PASSED: Food and Drug Standards

[Greenlandic People]

Food and Drug Standards
A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare.

Category: Social Justice
Strength: ???
Proposed By: Greenlandic People


OBSERVING the poor or irregular quality control in the food and drug industries of many nations

BELIEVING that such poor quality assurance in business endangers the consumer’s health and living standard

SEEKING to establish a firm system of quality control and standards in these industries and eliminate unsanitary and unethical food production

Hereby:

REQUIRES member-states to regularly inspect their quality control facilities in order to ensure that they are performing to international standards

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo safety and quality screening before being released to the consumer market

CREATES the World Assembly Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA)

CHARGES the WAFDRA with the responsibility to ensure that the food and drug regulatory agencies of member-states are performing satisfactorily; also to gradually implement reforms to the quality regulation authorities of member-states

MANDATES that such reforms shall include:
(A)The creation of a quality grade system by which all food and drug products shall receive a grade marking their relative level of quality and safety

(B)The establishment of forfeits for any businesses that attempt to evade safety standards upon their products; the nature and degree of such forfeits being left at the discretion of the WAFDRA and the establishment of appropriate legal consequences should any quality control facilities be found to be failing in their duty to assure the quality of the products they are charged with inspecting

(C)The creation of a team of WAFDRA inspectors who shall visit product inspection facilities on an annual basis or earlier upon the request of the committee in order to determine if they are still performing adequately to the standards of the WAFDRA

(D)The creation of an overall international standard to which all inspection facilities in member-states shall be measured against; also the creation of international standards by which to measure the safety of food and drug products

ASSERTS that in nations where there is no system of quality control the WAFDRA shall work with the national government to eventually establish such agencies

EMPOWERS the WAFDRA order the closure of any food and drug regulatory facilities that are found to repeatedly fail to succeed in ensuring the quality of the products being inspected; the closure shall be carried out by national law-enforcement

ORDERS that food and drug products being sold must bear upon them an official WAFDRA label which clearly displays the quality grade that the product has been given by national quality-inspection facilities

NOTES that producers and vendors of de minimis quantities of food and drugs shall be exempt from the above clauses so long as they post visible notice at their place of sales that they are not operating under international standards

Well, the drafting of my fraud bill gave me an idea and I've run with it. Hopefully this proposal can strike a balance between leaving quality control in the hands of national governments, whilst still ensuring that national quality control can be brought to a higher level of accountability and excellence.

Thoughts?

[Gobbannium]

Our thoughts are that this strikes very little in the way of balance. Why are you creating an organisation to determine how best to harmonise national standards into international standards, and then telling that organisation how to do that? Why are you causing WAFDRA to descend into the minutiae of punishing individual non-compliant businesses, particularly given that non-compliance (or "being unrated" if you prefer) is not forbidden? Why are you giving WAFDRA inspectors a carte blanche to go in whenever they feel like it, with no guidance as to frequency or appropriateness, to do the job that national agencies are not, in fact, required to do?

We think the idea for this proposal is a fine one, but the mandates need considerable work.

[Greenlandic People]

Our thoughts are that this strikes very little in the way of balance. Why are you creating an organisation to determine how best to harmonise national standards into international standards, and then telling that organisation how to do that? Why are you causing WAFDRA to descend into the minutiae of punishing individual non-compliant businesses, particularly given that non-compliance (or "being unrated" if you prefer) is not forbidden? Why are you giving WAFDRA inspectors a carte blanche to go in whenever they feel like it, with no guidance as to frequency or appropriateness, to do the job that national agencies are not, in fact, required to do?

We think the idea for this proposal is a fine one, but the mandates need considerable work.

So essentially in your opinion I should

A. Leave the nature of the future rating system ambigous and to be decided by the comittee itself

B. Create more checks and balances

If so then I think you're right. new draft coming up...

