Food and Consumer News Briefs with an Edge (Organic Bytes #37)

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--- Organic Consumers Association

 

> Thu, 22 Jul 2004 16:29:25 -0700

> Organic Consumers Association

 

> Food and Consumer News Briefs with an Edge

> (Organic Bytes #37)

 

 

 

Organic Bytes #37 - Food and Consumer News Tidbits

with an Edge!

 

Here's the latest issue of Organic Bytes (Food

and Consumer News Tidbits With and Edge), by

the Organic Consumers Association. Enjoy!

 

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE (Organic Bytes #37):

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: MONSANTO ALARMED

 

FOUR COUNTIES PLACE GMO-FREE REFERENDUMS

ON BALLOT

FBI HARASSING ART PROFESSOR FOR ANTI-GE

ACTIVISM

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR KIDS?

HOME DELIVERY OF ORGANIC FOODS

USDA'S OWN AUDIT SLAMS MAD COW PLAN

 

SUBWAY: THE NEW KING OF FAST FOOD

 

ANIMAL RIGHTS VIDEO EXPOSES KFC ANIMAL

CRUELTY

 

 

 

 

 

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MONSANTO ALARMED

" Biotech industry leaders are

monitoring the rising power of their opponents and

facing the possibility that county-level bans in

California could spur a statewide campaign...

This week, GMO-Free Mendocino officially joined

arms with the Organic Consumers Association, which

bills itself as the nation's largest

public-interest group dedicated to a healthy food

system. The goal of the newly minted

BioDemocracy Alliance is to prepare for 'the

biotech bullies' who could challenge California county

bans in court or the state Capitol. " ---

Sacramento Bee, July 15, 2004

 

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FOUR COUNTIES PLACE GMO-FREE REFERENDUMS ON

BALLOT

Last week GMO-Free Mendocino officially teamed

up with the Organic Consumers Association to

form the BioDemocracy Alliance, a coalition of

grassroots groups focused on helping new

regions across the U.S. pass legislation to ban

genetically engineered crops. The Alliance has already

helped four new counties in California gather

enough signatures to place GMO-free initiatives

on their November ballots: Butte, Humboldt, Marin, and

San Luis Obispo. Informed sources have told the

press that biotech behemoths like Monsanto will

likely soon seek state legislation to suppress these

county bans. In an interview with the Sacramento

Bee, Monsanto spokesperson George Gough

expressed the corporation's fears, saying, " While this

still is certainly a grass-roots,

county-by-county effort, it may be quickly

becoming not so grass roots. "

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

 

The OCA urgently needs additional funds to

fight Monsanto's counter-attack in California,

and to help spread GE-Free Zones across the country.

Earlier this year, on March 15, the OCA sent

out an email Action Alert asking for $50,000 to

launch this effort, and you, the readers of Organic

Bytes, responded generously by sending us

$53,000. Now we are asking for your help once

again. This is a turning point in the struggle against

Monsanto and genetically engineered foods, so

please take the time now to send us a donation. Please

make an online donation

(http://www.organicconsumers.org/donations.htm)

or call or mail in a donation to our office:

 

 

 

Organic Consumers Association

6101 Cliff Estate Road

Little Marais, Minnesota 55614

Telephone: 218-226-4164

 

We are also looking for volunteers to help pass

GMO bans in other areas. If you wish to

volunteer, please email <ryan

 

_____________________________

 

FBI HARASSING ART PROFESSOR FOR ANTI-GE

ACTIVISM

Dr. Steven Kurtz, Associate Professor of Art

at the University of Buffalo was recently taken

into custody by the FBI for having bioengineered

organisms. The organisms were harmless, legal,

and commonly used throughout the U.S., but they

were being used to create an art piece protesting the

history of germ warfare experiments by the

U.S., including the Bush Administration's plans

to use hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to

build more military focused high security labs

across the nation. The FBI stacked the jury box

with representatives from the FBI and the Department

of Defense. Although Kurtz was found innocent

of any real terrorist crimes, the FBI succeeded

in charging the professor with four counts of mail and

wire fraud (up to 80 years in prison).

