPOSE HB166 and 167 and SB198 and 199

Two new bills have been introduced in the House (HB166 and HB167) and Senate (SB198 and SB 199) that would impose additional standards on our already overburdened farmers market vendors, opening the door to greater regulation making it more difficult for them to bring their products to market.  If we want to continue to see our local farmers markets thrive, we must have fewer laws and regulations between direct farmer-to-consumer transaction.

HB166 or SB 198
These bills would require a farmer to obtain a “mobile farmers market permit” to sell their products.  Not only is the language vague, this bill grants authority to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) to create regulations and standards for this permit and for the enforcement.

Farmers should not have to have any kind of license to sell directly to a final consumer.  The DHMH should have no authority over that transaction.

HB167 or SB199
These bills would require that farmers or producers get a license in order to give away food.  It requires counties to come up with standards, regulations and to enforce these.  The county health departmentshave a track record of being unfriendly towards many local farmers markets.  It is ludicrous for farmers to have to buy a state or county issued license in order to give samples at the market.

Please email Delegates TODAY and ask them to OPPPOSE HB166 and HB167.  Please email Senators TODAY and ask them to oppose SB198 and 199. Contact information below.  Please use your own words about why direct access to your foods is important to you.

Emails for Delegates (to oppose HB166 and 167)

peter.hammen@house.state.md.us
shane.pendergrass@house.state.md.us
joanne.benson@house.state.md.us
eric.bromwell@house.state.md.us
bob.costa@house.state.md.us
john.donoghue@house.state.md.us
donald.elliott@house.state.md.us
james.hubbard@house.state.md.us
charles.jenkins@house.state.md.us
a.wade.kach@house.state.md.us
nicholaus.kipke@house.state.md.us
susan.krebs@house.state.md.us
sue.kullen@house.state.md.us
pat.mcdonough@house.state.md.us
karen.montgomery@house.state.md.us
dan.morhaim@house.state.md.us
shirley.nathan.pulliam@house.state.md.us
nathaniel.oaks@house.state.md.us
joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us
kirill.reznik@house.state.md.us
daniel.riley@house.state.md.us
shawn.tarrant@house.state.md.us
veronica.turner@house.state.md.us

Emails for Senators (to oppose SB198 and 199)

john.astle@senate.state.md.us
thomas.mclain.middleton@senate.state.md.us
george.della@senate.state.md.us
nathaniel.exum@senate.state.md.us
rob.garagiola@senate.state.md.us
barry.glassman@senate.state.md.us
delores.kelley@senate.state.md.us
allan.kittleman@senate.state.md.us
katherine.klausmeier@senate.state.md.us
ej.pipkin@senate.state.md.us
catherine.pugh@senate.state.md.us