[Greenlandic People]

Food and Drug Standards
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights

Category: Human Rights
Strength: ???
Proposed By; Greenlandic People

OBSERVING the poor or irregular quality control in the food and drug industries of many nations

BELIEVING that such poor quality assurance in business endangers the consumer’s health and living standard

SEEKING to establish a firm system of quality control and standards in these industries

Hereby:

REQUIRES member-states to regularly inspect their quality control facilities in order to ensure that they are performing to international standards

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo quality screening before being released to the consumer market

CREATES the World Assembly Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA)

CHARGES the WAFDRA with the responsibility to ensure that the food and drug regulatory agencies of member-states are performing satisfactorily; also to gradually implement reforms to the quality regulation authorities of member-states

MANDATES that such reforms shall include:
(A)The creation of a quality grade system by which all food and drug products shall receive a grade marking their relative level of quality

(B)The establishment of penalties for any food or drug supplier that attempts to evade quality control upon their products; the nature and degree of such penalties being left to the decision of the WAFDRA; also establishment of penalties upon quality control facilities that are found to be failing in their duty to assure the quality of the products passing through

(C)The creation of a team of WAFDRA inspectors who shall visit product inspection facilities in order to determine if they are still performing adequately to the standards of the WAFDRA on an annual basis or earlier upon the request of the committee

(D)The creation of an overall international standard to which all inspection facilities in member-states shall be measured against

ASSERTS that in nations where there is no system of quality control the WAFDRA shall work with the national government to eventually establish such agencies

EMPOWERS the WAFDRA to close down any food and drug regulatory facilities that are found to repeatedly fail to succeed in ensuring the quality of the products being inspected

New draft. I clarified the duties of individual nations and attempted to make the whole thing clearer overall

[Gobbannium]

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo quality screening before being released to the consumer market

This is the key point that we don't feel is entirely reasonable. Clearly some things do require careful testing before they are released into the public sphere: drugs, newly-created food additives, and the like. Those are, however, not the matter being address in this resolution.

Here we are considering quality control, which is somewhat more nebulous and much more rarely needs to be compulsory. Good quality -- being able to display the recognised high quality mark -- is frequently its own reward, as consumers will preferentially purchase food whose quality they know they can rely on. Beyond basic public health and hygene -- again not the matter at hand -- we need some convincing that mandatory quality marking is appropriate.

We note that if we feel somewhat uneasy about this, such stridency could easily prove fatal to your proposal if it came to vote.

[Leftmen]

I do agree with your proposal,And if it moves on I will be in favor of it.

[Greenlandic People]

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo quality screening before being released to the consumer market

This is the key point that we don't feel is entirely reasonable. Clearly some things do require careful testing before they are released into the public sphere: drugs, newly-created food additives, and the like. Those are, however, not the matter being address in this resolution.

Here we are considering quality control, which is somewhat more nebulous and much more rarely needs to be compulsory. Good quality -- being able to display the recognised high quality mark -- is frequently its own reward, as consumers will preferentially purchase food whose quality they know they can rely on. Beyond basic public health and hygene -- again not the matter at hand -- we need some convincing that mandatory quality marking is appropriate.

We note that if we feel somewhat uneasy about this, such stridency could easily prove fatal to your proposal if it came to vote.

The matter at hand is the fact that this resolution is designed to apply exclusively to the food and drug industries which, I'm would hope you agree, should have their products tested in order to ensure that they are not harmful or diseased. Indeed, in the real world nearly any second or first world country requires their food and drug producers to put their products through testing in order to prevent food-poisining and other side-effects.

I could change "demands" to "urges", but I feel it might dampen what I'm trying to do with this resolution: establish a safe international inspection standard that applies to food and drug in all member-states.

[Greenlandic People]

I just made a change that I think is subtle but pretty important. The focus of the inspections is now shifted a little away from quality and a little more toward safety. I'm hoping that this change of language will make my aim clearer: I'm not trying to increase the general excellence and 'tastiness' of food and drug products, I'm trying to create a system that can make sure that they're safe.

[Domnonia]

We do not see the need for an overarching WA Funded agency in regards to this issue. Could it not be proposed, simply, as a mandate requiring WA nations to ensure the safety of food and drug products within their bounds?

[Greenlandic People]

We do not see the need for an overarching WA Funded agency in regards to this issue. Could it not be proposed, simply, as a mandate requiring WA nations to ensure the safety of food and drug products within their bounds?

The purpose of the agency, honored ambassador is more important than you might think. As an external, neutral party it is well suited to the duty of establishing a new set of international standards to measure products by. That type of international quality standardization would go a long way to ensuring the quality of foodstuffs and drugs, and would help travelers and vacationers to know that the food that they are buying in one country is just as safe as the food they would buy in their own country. Further, the potential for corruption and inefficiency is highly possible without an international agency such as the WAFDRA, which would be able to make sure that the clauses in this resolution are upheld by the national systems of each member-state.

