The food safety bill (HR 2749) that was passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in June is expected to go to the floor of the House Tuesday afternoon for a final vote under "suspension," meaning no amendments and very limited debate and two-thirds majority needed for passage are secure.  Suspension of the normal rules is generally only used for uncontroversial bills.

 HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, has attracted much criticism from sustainable and organic farming organizations because it includes provisions that could require a flat fee for small processors, including any farmers who do on-farm value-added processing if they sell mostly wholesale.  The bill also requires farms to do extensive and expensive electronic tracing even if they sell only their own unprocessed products in the wholesale market.  In addition, the bill does not specify the positive role that conservation practices can play to address food safety concerns, and also fails to provide guidance so that new food safety standards are harmonized with those specified in the Organic Foods Production Act.