Organic Bytes #99

Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge! -

Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins
Organic Consumers Association, 12/29/2006

Subscribe to this twice-per-month newsletter

IN THIS ISSUE

• ACTION ALERT: FDA TO ALOW ANIMAL CLONES IN HUMAN FOOD
• ALERT UPDATE: USDA STACKS GOVERNMENT ORGANIC PANEL WITH INDUSTRY REPS
• PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK: BREYERS AND GOOD HUMOR
• OCA'S ANNUAL DONOR DRIVE NEEDS YOU
• MONSANTO'S PESTICIDE BREEDING GIANT SUPERWEEDS
• QUICK FACTS OF THE WEEK : E.COLI, FOOD SAFETY AND YOUR FOOD SOURCE
• WEBSITE AND TIP OF THE WEEK: NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND LOCAL HARVEST
• FAMILY FARMER PROTECTION LAW DEEMED "ILLEGAL"
• THIS WEEK'S BRIGHTEST NEWS: EU BEGINS TO REMOVE THOUSANDS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM CONSUMER PRODUCTS

ACTION ALERT:
FDA MOVES TO FORCE-FEED AMERICAN CONSUMERS CLONED ANIMALS

Despite a September survey found that 64% of Americans are repulsed by the idea of eating food from cloned animals, the FDA announced this week that milk, eggs and meat from cloned animals will soon be allowed on the market. Ignoring a number of disturbing studies suggesting potential human health hazards, Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine said "that meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones is as safe to eat as the food we eat every day." Consumer, food safety, and animal welfare groups have condemned the announcement, pointing out that animal cloning is inherently unpredictable and hazardous, and that the practice of cloning has led to a high number of cruel and painful deformities in the experimental animals' offspring. Recognizing that requiring labels on cloned food would lead to a massive boycott by consumers, FDA bowed to industry lobbyists by stating that there likely will be no required labeling of food products containing ingredients from cloned animals. The FDA's controversial proposed regulations in the Federal Register will now be followed by a three month public comment period. The OCA is calling on health and humane-minded consumers across the nation to stop this outrageous and hazardous regulation from coming into force as federal law.

Take action here: www.organicconsumers.org/rd/clones.htm

ALERT UPDATE:
USDA STACKS GOVERNMENT ORGANIC PANEL WITH INDUSTRY REPS

In the last issue of Organic Bytes, the OCA blew the whistle on the USDA's appointment of four new representatives to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) with strong ties to corporate agribusiness. The NOSB is the organic community's traditional watchdog over organic standards. According to the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the USDA is supposed to appoint a NOSB that is broadly representative of the organic community, including environmentalists, consumer representatives and scientistst. But the USDA has begun to arbitrarily fill vacant seats with industry representatives from companies such as General Mills and Campbell's, companies whose profits are almost entirely based on nonorganic crops grown with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.

Thousands of organic consumers have responded to this outrage by sending emails to the USDA demanding the removal of these appointees. The USDA's stonewalling so far indicates the agency feels that its appointees, indeed, are as "diverse" as federal law requires. In fact, in a letter to the Syracuse New Times Standard, the agency points out that diversity is truly present in the current industry appointees, pointing out that they all work in different parts of the U.S.. Now that's diversity!

If you haven't already done so, contact the USDA and demand that true organic advocates be appointed to the NOSB: www.organicconsumers.org/rd/nosb.cfm

PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK:BREYERS AND GOOD HUMOR

Breyers Ice Cream is beginning to utilize what it calls an "anti-freeze" technology, derived by utilizing genetically modified fish proteins from the blood of the ocean pout (a polar ocean species). The experimental biotech substance, which is supposed to help the ice cream recrystallize if it warms above freezing, has undergone little, if any, safety testing. In fact, the FDA approved the ingredient as "safe" based on human safety protocols conducted on codfish blood proteins, not on blood proteins from the ocean pout. Codfish and the ocean pout do not even belong to the same sub-class, in the "Order of Species," thereby making the studies worthless. The "anti-freeze" ingredient is currently used in Breyer's Light Double-Churned, Extra Creamy Creamy Chocolate ice cream, as well as a Good Humor ice cream novelty bar. The ingredient is referred to as "ice structuring protein" (ISP) on the products' ingredient panels.