[Domnonia]

A WA mandate, however, is absolute. If the WA rules that all food and drug must be held to a high standard in regards to health and safety, with or without an agency, it will be so. It is the innate nature of the august WA, no?

[Greenlandic People]

A WA mandate, however, is absolute. If the WA rules that all food and drug must be held to a high standard in regards to health and safety, with or without an agency, it will be so. It is the innate nature of the august WA, no?

But if the standard of what is passable isn't established, what stops a nation from declaring salmonella-infected meat 'high quality'? The potential for loop-holing and corruption is too dangerous

EDIT: I don't consider the WA to 'magically' snap it's fingers and make everything so. And even if it could, the agency is still needed to:

A. Create an international standard

B. Hold nations to that standard

I think that's a pretty good use of a comittee

[Altani WA Mission]

While we normally have a deathly fear of WA committees, we agree that one would be needed for this to work. Without one, nothing would stop a nation from saying that "high standards" meant "only dropping the meat on the ground twice before selling it, not three times". I could make many more examples in this regard, but I trust you get the point.

-Irina Misheli, Ambassador

[Qumkent]

As a matter of interest your Excellency what has food and drug standards to do with Human Rights ? We refer of course to the category in which you propose to propose this resolution ?

Not withstanding this issue the Principality of Qumkent would cautiously welcome this statute's introduction.


Yours,

[Bears Armed]

Universal standards? What's safe or unsafe for the members of one species might not be for those of another...

[Greenlandic People]

Universal standards? What's safe or unsafe for the members of one species might not be for those of another...

As an independent committee is in charge of the process of creating said standards, they would no doubt create individual standards for different species and their dietary needs.

As to the ambassador from Qumkent, would he find 'Social Justice' to be a more suitable category?

[Qumkent]

As to the ambassador from Qumkent, would he find 'Social Justice' to be a more suitable category?

Your Excellency, we do not consider it a matter of "Social Justice", but perhaps one of "Free Trade". Higher standards in foods and drugs will increase consumer confidence thereby increasing consumer spending and increase competition amongst producers and manufacturers.

[Krioval]

As far as category, the Great Chiefdom feels that a free trade proposal might focus more on creating a recognizable standard or set of standards, such that international traders will be able to quickly tell what is good (or not). If the goal is a social justice proposal, then the emphasis should probably by on safeguarding the citizens of WA members, even if it is costly. While Krioval has never been a strong proponent of parallel proposals (though not proposals needing one another for proper functioning), it could do to draft both versions - a free trade and a social justice proposal, if only to see which version more quickly gains traction.

[Lord] Ambassador Darvek Tyvok
Great Chiefdom of Krioval

[New Rockport]

REQUIRES member-states to regularly inspect their quality control facilities in order to ensure that they are performing to international standards

In New Rockport, product testing and rating are done by private organizations in private facilities. Since these facilities are privately owned, the federal government is not required to inspect them, right? If that is the case, we have no problem with this provision.

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo quality screening before being released to the consumer market

There should be an exception for sellers of de minimis quantities of food and drugs. As this proposal is currently written, it would require lemonade stands and church bake sales to have their products tested before selling them.

(B)The establishment of penalties for any food or drug supplier that attempts to evade quality control upon their products; the nature and degree of such penalties being left to the decision of the WAFDRA; also establishment of penalties upon quality control facilities that are found to be failing in their duty to assure the quality of the products passing through

So, if the WAFDRA establishes the death penalty for such violations, would member states, even those which have no death penalty, be required to carry it out? Would the adjudication of alleged violations be handled by domestic courts?

Respectfully submitted,
David Corrigan, Esq.
Deputy Counsel to the Ambassador
Federal Republic of New Rockport

[Rhinoplastiasts]

So no more Peking Duck or Thousand Year Old Eggs? Why such an obssesive need to homogenize the world. Why not restrict all food to milk and white bread with additional supplements of vitamins and soylent green where necessary. That would certainly simplfy things and might well help to end world hunger. Or not.

