Aspartame

"Propaganda: The American Diabetic Association recommends the use of aspartame to lower blood sugar. Consuming aspartame, as opposed to sugar, can reduce body weight.

Reality: Aspartame is linked to many nervous system disorders, as well as to brain cancer, and can exacerbate some symptoms of diabetes. The American Cancer Society has noted that those who use artificial sweeteners gain more weight than those who don't and there is evidence that aspartame is addictive.

Tips: If you suffer from migraines or fibromyalgia symptoms, try eliminating all aspartame and MSG from your diet.

Since nearly all 'diet' or 'sugar free' products contain a harmful sugar substitute, opt for raw honey, maple syrup, molasses, or stevia."

- Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality In the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda by Michael Barbee. Available through KC Library system or purchase on-line through Amazon.

Click here to order this book from Amazon.com.

Tell the FDA you won't eat GMO Salmon

Click on the following address to automatically sign your name to the petition demanding that the FDA halt approval of GMO salmon. Then click on the salmon picture in upper, left-hand corner:

www.fooddemocracynow.org/

"On September 3rd, a panel of three Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials declared that genetically modified salmon were “safe” for human consumption. [1] Somehow, the elite FDA panel arrived at this "decision" based on “scientific research” provided by AquaBounty Technologies, the same company that stands to profit from introducing its patented genes onto our plates.

Known as “macro-mutants”, AquaBounty’s GMO salmon are designed to ignore natural cycles of food sources and wild fish mating patterns that have existed for eons. [2]

While AquaBounty's GMO salmon are only days away from being approved, the FDA has only seen scientific studies provided by the company that stands to profit from these patented genes. Since AquaBounty's GMO salmon are being regulated under the FDA's new animal drug provision, real independent scientific studies were not required. [3]

If history and the law of unintended consequences has taught us anything, the FDA’s approval of transgenic GMO mutant fish will be a disaster. For years independent scientists have been warning us about the dangers posed by these GMO salmon.

How will GMO salmon impact human health?

Because independent scientific studies of AquaBounty’s patented salmon have not been allowed, the human health impacts of GMO salmon are not currently known. The FDA is relying on scant scientific documents provided by AquaBounty itself. In fact, the FDA’s own assessment odfAquaBounty’s studies to determine whether GMO salmon are safe for human consumption states that the studies contain “technical flaws” and provide “insufficient data”.

For two of the studies submitted, AquaBounty used sample sizes so small that they have no scientific credibility, with only 12 fish tested for one study, while the study on possible allergic reactions in humans involved only "6 fertile fish and 6 infertile fish.” [7] Despite this scant evidence, the FDA is currently on the verge of approving the companies GMO salmon.

Serious questions remain about eating fish engineered to grow faster and how that genetically manipulated trait can impact human health, especially that of our most vulnerable populations such as pregnant mothers and children."

Click on www.fooddemocracynow.org, then click on fish picture in upper-left-hand corner.

Thank you for participating!

- Food Democracy Now Team, 9/14/2010

Surprised?

Do any of you make your own ice cream?

"The list of additives in ice-cream sounds like a science project. Many nutritionists now refer to ice-cream as 'the garbage dump food'. These are some additives found in commercially produced ice-cream:

Piperonal - used in place of vanilla - is a chemical used to treat lice.

Diethyl glucol - a cheap chemical used as an emulsifier instead of eggs - is used in antifreeze and paint removers.

Butyraldehyde - used in nut-flavored ice-cream - is one of the ingredients in rubber cement.

Amyl acetate - used for banana flavor - is also an oil paint solvent.

Ethyl acetatee - used for pineapple flavor - is also used as a cleaner for leather and textiles.

Aldehyde C17 - flavors cherry ice-cream - an inflammable liquid used in aniline dyes, plastic and rubber.

The additives in many modern foods combine to form a lethal cocktail. Man is not designed to consume inorganic foodstuffs and the increased consumption of chemical compounds leaves toxic waste in the cells. If we continue at this rate we will soon be positively non-biodegradable."

