[Biodemocracy] Organic Bytes #35 - Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!

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Wed, 23 Jun 2004 10:55:04 -0500

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Organic Bytes #35 - Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!

 

ORGANIC BYTES #35

Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!

6/23/2004 By Organic Consumers Association

 

Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on

websites, print it, and post it. Knowledge is power!

 

 

 

ROCKET FUEL FOUND IN MILK

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has discovered

perchlorates in the state's milk. Perchlorates are a toxin that leaches

into the groundwater from military sites and rocket fuel manufacturing

plants. CDFA found perchlorates in 31 of 32 milk samples taken.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/rocketfuel062304.cfm

 

 

 

DAILY RECOMMENDED SERVING OF DEEP FRIED JUNK FOOD

A USDA rule change last week offered yet another example of how the

current federal government decision making process is no longer " for the

people by the people, " but rather is " for industry by industry " . After

intense corporate lobbying, the USDA officially determined that French

fries should be classified as a " fresh vegetable " . Children or adults no

longer need an apple or a carrot to take care of one of their USDA

recommended daily servings of fresh fruits and vegetables, but instead

can just say " Supersize Me " at their local fast-food outlet.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/frenchfries061604.cfm

 

 

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CIGARETTES

Philip Morris/Kraft recently gave North Carolina State University $17.6

million for research into genetically engineering tobacco. The company

would have sole rights to the results of these studies but has not yet

announced what " benefits " it is seeking in a genetically engineered

cigarette.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/quest062204.cfm

 

 

 

LONG DISTANCE NOMINATION

Each year, Working Assets Long Distance Company donates a portion of its

revenue to national non-profits doing exceptional work to improve the

environment. If you are a current Working Assets customer, you can help

the Organic Consumers Association receive a portion of these funds by

sending a quick online fax, nominating the OCA for donations. Thanks!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/wald.cfm

 

 

 

USDA AGAIN UNDERMINING ORGANIC INTEGRITY

Although the USDA, under tremendous pressure from the organic community,

announced on May 26 they were reversing four recent directives that

would have significantly degraded national organic standards, on June 10

they partially reversed themselves, telling the National Organic

Standards Board that one of the controversial directives, the " scope "

directive, would still remain in effect. Basically this means that the

USDA National Organic Program is refusing to monitor or police organic

label claims on what they have narrowly and erroneously defined as

non-food or non-agricultural products (i.e. body care products,

vitamins, nutritional supplements, fertilizers, and even seafood),

giving the green light to unscrupulous companies to call their products

" organic " even if they are not.

 

In the case of abdicating responsibility over body care products,

vitamins, and nutritional supplements, the USDA bureaucrats used the

excuse that the Food and Drug Administration, notorious for its cozy

relationship with cosmetic companies and drug giants, has legal

jurisdiction in this sector. But of course, since the FDA has neither

the desire nor the expertise to administer an organic program for

supplements and body care products, this potential multi-billion dollar

industry will be allowed to operate in a regulatory void, opening up the

door for rampant consumer fraud in the marketplace. As the OCA has

repeatedly pointed out, the natural products marketplace is already

flooded with body care products fraudulently labeled as organic. Stay

tuned to OCA's " Safeguard Organic Standards " campaign.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm

 

 

 

GROWING CORN WITH E.COLI

A variety of corn genetically engineered to contain an E.coli gene has

been approved for test plots in several undisclosed locations in

Colorado. Proponents say the new " biopharmaceutical " mutants could

eventually help create inexpensive E.coli vaccines. Consumers, farmers,

and public health specialists are concerned the crop could spread far

and wide, as pollen " injected " with an E.coli gene drifts in the wind

towards neighboring farms and natural ecosystems.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/colorado061504.cfm

 

 

 

GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS BEING FLUSHED OUT OF CALIFORNIA

Citizens and farmers in Butte County California have successfully

gathered enough petition signatures to place a measure on the ballot

that would ban genetically engineered (GE) crops in the county.

Mendocino County (CA) passed a similar measure earlier this year and

Humboldt, Marin, San Luis Obisbo, Sonoma, and others will likely place

this issue on their November ballots as well. Join OCA's " GE Free Zones "

campaign to help support these efforts.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge-free.htm

 

 

 

COKE MADE BY EIGHT YEAR OLDS

Human Rights Watch has revealed that Coca-Cola is knowingly purchasing

sugar grown on plantations in El Salvador where child labor laws are

blatantly being violated. As many as 30,000 children, some as young as

eight years old, are wielding machetes on sugar cane plantations.

Salvadoran law dictates that workers must be at least 18 years old in

such " dangerous work environments " . Consumers are being advised not to

purchase Coca-Cola products until the company ends these business

practices. http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/coke061304.cfm

 

 

 

STARBUCKS EXPANSION CONTINUES

Starbucks is set to invade Southeast Asia by opening coffee shops in

Singapore. " Singapore represents a strategic gateway into Southeast Asia

for Starbucks, " said Pedro Man, president of Starbucks Coffee Asia

Pacific. Although Starbucks claims to support its coffee farmers with

fair pay, less than one half of 1% of Starbucks coffee sales are Fair

Trade. Starbucks is now the largest coffee retailer in the world.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/starbucks/asia062204.cfm

 

 

 

MONSANTO FAKES REPORT

A new report on the success of Monsanto Corporation's genetically

engineered (GE) cotton is spreading quickly through India, fueling a

black market for the seeds. The report claims farmers who grew the GE

cotton experienced better yields, lower pesticide use, and increased

profits. This report comes as a surprise to the farmers who witnessed

the complete failure of this crop the first year it was released in

India (2002-2003). At the end of that disastrous growing season, dozens

of financially ruined cotton farmers committed suicide. According to

Andhra Pradesh Coalition in Defense of Diversity, the GE cotton didn't

do much better this year. In reality, what explains the positive slant

of the new report is the fact that it was paid for by Monsanto, who

supplied partial and misleading data.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/india061004.cfm

 

 

 

WE NEED TO TALK

Interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas with thousands of other

like-minded folks locally and around the world? Check out OCA's online

web forum. http://www.organicconsumers.org/chat/index.php

 

 

 

Help others learn about food safety, organics, and related topics. Place

a link on YOUR website to http://OrganicConsumers.org

Banners for your use - http://OrganicConsumers.org/logos.htm

 

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download at http://www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm

 

 

 

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ORGANIC BYTES is a publication of:

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION

6101 Cliff Estate Road

Little Marais, MN 55614

Phone: (218) 226-4164 Fax: (218) 353-7652

 

 

 

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http://www.organicconsumers.org