[All] Fwd: Organic Bytes: Exposing Monsanto's Frankenfoods

Tue Jul 6 23:08:26 EDT 2010

FYI
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Begin forwarded message:

> From: Organic Consumers Association <oca at mail.democracyinaction.org>
> Date: July 1, 2010 3:23:51 PM GMT-04:00
> To: mill at continuum.org
> Subject: Organic Bytes: Exposing Monsanto's Frankenfoods
> Reply-To: oca at mail.democracyinaction.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Exposing Monsanto's Frankenfoods
>
>
> #231, July 1, 2010
>
> Health, Justice and Sustainability News
> from the Organic Consumers Association
>
> Edited by Alexis Baden-Mayer and Ronnie Cummins
>
>
>
> IN THIS ISSUE:
>
> Quote of the Week: "If you put a label on genetically engineered  
> food..."
> Puzzle of the Week: Monsanto Says What? "Buy Organic to Avoid GMOs"
> Alert of the Week: Stop Frankenfish!
> Video of the Week: Haiti - The Aid Dilemma
> Little Bytes
>
> CONNECT WITH US:
>
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> SUBSCRIBE | UNSUBSCRIBE | READ PAST ISSUES | OCA HOMEPAGE | DONATE
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>
>
> QUOTE OF THE WEEK
>
> Monsanto Subsidiary Admits the Truth, Sixteen Years Ago
>
> "If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well  
> put a skull and crossbones on it."
>
> - Norman Braksick, president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of  
> Monsanto, quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994
>
>
>
> PUZZLE OF THE WEEK
>
> Monsanto Says, "Buy Organic to Avoid GMOs"
>
> Ever wonder what Monsanto's executives feed their kids? The  
> following quote, taken directly from Monsanto's Web site, shows that  
> Monsanto's savvy employees understand that if they want to avoid  
> genetically engineered foods, all they have to do is buy organic:
>
> "Individuals who make a personal decision not to consume food  
> containing GM [genetically modified] ingredients can easily avoid  
> such products. In the U.S., they can purchase products that are  
> certified as organic under the National Organic Program. They can  
> also buy products which companies have voluntarily labeled as not  
> containing GM ingredients. The law allows for voluntary labeling so  
> long as the information is accurate, truthful and avoids misleading  
> consumers about the food. Monsanto supports both options."
>
> Of course, Monsanto's bottom line business model relies on  
> misleading consumers, monopolizing seeds, buying off scientists and  
> politicians, and strong-arming farmers. They're not afraid of  
> organic, so long as certified organic crops and foods remain a small  
> niche market. Unfortunately Monsanto's business model seems to be  
> working, at least in North America. The overwhelming majority of  
> corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, and sugar beets grown in the U.S.  
> and Canada are Monsanto's patented GMO varieties, despite mounting  
> evidence that these "Frankencrops" are bad for the environment and  
> hazardous to animal and human health. While nearly everyone in North  
> America has eaten genetically modified foods, only 26% believe that  
> they have. The only way to turn this around is to label genetically  
> engineered foods, which Monsanto, of course, opposes. They  
> understand that health and environmentally conscious consumers are  
> increasingly becoming aware of the dangers of GMOs, and that if  
> given the choice through mandatory labeling, as in the European  
> Union, they will avoid them or boycott them.
>
> We need to help consumers defend themselves from Monsanto and the  
> biotech bullies. The most effective way to do this is to pass a law  
> requiring labels on genetically engineered foods. Please send a  
> letter to your US Senators, Member of Congress and candidates for  
> federal office, asking them to support the pending bill in the U.S.  
> Congress, the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act.
>
> TAKE ACTION
>
>
>
> ALERT OF THE WEEK
>
> Stop Frankenfish!
>
> Obama's Food & Drug Administration is considering an application  
> from AquaBounty to commercialize genetically engineered salmon. This  
> would be the first genetically engineered animal to enter the food  
> supply.
>
> The F.D.A. doesn't have a special process for reviewing genetically  
> engineered animals. It treats genetically engineered animals like  
> veterinary drugs, and keeps the information the companies submit  
> secret, on the basis that it's proprietary. There's no opportunity  
> for the public to see the data, let alone offer evidence to rebut it.
>
> There are serious concerns about the safety of genetically  
> engineered salmon.
>
> According to an expert panel from the Royal Society of Canada,  
> scientists have documented "deleterious consequences to fish  
> morphology, respiratory capacity, and locomotion associated with the  
> introduction of growth hormone (GH) gene constructs in some  
> transgenic variants of salmonids, notably Pacific and Atlantic  
> salmon." The panel concluded that this "is the rule rather than the  
> exception in fish ... [and] has been manifested by changes to enzyme  
> activity, gross anatomy, behaviour and, in all likelihood, hormonal  
> activity."
>
> The human health impacts of consuming food from salmon that are  