According to the CAE Defense Fund, " Historically,

these laws have been used when the government could

not prove other criminal charges. "

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/fbi-buffalo.cfm

 

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WHAT'S HAPPENING TO OUR KIDS?

U.S. census bureau data shows that the

gap between rich and poor families in the U.S.

is greater than ever before. At the same time, the

rate of childhood obesity is increasing

practically as quickly as the national debt. A cross

analysis of such data is presented in the 2004

State of the Children report, recently released

by the Children's Defense Fund, and unfortunately, the

results are downright depressing. For example,

increased economic disparity on racial lines

means African American infants are currently twice as

likely to die in their first year as White

infants. Cutbacks in education funding have led

to a full 70% fourth graders not being able to read or

write at grade level. Weaker gun control laws

have resulted in eight children dying from

gunfire every day. Interestingly enough, many of these

statistics are reminiscent of data coming out

of Texas during GW's governorship.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/troubles071904.cfm

 

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HOME DELIVERY OF ORGANIC FOODS

Across the U.S. a relatively new food delivery

phenomenon is occurring. Increased working

hours and busy schedules are requiring that some

families find new ways of getting fresh locally

grown organic produce to their homes. From San

Francisco to Philadelphia to New York City, organic

delivery services are successfully filling a

new market niche in the food industry. Find one

(or start one) near you:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/doortodoor071904.cfm

 

_____________________________

 

USDA'S OWN AUDIT SLAMS MAD COW PLAN

The USDA's overly confident audit of its Mad

Cow (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE)

testing policies and procedures has backfired.

Assessors announcing the results of this audit

have revealed gaping holes in government policies,

including poorly trained field inspectors, failure

to test the riskiest animals, and " an almost

complete absence of available documentation. "

The report's conclusion supports the recommendations

made for years by the Organic Consumers

Association and other consumer groups, saying, " The

problems identified during our review, if not

corrected, may negatively impact the

effectiveness of USDA's overall BSE surveillance

program, impair its ability to perform risk

assessments and program evaluations, and reduce

the credibility of any assertion regarding the

prevalence of BSE in the United States. "

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

 

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SUBWAY: THE NEW KING OF FAST FOOD

The American Heart Association's (AHA)

recommendations are revered as pure fact by

doctors and patients alike. But as is the case in most

sects of the U.S. government, a public

institution's policies can also be heavily

swayed by corporate dollars. As an example, AHA only

endorses Bayer aspirin, and in return, Bayer

" donates " $500,000 to AHA every year. Since

2002, Subway has also been riding the AHA bandwagon.

In exchange for $10 million in " donations " over

the course of 5 years to AHA, Subway can

proudly plaster the AHA's " fighting heart disease and

strokes " logo on its advertising materials.

Although the majority of the food sold at

Subway outlets includes junk food, processed red meats

and cheeses, chips, soda, and cookies, thanks

to creative advertising and the AHA, the

majority of Americans mistakenly equate Subway with a

healthy fast food outlet. Subway now has more

stores in the U.S. than McDonalds (an average

of over 300 in every state) with 21,528 restaurants in

75 countries.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/subway071504.cfm

 

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ANIMAL RIGHTS VIDEO EXPOSES KFC ANIMAL CRUELTY

An investigator for People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals (PETA) has captured video

of workers abusing chickens at a major supplier plant

for KFC. Employees were caught throwing live

chickens against walls and kicking them.

Eyewitness testimony also revealed workers " ripping

birds' beaks off, spray painting their faces,

twisting their heads off, spitting tobacco into

their mouths and eyes, and breaking them in half

- all while the birds are still alive. " KFC awarded

this same slaughterhouse with its " Supplier of

the Year " award. PETA and OCA have called for a

boycott on KFC until the company requires its

suppliers to adhere to animal right laws.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/kfc.cfm

 

_____________________________

 

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

 

 

 

 

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_____________________________

 

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Little Marais, MN 55614

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

 

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