Organic Bytes: Another Sneak Attack on Organic Standards

[Guest guest]

ORGANIC BYTES #109

Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge!

5/17/2007

Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins

 

IN THIS ISSUE

 

ALERT:

ANOTHER SNEAK ATTACK ON ORGANIC STANDARDS 

 

ALERT:

STOP CONGRESS FROM CUTTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS 

 

UPDATE:

CATASTROPHIC BEE COLONY COLLAPSE IS NOT AFFECTING ORGANIC HIVES 

 

SUSTAINABILITY TIP OF THE WEEK:

MORE WAYS TO PREPARE FOR PEAK OIL 

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

WHEN THE ENTIRE PLANET SHOPS AT WAL-MART 

 

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK:

100% PURE FRUIT JUICE IS NO LONGER LINKED TO OBESITY 

 

PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK:

AVOIDING FRUIT JUICE SCAMS 

 

ORGANIC BYTES READERS TALK BACK ALERT:

USDA SAYS ALMONDS LABELED AS 'RAW' CAN ACTUALLY BE PASTEURIZED 

 

WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

SOAP, DRUGS, AND ROCK & ROLL 

 

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK:

TOOLS FOR CHANGING THE WORLD 

 

ANOTHER WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION ON MTV

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ORGANIC ALERT:

ANOTHER SNEAK ATTACK ON ORGANIC STANDARDS USDA & INDUSTRY TRY TO SNEAK BANNED

CONVENTIONAL INGREDIENTS INTO ORGANIC BEER, SAUSAGE, & PROCESSED FOODS

 

The USDA has announced a controversial proposal, with absolutely no input

from consumers, to allow 38 new non-organic ingredients in products bearing the

" USDA Organic " seal. Most of the ingredients are food colorings derived from

plants that are supposedly not " commercially available " in organic form. But at

least three of the proposed ingredients, backed by beer giant Anheuser-Busch

and pork and food processors, represent a serious threat to organic standards,

and have raised the concerns of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA), as

well as a number of smaller organic companies and organic certifiers.

Specifically, the OCA disagrees with the " Budweiser exemption, " allowing

conventionally

grown hops, produced with pesticides and chemical fertilizers, to be used in

beers labeled as " USDA Organic " . Also, OCA strenuously objects to the USDA's

proposal to allow the use of conventionally raised factory-farmed animals'

intestines (we'll spare you the gory details of what these animals have been

fed)

as casing for sausages labeled as " organic. " Adding salt to the wound, the USDA

has indicated the public comment period will not be the standard 30-60 days.

Although the USDA has been working closely with industry on these proposed

changes as far back as 2002, the agency will only be accepting public comments

for seven days.

 

Take action now and forward this alert to interested friends and colleagues. 

Learn more and sign the OCA petition to the USDA:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5225.cfm

_

 

SUSTAINABILITY ALERT:

STOP CONGRESS FROM CUTTING SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS

 

Congress is currently putting together the 2007-2012 Farm Bill, a massive

bill of taxpayer subsidies and incentives that will have a major impact on food

and farming in the U.S. over the next five years. Next week (May 21), the House

Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation will decide whether to make cuts in

the Conservation Security Program, an innovative program that helps

sustainable and organic farmers protect the environment and preserve wetlands.

Congress

has already cut this program by $4.3 billion and is considering making further

cuts. We need to send a strong message to Washington that it's time to move

our food and farming system away from chemical and energy-intensive industrial

agriculture towards conservation, organic practices, and less dependence on

petroleum-based inputs. Contact your Congressional Representative now and tell

them to please use taxpayers' money wisely by restoring full funding to the

Conservation Security Program. Take action:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5226.cfm

_________________________________

 

UPDATE:

CATASTROPHIC BEE COLONY COLLAPSE IS NOT AFFECTING ORGANIC HIVES

 

As previously reported in Organic Bytes (Issue #104), beekeepers in 24 states

are experiencing record losses of honeybees. Some states have reported up to

70% disappearances of commercial bee populations. Researchers are struggling

to find the causes of this mysterious collapse. A crucial element of this

story, missing from reports in the mainstream media, is the fact that organic

beekeepers across North America are not experiencing colony collapses. The

millions

of dying bees are hyper-bred varieties whose hives are regularly fumigated

with toxic pesticides by conventional beekeepers attempting to ward off mites.

In contrast, organic beekeepers avoid pesticides and toxic chemicals and strive

to use techniques that closely emulate the ecology of bees in the wild.

Researchers are beginning to link the mass deaths of non-organic bees to

pesticide

exposure, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and the common practice of

moving conventional bee hives over long distances. Learn more:

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

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SUSTAINABILITY TIP OF THE WEEK:

MORE WAYS TO PREPARE FOR PEAK OIL

 

We began posting Sharon Astyk's insightful tips in our Organic Bytes issue

#104, which highlighted her first 50 peak oil tips. Here are some excerpts from

her most recent posting of tips #50 through #100:

 

52. If your community doesn't have a food coop, start one now. This can be a

powerful tool for creating local food economies. Here is a downloadable guide

to starting your own co-op. http://www.cgin.coop/manual.pdf

 

66. Learn basic first aid, herbalism, and any other useful medical

information you can come by.

 

94. If others don't seem to be responding to your message or sharing your

concerns, remember that the evidence was there before you saw things too, and

that everyone is ready to hear things at a different time.

