Organic Consumers Association : ORGANIC BYTES #64

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Mon, 29 Aug 2005 09:15:46 -0700

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This Week's Biggest Environmental & Consumer News Briefs

 

 

 

Organic Consumers Association

 

Food, Consumer and Environment News Tidbits with an Edge!

 

ORGANIC BYTES #64

8/29/2005

 

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VICTORY! USDA YIELDS TO OCA'S DEMANDS

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) is proud to announce a major

victory this week. Following a June 14 lawsuit filed by the OCA and

Dr.Bronner's, a leading organic body care and hemp food company, and a

nationwide OCA grassroots pressure campaign, the USDA has agreed to

allow certification of qualifying organic body care products, pet

foods, and nutritional supplements. Since last summer, the USDA

National Organic Program has been telling certified organic companies

to remove the " USDA Organic " seal from all non-food products. Taking

advantage of the lack of regulatory oversight, some body care and

supplement companies have been misleading consumers with fraudulent

" organic " labeling claims on products with a host of synthetic

ingredients. Thanks to thousands of consumers signing our petition,

and over 400 businesses signing on to support our campaign, the USDA

surrendered to the OCA's demands on August 23, saying they will accept

certification and allow use of the " USDA Organic " seal on all organic

non-food products that meet the national standards. The " USDA Organic "

seal will help consumers find real organic products while

substantially boosting the market for organic farmers. This is a major

victory for consumers and the organic community!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/

 

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BEYOND MISLEADING LABELS & GREENWASHING

OCA's advice to consumers, from this point forward, is to look for

personal care, pet food, and herbal supplement products that carry the

" USDA Organic " seal. As with food products, this is now the best way

for consumers to be able to distinguish true organic products with the

highest percentage of organic ingredients from those products with

lower organic ingredient content and/or those containing any range of

synthetic ingredients.

 

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YOUR DONATIONS WILL HELP THE OCA CONTINUE TO WIN THESE IMPORTANT BATTLES

OCA's lawsuits, network building, and grassroots pressure campaigns

all require funding. We depend upon grassroots donations from

conscious consumers like you for the overwhelming majority of our

funds. Although the OCA network has racked up some important victories

in the past few months, we can only continue to move forward with your

support. Please donate today!

Donate Now!

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

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GENE GIANT CLAIMS OWNERSHIP OF WORLD'S RICE

The Swiss biotech corporation Syngenta has filed patent applications

on much of the genetic material found in thousands of varieties of

rice, the staple crop of more than half of the world's population.

Syngenta is also attempting to patent the use of rice in plant and

animal feed. " With these patents Syngenta is claiming the work of

breeders and farmers from the past centuries as the company's own

invention. The attempt to monopolize thousands of gene sequences from

most important crop plants in one rush is nothing less than a theft of

common goods, " says Tina Goethe from Swissaid.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/syngenta081605.cfm

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IMPORTANT ALERT TO CALIFORNIANS!

Last year, Mendocino County California became the first county in the

U.S. to ban genetically engineered (GE) crops. Since then, two more

California counties and two cities have followed Mendocino's example,

starting a domino-effect of similar anti-GE ordinances across the

nation. Fearing the contagious spread of BioDemocracy in North

America, the Biotech Bullies are striking back. In the past several

months, 14 U.S. states, prodded by Monsanto and the Farm Bureau, have

made it illegal for local communities to ban GE crops. Two recently

introduced bills (AB 1508 and SB 1056) in the California legislature

would make California the 15th state to eliminate local communities'

rights to ban or otherwise regulate genetically engineered seeds. This

" preemption " bill would overturn GE-Free victories in Mendocino,

Trinity, and Marin counties, as well as the cities of Arcata and Point

Arena, and prohibit local communities from banning or regulating

genetically engineered crops in the future. Take action today to stop

the Biotech Bullies from taking away our democratic rights in

California! Send a message to your state legislators by clicking here!

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

 

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TAKE THE OCA'S ORGANIC HARVEST CHALLENGE: BUY LOCAL & ORGANIC

During September, Organic Harvest Month, OCA is calling on consumers

to begin to relocalize the nation's food system and drastically reduce

food miles by serving local and regional organic foods at your holiday

BBQ or potluck dinner. Try to restrict your menu to organic items

grown or produced within a 150 mile radius of your home. Share your

story and favorite recipes in the OCA's " Breaking the Chains " BLOG,

and we will award the most compelling story and tastiest recipe with a

complimentary copy of the movie " Food for the Future. " For help

finding local and organic food options visit

http://www.localharvest.org Host a house party with the inspirational

DVD, " Food for the Future, " a movie about the Floyd Boulevard Local

Foods Market which highlights ordinary people doing extraordinary

things, Breaking the Chains!

