Letter to U.S. Representatives

Dear Representative Gonzales:

I am writing to inform you of a situation that the family cherry orchards are involved in with the FDA, and to share a political perspective that may be useful. I have also forwarded to your office detailed information about this and our viewpoint on the Constitutional issues it raises. I am also sending you a copy of the letter we sent to our local Representative, Congressman Bart Stupak.

Currently there is a bill before your House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is HR4282 the Health Freedom Protection Act. This bill, sponsored by Congressman Ron Paul, may be seen as part of a generalized effort by the Republican party to stop virtually any and all regulation of industry for the protection of public health. We here at King Orchards do not agree with that extreme position. However we feel that in this case there are serious issues of abuse by the FDA and we hope to see some consideration of this matter by Democratic members of the committee. Among these issues are the right to due process, equal protection, the right to freedom of speech and to be free from prior restraint by government agents, and the right to the presumption of innocence.

If, as we suspect, appointees of the Bush administration from the pharmaceutical industry are harassing small family farmers who are selling food and are truthfully publishing authoritative scientific research - much of it government sponsored and promoted - about the health benefits of eating fresh fruit, in behalf of their pharmaceutical company allies to suppress farmers selling fresh food, then this becomes an issue of fair and sensible regulation rather than one of no regulation at all.

While it is entirely appropriate for the FDA to closely monitor and test new pharmaceutical products as they come onto the market, and while there are nutraceutical and supplement products that are of dubious value or possible harm, we do not think that fruit should be lumped into the same category as these other products.

also see:

Why is the FDA Picking on Cherry Growers?
Do Lemons Cure Scurvy?
The French Connection
FDA Tyranny
Letter to Representative Bart Stupak
The FDA and You
The Health Freedom Protection Act
Ron Paul's Speech to Congress
Jonathan Emord's Speech
Mangosteen versus Tart Cherry Juice
Response to Dr. Stephen Barrett, Quackwatch