If this were to apply only to exports, I think you might have a point. But I resent the intrusion of outside forces, no matter how large their numbers or well-intentioned their goals, into the internal gastronomic peculiarities of our sovereign nation.

[Tiesabre]

Universal standards? What's safe or unsafe for the members of one species might not be for those of another...

Agreed. Tiesabre's native peoples, the Musta, regularly consume food that would causes sickness and death in other species.

Should there be some kind of overseeing regulators, they would have to take heavily into account what is considered acceptable by that nation's people.

[Qumkent]

Universal standards? What's safe or unsafe for the members of one species might not be for those of another...

Agreed. Tiesabre's native peoples, the Musta, regularly consume food that would causes sickness and death in other species.

Should there be some kind of overseeing regulators, they would have to take heavily into account what is considered acceptable by that nation's people.

The statute already establishes a committee for that purpose your Excellency, is their really any need for further layers of bureaucracy ?


Yours,

[Greenlandic People]

So no more Peking Duck or Thousand Year Old Eggs? Why such an obssesive need to homogenize the world. Why not restrict all food to milk and white bread with additional supplements of vitamins and soylent green where necessary. That would certainly simplfy things and might well help to end world hunger. Or not.

If this were to apply only to exports, I think you might have a point. But I resent the intrusion of outside forces, no matter how large their numbers or well-intentioned their goals, into the internal gastronomic peculiarities of our sovereign nation.

I think you're comments are a little unfounded. Obviously the standards for 1000 Year-Old Eggs or other aged foods would be different than those for regular, un-aged food products.

---

*Snip*

Good points. I'll add a line in about de minimis vendors such as lemonade stands.

As for the penalties, perhaps I'll change the wording to specify monetary fines instead of penalties (which is what i meant in the first place).

Then again, how would that work in countries that have no currency? Does any of the assembled ambassadors have a solution?

[Qumkent]

Might we suggest this rewording -

(B)The establishment of forfeits for any business that attempt to evade safety standards upon their products; the nature and degree of such forfeits being left at the discretion of the WAFDRA and the establishment of appropriate legal consequences should any quality control facilities be found to be failing in their duty to assure the quality of the products passing through

Or words to this effect.

Yours,

[Greenlandic People]

Food and Drug Standards
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights

Category: Free Trade
Strength: ???
Proposed By; Greenlandic People

OBSERVING the poor or irregular quality control in the food and drug industries of many nations

BELIEVING that such poor quality assurance in business endangers the consumer’s health and living standard

SEEKING to establish a firm system of quality control and standards in these industries

Hereby:

REQUIRES member-states to regularly inspect their quality control facilities in order to ensure that they are performing to international standards

DEMANDS that all food and drug products produced in member states must undergo safety and quality screening before being released to the consumer market

CREATES the World Assembly Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA)

CHARGES the WAFDRA with the responsibility to ensure that the food and drug regulatory agencies of member-states are performing satisfactorily; also to gradually implement reforms to the quality regulation authorities of member-states

MANDATES that such reforms shall include:
(A)The creation of a quality grade system by which all food and drug products shall receive a grade marking their relative level of quality and safety

(B)The establishment of forfeits for any businesses that attempt to evade safety standards upon their products; the nature and degree of such forfeits being left at the discretion of the WAFDRA and the establishment of appropriate legal consequences should any quality control facilities be found to be failing in their duty to assure the quality of the products they are charged with inspecting

(C)The creation of a team of WAFDRA inspectors who shall visit product inspection facilities in order to determine if they are still performing adequately to the standards of the WAFDRA on an annual basis or earlier upon the request of the committee

(D)The creation of an overall international standard to which all inspection facilities in member-states shall be measured against; also the creation of international standards by which to measure the safety of food and drug products

ASSERTS that in nations where there is no system of quality control the WAFDRA shall work with the national government to eventually establish such agencies

EMPOWERS the WAFDRA order the closure of any food and drug regulatory facilities that are found to repeatedly fail to succeed in ensuring the quality of the products being inspected; the closure shall be carried out by national law-enforcement

NOTES that producers and vendors of de minimis quantities of food and drugs shall be exempt from the above clauses so long as they post visible notice at their place of sales that they are not operating under international standards

Updated draft with suggestions from ambassadors.

Does the honoured Khan from Qumkent take issue with his suggestions being used verbatim?