Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 just say no to Swiss beer ? i don't even know of any ! www.terrasoluna.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 oops swedish, of course. don't know any of those either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 Dear News Update Subscribers, As you are probably aware, the European Union (EU) requires mandatory labeling on food products that contain genetically engineered ingredients. But since consumers will not buy such labeled biotech products, there are virtually no genetically engineered foods being sold in the EU countries. Now in an aggressive and underhanded move by Monsanto and other biotech companies, they have funded a Swedish brewer to bring out a beer that contains genetically engineered corn. The biotech corn provides no flavor advantages to this beer. The controversial financing of this biotech beer is just a blatant attempt to get a genetically engineered product into the marketplace. However, it seems to be having little success as the Associated Press article posted below will explain. Apparently the biotech companies have discovered they need to keep people in the dark about the fact that they are eating genetically engineered foods, such as in the United States and Canada, or drunk so that they just don't care! PHARMCROPS WEB SITE NOW UP The Campaign launched our new PharmCrops web site on Tuesday at: http://www.pharmcrops.com We have already posted a lot of great educational material on the PharmCrops web site. Next week we should have several ACTION ALERTS posted so that we can begin aggressively fighting the reckless introduction of these risky crops. Craig Winters Executive Director The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods The Campaign PO Box 55699 Seattle, WA 98155 Tel: 425-771-4049 Fax: 603-825-5841 E-mail: label Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign for the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass legislation that will require the labeling of genetically engineered foods in the United States. " *************************************************************** Bioengineered beer gives Europe the shakes By Matt Moore, Associated Press 7/8/2004 COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Spurned across the continent by food-fastidious Europeans, the biotechnology industry has turned in its quest for converts to the ultimate ice breaker: genetically modified beer. A consortium of the world's largest biotech companies led by Monsanto Co. helped fund a Swedish brewer's new light lager that's produced with the usual hops and barley - and a touch of genetically engineered corn. Brew master Kenth Persson hopes to profit from the notoriety his biotech brew is generating, while biotech companies hope it can gently sway consumers as European regulators slowly reopen the continent to genetically altered foods. But those are tall orders to fill. A series of food-related health scares in recent years, from mad cow disease to poisoned poultry, have stoked fears among many Europeans about so-called GM foods. Europeans insist that such food be clearly labeled, a vivid contrast with U.S. consumers, who don't appear bothered that so much of their processed food includes genetically engineered soy and corn and isn't labeled as such. Indeed, most of the European Union's 457 million residents are adamant about their food being kept free from any sort of modifications, genetic or otherwise. And that might help explain why Kenth beer is hardly a barroom hit. The brewer won't say how many bottles have been sold since the beer was unveiled earlier this year in Denmark and Sweden. But he says 4,000 bottles are on their way to stores and pubs in Germany and he's in talks with stores in the United Kingdom. Although research on GM foods hasn't yielded any nightmare scenarios about damage to life and limb, Nicholas Fjord of Malmoe in southern Sweden, is not entirely convinced, either. Despite reassurances that genetically modified products are safe, an image keeps popping up in Fjord's mind about a relative whose mother took Thalidomide in the 1960s because she was assured it was safe. " So safe, indeed, that he has no elbow or knee joints and, despite living a good life, has been hindered since his birth, " Fjord recalled. Granted, that's an extreme fear, he said, but one that seems to be strong in Europe. A study conducted earlier this year by Finland's National Consumer Research Center showed that of all the concerns about manufactured food that Finns have, genetically modified foods topped the list. Some 60% of the population expressed " strong concern, " according to the survey. In April the EU lifted a six-year moratorium on new biotech food, but just barely. The previous month, it approved the sale of a modified strain of sweet corn, grown mainly in the United States. But any food containing that corn must be labeled as genetically modified. U.S. farmers argue that the labeling amounts to a de facto ban and the Bush administration says it will continue pushing its biotech trade complaint at the World Trade Organization. And that's where Kenth comes in. The beer was created because Monsanto felt the biotech debate " never rose further than the inner circle of scientists, politicians and (nongovernment organizations), " said Mattias Zetterstrand, a Monsanto spokesman based in Stockholm, the Swedish capital. " Our wish was to contribute to this situation by making an abstract discussion more concrete. " The corn in Kenth was approved for use in 1998, before the European moratorium started, and is grown in Germany. The Monsanto-created corn seed is spliced with a bacterium's gene to resist the corn borer pest without the need for insecticides. Zetterstrand wouldn't say how much the biotech consortium contributed to the project, but said the companies haven't purchased equity in the small Swedish brewer and won't share in sales of the beer. The other companies involved in the project are Bayer CropScience, DuPont, Plant Science Sweden, Svaloef Weibull and Syngenta. The brewer, Persson, said he realizes that selling a genetically modified beverage in the European Union can be a risky proposition - especially when its label touts GM ingredients unabashedly. Greenpeace activists chased Kenth-ladened beer trucks in Sweden and Denmark, discouraging store and tavern owners from buying the brew, when it was first introduced, and Greenpeace continues to pressure big grocery chains to avoid stocking it. Dan Belusa, a Greenpeace spokesman, said the protest encouraged ICA, a large Swedish grocery store chain, to remove Kenth from its shelves. " Basically no GM foods are sold in Europe because consumers and retailers make a conscience choice to say 'no' to them, " he said. The brewer and Monsanto say Greenpeace's efforts haven't deterred their plans. Kenth is now being sold through the Swedish state-owned liquor monopoly, Systembolaget, in southern Sweden and there have been no protests. But its availability is limited. At a recent barbecue in Ingaroe, a small town about a 30-minute drive from Stockholm, a six-pack of the bottles was offered up for a taste test. The beer was poured in glasses and offered up. All in all, everyone who quaffed said it tasted just fine, just like other beer. They weren't put off by its label, which proudly denotes its GMO use. " To me, it's strictly the taste test, " said media consultant Debi Vaught-Thelin. " If the beer is made with GM ingredients and tastes OK to me, then yes, I will drink it happily. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 well..swedish.. close enough heh its a crappy light lager anyways..wouldn't touch it with a ten foot hop vine....we have enough of that sh*t here in the colonies already... , shahara97@a... wrote: > just say no to Swiss beer ? > i don't even know of any ! > > > > www.terrasoluna.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 not a whole lot of beers from Sweden get imported here anyways...not like you'd see em.. most of em are light lager pils styles that are all the rage the world over sweden also has a huge temperance movement, so that has always been a hinderance to the brewing industry there there is a good porter...i think its called carnegie...good luck tryin to find it...there is a cask version of it..but i'd stay far away from that... anyways..there are a number of breweries poppin up in sweden now, makin unfiltered lagers and such old traditional styles..so i'll have to keep my eyes open sheesh...see wot happens..ya mention beer and you get a treatise... , shahara97@a... wrote: > oops swedish, of course. > don't know any of those either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2004 Report Share Posted July 13, 2004 Hey Fraggle, People in glasshouses etc...... American beer? enough said. The Valley Vegan....fraggle <EBbrewpunx wrote: well..swedish..close enoughhehits a crappy light lager anyways..wouldn't touch it with a ten foothop vine....we have enough of that sh*t here in the colonies already... , shahara97@a... wrote:> just say no to Swiss beer ?> i don't even know of any !> > > > www.terrasoluna.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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