Big Brother at the dinner table
To the editor:
House Bill 433 falsely pits the health of Florida families and free speech against our agricultural legacy. It is an assault on the right of every citizen to speak up against harmful corporate practices that put their safety on the line.
This bill creates an artificially protected market, undercutting innovative farmers who wish to distinguish their products as more healthful. By penalizing the sharing of knowledge, HB 433 stymies innovation and saves a seat at every Floridian’s dinner table for an uninvited “Big Brother” government guest intent on silencing warranted criticism.
Furthermore, the bill “cloaks” the enmeshment of the waste industry and our food system. For too long, agricultural lands have been treated as dumping grounds for municipal sewage-biosolids and contaminated sludge. This bill moves in the wrong direction to remedy the environmental injustices heaped upon rural communities.
Compelling responsible practices-like restorative agriculture and ending the spreading of PFAS-requires transparency. All public investment in water policy and research is jeopardized if we cannot speak the truth about what is on our plate.
Farm families stand to suffer the most as consumers of the food they grow and through front-line exposure to environmental degradation. HB 433 exploits the warm sentiments of agriculture to disproportionately harm the very people it claims to protect.
Speak out to stop this harmful legislation.
Marsha Ellis
rural Lee County
Editor’s note: The bill summary for this proposed legislation can be found at flsenate.gov