 

99. Think of peak oil and the other challenges that face us as an

optimization exercise - how do I get the most fun, the best life, the most

happiness, the

most love, with the fewest inputs - the least money, the least energy, the

least waste. Get excited about making it work.

 

Read all 100 tips here:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5209.cfm

_

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: 

WHEN THE ENTIRE PLANET SHOPS AT WAL-MART

 

" Worldwide, so many people shop at Wal-Mart that this year 7.2 billion visits

will be made to Wal-Mart stores. Earth's population is only 6.5 billion, so

this year the equivalent of every person on the plant will visit a Wal-Mart,

with more than half a billion visits left over. " Charles Fishman, " The Wal-Mart

Effect, " 2006

 

 

HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK: 

100% PURE FRUIT JUICE IS NO LONGER LINKED TO OBESITY

 

New research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual convention

in Toronto last week indicates that 100% pure fruit juice does not add to

childhood obesity and may actually help children maintain healthy weight. In the

their study, researchers analyzed the juice consumption of 3,618 children ages

2 to 11 using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Increased risk for obesity was linked to beverages that contained artificial

sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, which makes up the vast majority of

beverages on the market (note: most high fructose corn syrup is made from

genetically engineered corn). " The bottom line is that 100 percent juice

consumption is a valuable contributor of nutrients in children's diet and it

does not

have an association with being overweight, " said study chief Dr. Theresa

Nicklas. 

Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5108.cfm

_

 

PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK: 

AVOIDING FRUIT JUICE SCAMS

 

Large beverage manufacturers are notorious for putting labels on their

products that mislead consumers into believing that these junk-food drinks are

pure

fruit or else contain more juice than they really have. If you are shopping

for 100% pure fruit juice, here's how to avoid getting scammed:

 

*Always read the ingredient label on the back of the product. If there's

anything other than fruit juice in the product, it must be listed there. 

 

* " Made with REAL Fruit Juice " could mean it really only has a small

percentage of fruit juice. 

 

*All beverages that imply they contain juice must declare the percentage of

juice on the information label near the top of the Nutrition Facts panel. 

 

*If a product is labeled as Fruit drink, juice beverage, juice cocktail or

" ade " -- the product is likely full of artificial sweeteners and contains very

little juice. 

 

*Oftentimes a " 100% juice " product contains juice fillers. Read the

ingredient label, and you'll frequently find your cranberry juice, for example,

is

mostly apple juice. 

 

*Keep in mind that conventional fruits and juices contain pesticide residues,

and that industrial scale fruit production is an environmental disaster.

Protect your health and the health of the planet by consuming organic fruits and

fruit juices.

_

 

ORGANIC BYTES READERS TALK BACK ALERT: 

USDA SAYS ALMONDS LABELED AS 'RAW' CAN ACTUALLY BE PASTEURIZED

 

READER'S QUESTION:

In Organic Bytes #107 you wrote about the USDA passing a new regulation that

will require almonds to be pasteurized even though they may be labeled " raw " .

I understand the public comment period is over, but I'd still like to let the

USDA know how I feel about this. Can you help?

 

OCA'S RESPONSE:

We've received a lot of emails and phone calls from our readers on this

issue. The USDA approved this regulation with little public notification. As a

result, the only comments the agency received were from the industrial

agriculture

lobbyists. One of the FDA-recommended pasteurization methods requires the use

of propylene oxide, which is classified as a " possible human carcinogen " .

Organic and family-scale almond farmers are protesting the proposed rule, saying

it will effectively put them out of business, since the minimum price for the

pasteurization equipment is $500,000. We feel this issue is too important to

let rest. 

 

Learn more and take action:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5227.cfm

_

 

WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK: 

SOAP, DRUGS, AND ROCK & ROLL

 

In a recent bizarre encounter between the punk rock band, The Germs, and law

enforcement officials in California, it was discovered that standard field

drug testing kits could distinguish the difference between soap products that

are

made from natural and organic ingredients and products that may claim to be

organic but really contain synthetic detergents made in part or entirely from

petroleum. Watch this humorous short clip to see if some of your favorite

so-called natural or organic " soaps " may actually be synthetic.

 

Watch:

_

 

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: 

TOOLS FOR CHANGING THE WORLD

 

Everyday we are flooded with depressing news about what's happening to our

planet. Not enough attention is given to those positive solutions that are

emerging across the globe. WorldChanging.com is a new public interest website

providing examples of sustainable and positive change. According to the

Worldchanging.com founders " We pay special attention to tools, ideas and models

that may

have been overlooked in the mass media. We make a point of showing ways in

which seemingly unconnected resources link together to form a toolkit for

changing the world. "  

 

Learn more: http://www.worldchanging.com

_

 

ANOTHER WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION ON MTV

 

OCA's Environmental Scientist, Craig Minowa, and his band Cloud Cult were

featured on MTV this week in a piece highlighting efforts to link the

environmental movement with the music industry. Take a peek at this MTV video to

see how

one of OCA's offices shares space with the world's only environmental

nonprofit record label, located on an organic farm. OCA's educational materials

are

also distributed to audiences nationally via this touring band.

Watch web video here: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?name=news & id=1559417 &

vid=148618

 

 

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___

 

Download a two-page PDF of this newsletter to print and distribute

http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/OrganicBytes109.pdf

_____

 

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

print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!

 

 

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There's an attractive print-friendly PDF version of this available for free

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

 

_________________________________

 

ORGANIC BYTES is a publication of:

ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION 

6771 South Silver Hill Drive

Finland, Minnesota 55603

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

_________________________________

 

Subscribe: www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm