Organic Bytes #49) A Rundown of this Week's Most Interesting Food and Consumer N

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NEWS TIDBITS: A Rundown of this Week's Most Interesting Food

and Consumer News (Organic Bytes #49)

 

Organic Consumers Association

 

Organic Bytes #49

Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!

1/28/2005

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ALERT: NEW EPA DEAL LETS FACTORY FARMS POLLUTE AIR WITHOUT RESTRICTION

The day after the inauguration, January 21, the Bush Administration

signed an agreement that allows factory farms to freely violate any

and all clean air standards for the next two years, and forgives these

same companies from paying fines for past air pollution violations. In

exchange for the freedom to pollute without any restrictions, the deal

" requests " that factory farms agree to monitor their air pollution and

provide that data to the government. Bush's " Dirty Air " agreement is

outrageous, given that the Clean Air Act already requires factory

farms to provide air pollution data, while also requiring facilities

to adhere to clean air standards. One of the companies that will

benefit the most from this arrangement with the Bush Administration is

Tyson Foods, who also happened to be one of the largest donors to the

Bush inaugural festivities. Fortunately there is a 30 day public

comment period. Please make your voice heard. Take action here.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa3.htm

 

 

 

A QUICK LOOK AT HOW SOME COUNTRIES ADVERTISE FOOD TO KIDS

 

*

Ireland: All television commercials for fast food and candy are

banned.

*

Sweden/Norway/Austria/Luxembourg: All television advertising to

children is banned.

*

Belgium/France/Portugal/Vietnam: All marketing is banned in schools.

* United States: Spending more per child than any other nation in

the world, the U.S. plugs $15 billion per year into marketing food to

kids, which is more than what it would cost to provide health

insurance for all uninsured children.

 

Sources: New York Times 1/12/2005, Children's Defense Fund

5/14/2003 press release, USgovinfo SCHIP Program

http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0514-06.htm

 

 

INDUSTRY LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE " HEALTHIER " JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOLS

In response to efforts to rid schools of junk food, the Vending

Association has launched a new marketing campaign using color-coded

stickers to indicate to children the relative " healthiness " of the

vending machine snack. A red sticker indicates the snack should only

be chosen rarely, yellow is " choose occasionally, " and green means the

snack is healthy and should be chosen frequently. An example of a

snack that will receive a green sticker is Teddy Grahams, a product

that comes in varieties such as sugared cinnamon, chocolate, and

creme-filled. The Vending Association announced this new campaign with

a press conference, urging parents and children to exercise more

frequently by doing sit-ups and push-ups during TV commercials. Learn

more...

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

 

 

 

THICKBURGERS, WAL-MART, & COKE: THE 10 WORST CORPORATIONS OF 2004

The Multinational Monitor has released its annual list of the " 10

Worst Corporations of 2004. " Among the " winners " of this prestigious

award are Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart and Hardees. Coca-Cola made the list

when documentation surfaced revealing the company was involved in 179

human rights violations at its bottling plants in Columbia, including

allegations of involvement in nine murders of union leaders. Wal-Mart

was caught manipulating the tax system in order maximize profits at

the expense of taxpayers. In fact, it turns out that each of

Wal-Mart's 1000+ stores are costing taxpayers nearly half a million

dollars per year. Hardees made its debut on the " Worst Corporations "

list for its overtly aggressive advertising of its new product, the

" Monster Thickburger. " The 2/3 pound sandwich is 1,420 calories and

equivalent to eating five standard sized hamburgers. Learn more...

http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/10worst012505.cfm

 

 

SPEAKING OF MEAT... BAD NEWS FOR MAD COWS

Mad Cow disease may be far more widespread than scientists had

previously thought. This week the journal Science revealed that

prions, the mysterious misshapen proteins that are responsible for

spreading the fatal disease, may be found throughout the infected

animal, contrary to prior theories. Researchers from Zurich, the

Institute of Neurology in London, and Yale University School of

Medicine confirmed study results showing prions are not restricted to

areas of the animal body like the spinal column, nervous tissue and

the brain, but may also exist in muscle tissue (the meat). This means

that infected meat and blood may be currently entering the human food

supply, at least in countries such as the United States, Canada, and

Mexico, where comprehensive, universal testing for the disease is not

required. Given the serious public health implications of these

findings, researchers are calling on the global community to take

action. No case of Mad Cow has ever been detected in an animal raised

its entire life on an organic farm. Organic farms prohibit the feeding

of blood, manure, and slaughterhouse waste to animals. Learn more...

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/higher012405.cfm

 

 

PESTICIDE INDUSTRY DECLARES WAR ON GREEN-MINDED CONSUMERS

The pesticide industry is accelerating its attacks on the organic lawn

and garden movement. The " green industry, " as conventional lawn

treatment companies refer to themselves, have launched " Project

Evergreen, " a marketing campaign to better their image. A new ad in

trade magazines from the group says, " Yes, legislation and regulations

have been throwing the green industry some rough punches, and we're

about to start fighting back. " The ad is in reference to the growing

trend of communities banning certain types of lawn pesticides and

synthetic fertilizers that have been shown to be toxic or negatively

affect local waterways. Allen James, the president of the industry's

lobbying group spoke out about these ordinances, saying, " Local

communities generally do not have the expertise on issues about

pesticides to make responsible decisions. " Learn more...

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/beyondorg012005.cfm

 

 

 

 

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