Learn more: www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3637.cfm

OCA'S ANNUAL DONOR DRIVE NEEDS YOU

OCA's end-of-of-the-year donor drive has brought us very close to our $75,000 goal. Thanks to all who have donated so far. If you have not donated yet, please do so now. Your grassroots donations--providing over 80% of our budget--are the lifeblood of the OCA. The OCA particularly needs your donations this year because a number of progressive, although unpredictable, foundations have recently let us down. There are only two days left in the drive and we need $5,000 to meet our goal.

Please donate now: www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm

MONSANTO'S PESTICIDE BREEDING GIANT SUPERWEEDS

The discovery of a pesticide-resistant weed that can grow up to 10 feet tall has cotton farmers in the Southern U.S. worried. "It is potentially the worst threat since the boll weevil," said Alan York, a weed scientist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. The boll weevil destroyed cotton crops in the early 1900s and caused farmers to switch to alternatives such as peanuts, until the beetle was eradicated in some states 70 years later. Now a new adversary has arrived: a pesticide- Resistant pigweed, known as Palmer amaranth, which has been confirmed in 10 North Carolina counties, four Georgia counties and is suspected in Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas. In Georgia, amaranth literally took over some fields and the cotton had to be cut down, rather than harvested. Scientist blame the pesticide resistance on the overuse of Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate). "This is something we do look at very seriously," said Monsanto representative Michelle Starke.

Learn more here: www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3639.cfm

QUICK FACTS OF THE WEEK
E.COLI, FOOD SAFETY AND YOUR FOOD SOURCE

• 80 percent of non-organic beef in the U.S. is slaughtered by four companies.
• 75 percent of non-organic pre-cut salad mixes are processed by two companies.
• 30 percent of non-organic milk is processed by one company.
• Depending on the time of year, up to 70 percent of the produce sold in the U.S. comes from other countries.

The solution to this problem can be found in the
"WEBSITE OF THE WEEK" below...

WEBSITE AND TIP OF THE WEEK
NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS AND LOCAL HARVEST

Local Harvest lists almost 10,000 farmers' markets, cooperative grocery stores, restaurants and retailers that provide locally-grown, organic produce to consumers. It's one of the best tools online for helping you find these important resources near you. Buying your food locally or regionally cuts down on the amount of energy consumed to transport your food, supports your local economy, and can provide you and your family with safer, fresher foods. Make a New Year's resolution for 2007 to put a special effort towards buying local.

Learn more here: www.localharvest.org/

FAMILY FARMER PROTECTION LAW DEEMED "ILLEGAL"

After 24 years of successfully protecting family farmers, a Nebraska law, which bans corporate farms, has been struck down by a U.S. District Judge. Its demise could also mark the end to corporate farming bans in five other states. Nebraska's Farmer Union president, John Hanson, said of the court's decision, "This is not a good day."

Learn more here: www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3612.cfm

THIS WEEK'S BRIGHTEST NEWS: EU BEGINS TO REMOVE THOUSANDS OF TOXIC CHEMICALS FROM CONSUMER PRODUCTS

The European Union has passed one of the most far-reaching consumer and environmental protection regulations ever. EU's REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) law, based upon the "Precautionary Principle," will force chemical companies and consumer product manufacturers to prove that all of the synthetic ingredients in their products are safe, or else replace those chemicals with safe alternatives. The rules will take effect in mid-2007, at which time companies will be required to lay out plans to gradually replace the most high-risk chemicals. Some 13,000 substances, deemed of high concern, face automatic testing and possible removal from the market. A number of U.S. cities and counties, including San Francisco, have recently passed laws based upon the precautionary principle.
Learn more here: www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3595.cfm

We rely on your donations to continue our work
on these important issues!

www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm

messages from our supporters

HOW ARE $50 LOANS BEATING POVERTY?

From The Power of Now and The Da Vinci Code to micro-credit, a Nobel-prize winning solution to poverty; from U2's Bono on Africa, terrorism, and God to the top 40 organic products; from Eve Ensler's calls for women in power to socially responsible investing. Find out why leading thinkers have described Ode as “essential reading” and "a way of life."

Get Ode for yourself and give a subscription as a gift through our special offer. Smile, laugh and cry with Ode. Find out more now.

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on websites, print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

ORGANIC BYTES is a publication of:
ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION
6771 South Silver Hill Drive
Finland, MN 55603
Phone: 218-226-4164 Fax: 218-353-7652

Subscribe : www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm

 

xaxa&memid;