> deformed by genetically engineered growth hormones is unknown and  
> are not being discovered and made available to the public through  
> the F.D.A. process.
>
> Don't let Obama's Food & Drug Administration approve genetically  
> engineered salmon!
>
> TAKE ACTION
>
> LEARN MORE
>
>
> PLEASE DONATE!
>
> OCA Needs Your Help to Fight Monsanto and Spread the Organic  
> Revolution
>
> OCA and our growing network of organic consumers and farmers  
> understand that we have a positive life-affirming solution for the  
> global food, health, and climate crisis: organic food, farming, and  
> ranching. But to fight Monsanto and Big Food and get out our all- 
> important message we need your support. Please send us a tax- 
> deductible donation today and we'll send you a free "Millions  
> Against Monsanto" bumper sticker so you can help spread the word in  
> your community. Please be sure to put 'sticker' in the comments  
> field of your donation.
>
> PLEASE DONATE
>
>
> JOIN US!
>
> From Copenhagan and Cochabamba to Cancun - Join the OCA at the  
> historic COP 16 Climate Conference
>
> In 1999 and 2003, the OCA helped organize protests and teach-ins  
> against the World Trade Organization in Seattle and Cancun. The  
> "Battle of Seattle", as it came to be known, and subsequent  
> mobilizations were the coming of age of the global grassroots. Now  
> you have the opportunity to join OCA Director Ronnie Cummins and  
> other OCA staff on an escorted delegation to the historic teach-ins  
> and rallies for climate justice and organic agriculture at COP 16 in  
> Cancun, Mexico.
>
> Over 100,000 concerned citizens from North and South America,  
> Europe, Africa and Asia are expected to converge on Cancun,  
> including leading farm, food, Fair Trade, climate justice, and anti- 
> GE activists. They'll attend a wide range of workshops, forums, and  
> cultural events. Following up on the theme of the World Social Forum  
> in Porto Alegre, Brazil, "Another World is Possible," the emphasis  
> in Cancun will be on presenting solutions and alternatives to the  
> climate crisis.
>
> The OCA delegation, limited to 100 people, will include  
> international experts on organic agriculture and climate justice,  
> including OCA Director Ronnie Cummins. The delegation will partner  
> with OCA's Mexico sister organization, Via Organica.
>
> During the week of teach-ins and protests, November 29th to December  
> 10th, the OCA delegation will be housed in comfortable  
> accommodations in the city of Cancun. Costs for a shared double  
> room, meals, seminars, and transport to and from the teach-ins and  
> activities will start around $950 (airfare not included). Private  
> rooms are available for an additional $200.
>
> Call the OCA office (218-226-4164) or click below to reserve your  
> place on the delegation (select "Campaign Manager").
>
> CONTACT US
>
>
>
> VIDEO OF THE WEEK
>
> Haiti: The Aid Dilemma
>
> In the aftermath of January's devastating earthquake in Haiti, post- 
> disaster relief is creating a new kind of problem for small farmers  
> and consumers. The massive influx of food aid has altered the price  
> of rice, throwing the delicate balance in Haiti's food supply chain  
> out of whack and threatening to collapse the country's rice market.  
> It's the kind of problem that can turn a one-time disaster into a  
> crisis that lasts years.
>
>
> WATCH
>
>
>
> Little Bytes
>
> The Hundred Years' War over Toxic Chemicals
> READ MORE
>
> U.S. Should Follow Europe and Put the Brakes on Nanotech Food
> READ MORE
>
> Gulf Seafood After the Oil Spill: Who Decides How Safe Is Safe?
> READ MORE
>
> Nitrates in Water and Food may Increase Thyroid Cancer Risks for Women
> READ MORE
>
> Bigger 'Dead Zone' Projected for Gulf, Even Without Oil's Effects
> READ MORE
>
>
> LOCAL ON NEWS OF THE WEEK
>
> ON - Get Involved Locally
>
> Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in ONhere.
> Join ON discussion groups in our forum.
> Post events in ON on our community calendar.
>
> MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS
>
> Recommended Reading of the Week: YES! Magazine Water Issue
>
> Special Subscription Discount for Organic Bytes Readers
>
> By 2013, water managers in 36 U.S. states expect to face shortages.  
> It doesn't have to be that way. The new issue of YES! Magazine shows  
> that if we care for our water at the source and use it wisely,  
> there'll be enough for everyone.
>
> "Water Solutions" shows that organic farming is part of the  
> solution, gives you six simple steps to conserve water in your home,  
> and introduces the real people working to keep our waterways clean  
> and accessible.
>
> We love YES!, and we've got the chance to give you this issue as  
> part of a special introductory offer for Organic Bytes readers:  
> Subscribe to YES! today and get four beautiful, ad-free issues for  
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> LEARN MORE
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> Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on  
> web sites,
> print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!
>
> Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association
>
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> Robert Milligan
> New Dundee, ON
> mill at continuum.org
>
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