http://organicconsumers.org/HouseParty/fff.cfm

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PESTICIDES SPAWNING SUPERWEEDS

A study in the recent issue of the journal Outlooks on Pesticide

Management reports that there are now 15 weed species that have

complete resistance to the world's most widely used herbicide,

Monsanto's glyphosate. Researchers say most of these " superweeds " have

developed resistance over time, due to long-term overuse of the

chemical. Glyphosate, most commonly applied as Monsanto's Roundup, has

been in heavy use globally for over 30 years. The study warns these

superweeds pose " serious " problems to farmers if new control

strategies are not developed. Of course the best way to avoid spawning

superweeds is to ban genetically engineered crops and to adopt organic

farming practices. http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/superweed081905.cfm

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INTRODUCING AFRICAN WILDLIFE TO U.S. BREADBASKET

The Great Plains may be donating a portion of its ranching and farming

space to wild roaming elephants, lions, and other African species.

Last week's issue of the journal Nature highlights a proposal from a

group of prominent ecologists, backed by major sponsors like Ted

Turner, who believe an important way to save threatened African

species is to introduce them to North America. The study claims the

process would restore North America to the state of rich biodiversity

it enjoyed over 10,000 years ago, before over-hunting took away native

wildlife like the mastadons, camels and saber-toothed cats. " Just when

you think the world has gotten as weird as it can get, something like

this comes along, " said Steve Pilcher, executive vice president of the

Montana Stockgrowers Association. " I wonder how many calves or lambs

it would take to feed a family of lions for a month? "

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

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A COCA-COLA STORY

Once upon a time (in 2001, to be specific), the Coca-Cola corporation

built a bottling plant in a small and remote Indian village in the

state of Kerala. In exchange for sucking vast amounts of water out of

the local land, the mighty corporation promised to bring the people

great wealth. But within a few short months, the village people began

to notice their wells were running dry, so they complained to the

corporation. Coca-Cola calmed the concerns of the people and attempted

to win back their favor by giving them vast amounts of free

fertilizer, saying it would grow bountiful crops beyond their wildest

dreams. After several years of use, we arrive at the present day when

the village people have suddenly discovered the fertilizer is actually

the bottling plant's waste sludge and is laden with cadmium, a highly

toxic, cancer-causing heavy metal. The village soil and water are now

too heavily contaminated to safely occupy human life, so the plant was

shut down last week. Moral of the story: Don't drink

Coke..........drink Pepsi! Just kidding, Pepsi is actually in the

process of being thrown out of India for similar crimes, as well.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/BTC/cocacola082405.cfm

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SOFT DRINK INDUSTRY ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR SELLING SODA IN SCHOOLS

The junk food industry has drawn increasing public criticism as the

obesity and diabetes rate in American youth approaches epidemic

levels. Under pressure from millions of concerned parents, the soft

drink industry claims it has " new " plans to adjust the manner in which

it markets and vends beverages to children in schools. The American

Beverage Association, which includes business members like Coca-Cola

and Pepsi Co., boasted to the press last week that it will no longer

sell soda drinks in elementary schools, will only sell diet sodas and

juices in middle schools, and will continue to market and sell sodas

in high schools. The announcement received much fanfare in mainstream

media, but critics say little has changed. Even Dave DeCecco,

spokesperson for Pepsi-Cola North America, admits the changes are

actually quite minor: " It's pretty similar to our preexisting school

model, but it does go a little farther. " Nutritionists contest that

this measure is not enough, pointing out that most beverages that will

continue to be sold in elementary schools are misleadingly labeled as

" juices " and " sports drinks " but have as much added sugar and

nutritional deficiencies as soda pop. Join OCA's campaign to kick junk

food out of schools: http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.htm

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QUICK TIDBITS

Fast food chains are now commonly building restaurants near schools,

according to a new study in the September issue of the American

Journal of Health. The study found 80% of schools have a fast food

restaurant located within a half mile walking distance. Previous

studies have shown that on a typical day, almost one-third of U.S.

youngsters eat fast food.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/fast-food.cfm

 

The International Journal of Cancer has published a new study

indicating women who ate french fries regularly as children were more

likely to get breast cancer later on in life. For every extra weekly

serving of french fries that the women in the study reportedly ate in

their youth, their risk of breast cancer as adults rose 27 percent.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/french-fries.cfm

 

Responding to consumer group requests made under the Freedom of

Information Act, the USDA has released documents revealing that, in

the last year, U.S. meat plants have made over a thousand violations

of safety regulations designed to prevent the spread of mad cow

disease. The Bush Administration is not responding to these violations

or to the new confirmed cases of mad cow disease in the U.S.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/violations081605.cfm

 

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