(NaturalHealth365) It’s rare when both sides of the aisle come together, but when they do, there is usually the expectation that some good will come of it. Unfortunately, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) proposal put on the fast track by the Obama Administration and buoyed by mostly Republican corporate interests is anything but good news for us.

The TPP would enable other countries to export food into the United States by stating their food safety regimen is on equal footing with that in the U.S. – even if the other nation’s practices would violate key principles of U.S. food safety laws. Simply put, the TPP would be like outsourcing domestic food inspection to countries around the globe, putting not only the public health at risk, but the livelihood of farmers and others with a vested interest in domestic agriculture production. Some even point out that the TPP could put national sovereignty at risk.

The safety of food and farmers take a backseat to the ‘global agenda’

Outrageous as it may seem, the U.S. food safety rules that have painstakingly been put into place after much deliberation and public input over the years could be tossed aside and even subject to challenge as “illegal trade barriers.” That means the safeguards in place to protect your family’s health regarding pesticides, food additives and labeling could fall by the wayside, paving the way for inferior and potentially harmful food products to show up on your local grocer’s shelves.

There is no doubt, the push toward globalization is putting lives at risk.

As a practical example of how the TPP could put public health at risk, consider the case of imported seafood. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can only inspect less than 1 percent of all seafood exporters. With increased seafood imports, inspectors would be further overwhelmed and an even smaller percentage of all seafood imported could be inspected to ensure safety.

Yet, some of the 11 countries joining with the U.S. in the TPP have had serious fish and shrimp food safety issues in the past. For example, while inspecting only 1 percent of all imported seafood, the U.S. government has found high levels of contaminants in seafood imported from Vietnam.

Likewise, food labels could come under fire as ‘trade barriers’ as well. All these facets of the TPP put domestic food production – still playing by the rules – at a financial disadvantage, starting at the farm gate.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is full of secret deals and corporate influence

Not surprisingly, the details of the deal have been largely shielded from public scrutiny. Other than what has been leaked, details of the TPP deal have remained largely under wraps.

There are even many members of Congress who know little about the proposal. The TPP has largely been molded with the hands of corporate lawyers, bypassing opportunity for public input and largely an executive project – despite constitutional authority for trade granted to the legislative branch. There has even been legislation introduced that would give President Obama authority to fast track the TPP without thorough review by Congress. Instead, the proposal would face only an up or down vote, without room for amendments.

If you doubt this to be a bipartisan effort, crafted by the Administration and big-business supporters among both Republicans and Democrats, even conservative commentator George Will has been publicly quoted as referring to the TPP as “Obama’s best idea.” But rather than coming together for the public good, we see members of both parties pushing the agendas of large corporations while putting public safety at risk and turning their backs on the nation’s small – and medium – sized farmers.

Want to learn more? Watch this YouTube video – which exposes the dangers of the Trans-Pacific Partnership below:

It’s time to take action (now!) – here’s how:

Despite the lack of public input to date, it isn’t too late but you need to act now. The website “PublicCitizen” has put together an easy way for you to get involved and say “NO” to the TPP.  Click here to: ‘Write Your Representative to Oppose Fast Track Trade Authority’ – and tell Congress you want it to take back control of the TPP and other trade deals.

You can also call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to connect to your elected officials’ offices. But act now, before the TPP is pushed through and public health, food safety and farmers are put at risk.

About the author: Jonathan Landsman is the host of NaturalHealth365.com, the NaturalNews Talk Hour – a free, weekly health show and the NaturalNews Inner Circle – a monthly subscription to the brightest minds in natural health and healing.

Reaching hundreds of thousands of people, worldwide, as a personal health consultant, writer and radio talk show host – Jonathan has been educating the public on the health benefits of an organic (non-GMO) diet along with high-quality supplementation and healthy lifestyle habits including exercise and meditation.

References:

https://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/tpp-trade-deal-is-bad-news-for-most-americans-b99486012z1-301277181.html
https://www.citizen.org/TPP
https://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=5411
https://www.citizen.org/tpp-food-safety-facts