----- Original Message ----- From: <[log in to unmask]> To: "biodlist" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 12:46 PM Subject: [Biodemocracy]Organic Bytes #17 > To unsubscribe, send an email to > > [log in to unmask] with the word unsubscribe in > the subject or body. > > ORGANIC BYTES > > Organic & Food News Tidbits With an Edge Issue #17 > 7/16/2003 > > By Organic Consumers Association > > IN THIS ISSUE: > GENETICALLY MODIFYING CONSUMER RIGHTS| > QUICK QUIZ| > WEIRD WHEAT WEILDS WOES > HOW MONSANTO'S POLICIES HAVE BECOME U.S. POLICY > ORGANIC CASH - THE BEST WAY TO GET RICH > GE-WHIZ, AFRICA'S POOR, NOT DUMB > COTTON FILLS BELLIES > AMERICAN APPAREL GOING ORGANIC > RADIOACTIVE YUMMY NUMMIES > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > GENETICALLY MODIFYING CONSUMER RIGHTS > > Monsanto is suing Portland, Maine-based Oakhurst Dairy for labeling their > milk "Our Farmers' Pledge: No Artificial Growth Hormones." According to > Monsanto, manufacturer of the genetically engineered recombinant Bovine > Growth Hormone (known as rBGH or rBST), Oakhurst Dairy does not have the > right to let its customers know whether its milk is laced with genetically > engineered hormones. Oakhurst says they've been labeling their products like > this for four years, in response to consumer demand. Although rBGH has been > banned in every industrialized nation in the world except for the United > States, Monsanto continues to claim that rBGH-derived milk is no different > from the natural stuff, despite documentation that rBGH milk contains > substantially higher levels of a potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1. > Monsanto sued two dairies and threatened several thousand retailers in 1994 > for labeling or advertising milk and dairy products as "rBGH-free." Despite > Monsanto's intimidation tactics, more than 10% of U.S. milk is currently > labeled as "rBGH-free," while sales of organic milk and dairy products > (which prohibit rBGH) are booming. In recent months a Monsanto-funded front > group, the Center for Consumer Freedom, has launched a smear campaign > against organic dairies, including Organic Valley, claiming they are > defrauding consumers. > http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/071303_rbgh.cfm > For a full discussion on the rBGH controversy, see the rBGH section on the > OCA website: > http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbghlink.html > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > QUICK QUIZ: HOW U.S. DEMOCRACY WORKS > > Question: How is it that every industrialized nation in the world has banned > Monsanto's rBGH as unsafe, but it's legal (and unlabeled) in the United > States? > > Answer: In order for the FDA to determine if Monsanto's growth hormones were > safe or not, Monsanto was required to submit a scientific report on that > topic. Margaret Miller, one of Monsanto's researchers put the report > together. Shortly before the report submission, Miller left Monsanto and was > hired by the FDA. Her first job for the FDA was to determine whether or not > to approve the report she wrote for Monsanto. In short, Monsanto approved > its own report. Assisting Miller was another former Monsanto researcher, > Susan Sechen. Deciding whether or not rBGH-derived milk should be labeled > fell under the jurisdiction of another FDA official, Michael Taylor, who > previously worked as a lawyer for Monsanto. > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > WEIRD WHEAT WEILDS WOES > > Scientists from the University of Manitoba have released a report > indicating, "Under current conditions the release of Roundup Ready wheat in > Western Canada would be environmentally unsafe." Monsanto's GE wheat would > lead to an increase in the use of glyphosate herbicide, a widely-used > chemical now being linked to increased growth of fungal plant pathogens, > known as fusarium head blight (FHB). FHB has already caused tens of millions > of dollars in losses for wheat farmers on the eastern prairies of Canada. > http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/071403_ge_wheat.cfm > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > HOW MONSANTO'S POLICIES HAVE BECOME U.S. POLICY > > Prior to being the Supreme Court Judge who put G.W. in office, Clarence > Thomas was Monsanto's lawyer. