As the American “foodie” culture grows, it will clash more and more with previously established USDA and FDA rules and regulations since they typically promote uniformity. The USDA has taken it upon themselves to enforce standards of identity laws which allows them to basically enforce cosmetic standards. These laws encourage farmers to produce foods that are uniform and look gorgeous, but neither of these measurements have anything to do with the quality or taste of the product. Throughout history the FDA has certainly made the food we eat safer, especially now that it can perform a mandatory recall of any food that they know contains an illness, but that was not always the case.

How does the USDA affect the way that we produce food in the U.S.? Should USDA laws and regulations be imposed subjectively by inspectors? Can you challenge USDA regulations? What is the Food Safety Modernization Act? Does regulating how we produce food actually make food safer to consume? Should the FDA have a preemptive or reactive approach when it comes to food? Should farmers receive subsidies?

Further Reading:

Biting the Hands that Feed Us: How Fewer, Smarter Laws Would Make Our Food System More Sustainable, written by Baylen J. Linnekin

The State of Food Freedom Around the Globe, written by Baylen Linnekin

Deregulation of Local Foods Is a Winning Idea That’s Spreading, written by Baylen

Related Content:

How Food Regulations Make Us Less Healthy, featuring Daniel J. D’Amico

Regulations Gone Wrong, Free Thoughts Podcast

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