Fwd: [Biodemocracy] Organic Bytes #27 - Organic and food news tidbits with and edge!

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Organic Bytes #27 - Organic and food news tidbits with and edge!

 

ORGANIC BYTES #27

Organic and food news tidbits with an edge!

1/29/2004 By Organic Consumers Association

 

Feel free to forward this informative publication to family and friends,

place it on websites, print it, and post it. Knowledge is power.

 

 

 

WE NEED TO TALK

Interested in sharing your thoughts and ideas with hundreds of thousands

of other like-minded folks locally and around the world? Register free

for OCA's new online web forum and chat center. The OCA website has been

getting 2-6 million hits every month, so we decided it's time to open up

the communication channels and let everyone share their ideas, post

articles, comment on related issues, and come together with others who

share your concerns. Start talking with others in the organic consumers

community right now! http://www.organicconsumers.org/chat/index.php

 

 

 

MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO

The Organic Consumers Association announces the launch of its new

" Millions Against Monsanto " campaign. If you're talking about PCBs,

Agent Orange, Bovine Growth Hormone, water privatization, biopiracy,

untested/unlabeled genetically engineered organisms, or persecuting

small family farmers for seed saving, you're talking about the Monsanto

Corporation. Join OCA's campaign to mobilize one million consumers to

end Monsanto's global corporate bullying. Send an instant fax to

Monsanto, demanding the corporation:

-Stop intimidating small family farmers.

-Stop force-feeding untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods

on consumers.

-Stop using billions of dollars of U.S. taypayers' money to subsidize

genetically engineered crops--cotton, soybeans, corn, and canola.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html

 

 

 

MONSANTO BULLIES CANADIAN FAMILY FARMER

Seventy-three year-old Percy Schmeiser, a family farmer on the brink of

bankruptcy, is currently being attacked in Canada's Supreme Court by one

of the world's most controversial and powerful corporations, Monsanto.

Schmeiser's canola fields were contaminated with Monsanto's genetically

engineered Round-Up Ready canola by pollution from nearby farms.

Monsanto says it doesn't matter how the contamination took place, and is

suing Schmeiser for millions of dollars, for unlicensed use of its

patented GE seeds. " I never had anything to do with Monsanto, " says

Schmeiser. " If I would go to St. Louis (Monsanto Headquarters) and

contaminate their plots--destroy what they have worked on for 40

years--I think I would be put in jail and the key thrown away. " Hundreds

of other farmers across North America have had their crops contaminated

by pollen from neighboring genetically engineered crops and have been

forced to pay fines to Monsanto. However, a thousand organic farmers in

Canada have decided to turn the tables, and have sued Monsanto for

polluting their farms with Frankengenes. Stand up with Percy Schmeiser

and family farmers and get involved with OCA's Millions Against Monsanto

campaign.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html

 

 

 

MENDOCINO LEADS THE WAY

Northern California farmers and consumers are challenging Monsanto and

the biotech industry directly. In Mendocino County CA, voters will soon

be deciding whether or not to ban genetically modified crops, once and

for all. The vote will be held March 2, 2004 and would make the county

the first in the U.S. to ban genetically engineered crops. The ballot

initiative has been organized and supported by local farmers and

citizens, but they are being outspent 50 to 1 by biotech and

agribusiness front groups. OCA encourages people everywhere to follow

Mendocino's example and go on the offensive. Your help is needed:

http://www.gmofreemendo.com/

 

 

 

USDA SAYS GMOs SPREAD LIKE WEEDS

A new study, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

confirms that genetically modified organisms pose a dramatic risk to the

environment, given the fact that they simply cannot be contained, once

released into the wild.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/gmopollution012104.cfm

 

 

 

ORGANIC FOOD BOOMS

Natural and organic food popularity within the foodservice sector of the

U.S. is exploding. According to current market statistics, if the

current growth curve continues, organic foodservice sales will reach $2

billion by 2007.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/foodservice012204.cfm

 

 

 

IS MONSANTO'S CONTROVERSIAL COW HORMONE CAUSING CANCER?

Since its release onto the market in 1994, Monsanto's recombinant Bovine

Growth Hormone (rBGH) has been banned in most industrialized nations,

other than the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. While the genetically

engineered hormone is regularly being injected into 22% of the dairy

herd in the U.S. to force cows to give more milk, scientists warn that

it may increase your risks of getting cancer. Knowing consumers want to

avoid rBGH, Monsanto has successfully sued a number of dairies over the

years for labeling their products " rBGH-Free. " After a decade of

forcing rBGH-tainted milk and dairy products on consumers, Monsanto has

recently admitted to having mysterious production problems in the

Austrian factory supplying them with rBGH. Last week, the company

announced it is being forced to cut back production of rBGH (trade name

Posilac) by 50%, due, in part, to failing FDA inspections at its

manufacturing plant. Rumors are circulating in the dairy industry that

rBGH, the first genetically engineered animal drug put into the U.S.

food supply, may be pulled off the market.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/cowhormone012804.cfm

 

 

 

EPA BUSTED FOR BACKROOM INDUSTRY DEALS

A lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) for secretly allowing chemical companies exclusive power

over weakening environmental regulations. In 2000, under the new Bush

Administration, the EPA established the new " Endangered Species Task

Force. " It has now been discovered that this powerful task force is

comprised of only 14 members, and they are all agro-chemical companies.

Thanks to the private " consultation " meetings from these industry

groups, the EPA has announced new pesticide regulations that eliminate

certain endangered species protections.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/epa012004.cfm

 

 

 

WHO SAYS SWEETS MAKE YOU FAT

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report addressing

global obesity as it relates to diet. To regulate caloric intake, the

report logically suggests limiting added sugar consumption. In response

to this recommendation, the United States Department of Health and Human

Services (lobbied heavily by sugar intensive U.S. food corporations) has

issued a response, stating that the WHO report is not based on good

science. http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/sugar012304.cfm

 

 

 

MAD COW USA--STOP THE MADNESS

As news headlines of the Mad Cow crisis rock the nation, beef industry

lobbyists have effectively put a muzzle on regulatory decision-makers in

Washington, at least in regards to mandatory testing of all animals at

slaughter. However there are a number of Congress people, like Rep.

Miller of CA, who are calling for mandatory and universal testing. As

John Stauber, author of MAD COW USA, puts it, " unless there is a

complete and total ban on the billions of pounds of rendered byproduct

being fed to cattle and other livestock in the US, the disease will just

keep amplifying and spreading. " Responding to consumer pressure, the FDA

announced on Jan. 26 they will no longer permit cows and calves to be

fed cattle blood or chicken manure, nor allow cow and ruminant brain

parts of animals 30 months or older to be used in cosmetics and

nutritional supplements. The FDA still gives the green light to feeding

slaughterhouse wastes, manure, and blood to chickens and pigs, however,

as well as feeding these animals back to cows. Join OCA's " Mad Cow

USA--Stop the Madness " campaign:

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

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Help others learn about food safety issues. Place a link on YOUR website

to http://OrganicConsumers.org

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

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NOTE TO CO-OP AND NATURAL FOOD STORE SUBSCRIBERS:

Organic Bytes is a great tool for keeping your staff and customers up to

date on the latest issues. Feel free to forward this email to your staff

and print for posting on bulletin boards and staff break tables. You are

also welcome to use this material for your newsletters. There's a

super-pretty print-friendly PDF version of this available for free

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

 

 

To to Organic Bytes, send an email to:

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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

 

For additional daily environmental and political news, visit:

http://www.ens-newswire.com http://www.planetsave.com

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