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Anne > Veneman) was on the Board of Directors of Monsanto's Calgene Corporation. > The Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) was on the Board of Directors of > Monsanto's Searle pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Secretary of Health, Tommy > Thompson, received $50,000 in donations from Monsanto during his winning > campaign for Wisconsin's governor. The two congressmen receiving the most > donations from Monsanto during the last election were Larry Combest > (Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee) and Attorney General John > Ashcroft. (Source: Dairy Education Board) > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > ORGANIC CASH - THE BEST WAY TO GET RICH > > The Organic Monitor announced this week that global sales of organic foods > in 2002 peaked $23 billion, more than a 10% increase from the previous year. > > http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/070603_organic.cfm > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > GE-WHIZ, AFRICA'S POOR, NOT DUMB > > According to a piece in the New York Times, Bush and his biotech backers are > grossly mistaken in their claim that GE crops would help alleviate hunger in > Africa. "The first generation of genetically modified food crops - corn and > soybean seeds - were created to make pest management simpler on America's > large, mechanized farms. The technologies would be far less effective on > African farms, which are small and diversified and rely largely on human > labor," wrote respected scientist Dr. Charles Benbrook. The article also > points out that GE crops need nearly ideal growing conditions, something the > arid and drought-ridden climes of Africa simply cannot provide- not to > mention the fact that impoverished African farmers can't even afford GE > seeds, which typically cost 35% more than traditional seeds. > http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/071403_ge_africa.cfm > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > COTTON FILLS BELLIES > > If the Bush Administration is truly interested in helping Africa's ailing > economy, consideration should be given to a July 11 New York Times Op Ed > piece from African agricultural experts. Put simply, these experts point out > that government subsidies to U.S. cotton farmers are strangling Africa's > economy. Cotton production accounts for as much as 40% of exports in some > African nations, where much of the cotton is grown with few or no > pesticides. In contrast, over 70% of U.S. cotton is genetically engineered, > and it has become the most pesticide intensive crop. U.S. cotton farmers > received over $3 billion in government subsidies in the last two years, more > than the entire economic output of African nations like Burkina Faso, where > more than two million people depend on cotton. > http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/071303_cotton_subsidies.cfm > > For a full discussion on the global cotton crisis see the Clothes for a > Change section on the OCA website: > > http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/ > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > AMERICAN APPAREL GOING ORGANIC > > Last week, the OCA reached a significant milestone in its national "Clothes > for a Change" Campaign. The OCA and its allies have successfully lobbied > American Apparel, the largest T-shirt company in the U.S., known for its > strong stance against sweatshops, to work towards achieving an 80% blend of > organic cotton in its clothing. Los Angeles-based American Apparel's > transition to organic program will provide a stable market for over 1,000 > acres of California-grown organic cotton. > > http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/070903_sweatshop.cfm > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > RADIOACTIVE YUMMY NUMMIES > > The World Trade Organization has decided that food can be irradiated at any > dose, no matter how high. Consumer groups reacted with shock at the news > that international food radiation laws, in place since 1979, have been > gutted. "The UN and WHO have abandoned their mission to protect the health > and welfare of the world's population," said Andrianna Natsoulas of Public > Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program. "People who eat > irradiated foods will become guinea pigs in what will amount to one of the > largest feeding experiments in history." > > Get Involved: Attend the WTO teach-ins and protests in Cancun on an escorted > delegation with Ronnie Cummins and the OCA: > http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/0624_wto.cfm > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > FOR MANY MORE FOOD ISSUE DAILY HEADLINES: > http://www.organicconsumers.org/log.html > > 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 > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > > 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 subscribe to ORGANIC BYTES, go to: > http://www.organicconsumers.org/publications.cfm > Biodemocracy mailing list [log in to unmask] > http://lists.organicconsumers.org/listinfo/biodemocracy > > To unsubscribe, send an email to > > [log in to unmask] with the word unsubscribe in > the subject or body. > > --------------------------------------------------------- > > > > _______________________________________________ > Biodemocracy mailing list > [log in to unmask] > http://lists.organicconsumers.org/listinfo/biodemocracy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]