- Inge Dougans w/Suzanne Ellis
The Art of Reflexology (1992)

Does your Milk or Cheese have rBGH?

"Monsanto has been very concerned about the public's reaction and possible mistrust of their new cow drug. And so it is no surprise that a former Monsanto employee, who was rehired by the company after his tenure at the FDA, was responsible for writing regulations prohibiting food labels that would tell consumers whether or not they were getting rBGH-treated products. Monsanto itself got into the act in 1994 by suing two milk processors for try to label their products 'BGH free', and was reported to have sent out about 2000 warning letters to other dairy processors and retailers.

Today, consumers still have difficulty knowing whether their milk, cream, cheese, ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products are made from rBGH-treated cows. About 30% of all U.S. cows are injected with this hormone, and much of their milk is blended at processing plants with the milk from dairies not using it.

In some states, however, consumers can find labels stating that the milk or cheese is rBGH (or rBST) free. Look for those products. Demand those products. Or, request and buy only organically produced or raw milk products, particularly from dairies that allow their cows to graze on grass."

(Notice the USDA has labeled large cheese producers rGBH as safe.)

We are lucky in Enumclaw! Meadowwood's Organic Raw Milk Dairy has absolutely delicious, fresh raw milk tomdarsavy@gmail.com, and seven miles out of town on the Veazie/Cumberland Road is a new raw milk producer thehappycowdairy.com. Happy Cow is not organic but they call their milk "near organic", and it is delicious too. Feel free to e-mail either of them with questions.

The active enzymes in raw milk assist digestion, and the cream in it reminds me of the delicious, satisfying milk I use to get as a kid!

- above quote from Politically Incorrect Nutrition: Finding Reality in the Mire of Food Industry Propaganda by Michael Barbee. This book can be borrowed through the KC Library system or purchased on-line through Amazon.
Click here to order this book from Amazon.com.

GE Alfalfa Victory

"In it's first ruling ever on a case involving genetically engineered (GE) crops, Monsanto vs. Geertson Seed Farms, the U.S. Supreme Court has left a ban in effect against GE Alfalfa.

The Supreme Court declined to overrule a lower court's prohibition against planting and selling Roundup Ready* alfalfa. It agreed also that GE contamination was a sufficient cause of environmental and economic harm to support future challenges on GE crops.

Monsanto unsuccessfully had asked the court to allow planting and not allow contamination of other crops to be considered 'irreparable harm'."

PCC Sound Consumer, 8/2010

Comparing Chicken

"Consumer Reports magazine tested fresh, whole broiler chickens from 22 states and found two-thirds of them harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of food-borne disease. Tyson and Foster Farms chickens were found to be the most contaminated. The test also found most of the disease-causing bacteria from the contaminated chickens were resistant to at least one antibiotic. Store-brand, organic chickens had no salmonella at all and were among the cleanest."

PCC Sound Consumer
January, 2010

Haitian farmers burn out Monsanto

Citizens united can make a difference!

"In Haiti, trying to recover from a crippling earthquake, farmers of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) say they'll burn 475 tons of corn and vegetable seeds from Monsanto.

The seeds were donated through a USAID program and are not genetically engineered (GE), but are hybrid seeds which do not grow "true" from saved seed and must be bought every year for planting. The MPP says the seeds would make Haiti a slave colony for Monsanto and says farmers instead need help establishing seed banks of their own local, organic, Creole seeds."

Organic Consumers Assoc.
PCC Sound Consumer, July, 2010

GMO Alfalfa Remains Illegal

Thanks to all of you who signed the petition!!

Supreme Court Case was a Defeat for Monsanto's Ambitions

"It should be no surprise that Monsanto's PR machine is working hard to spin the truth in this morning's decision in the first-ever Supreme Court case on genetically engineered crops (Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms). Despite what the biotech seed giant is claiming, today's ruling isn't close to the victory they were hoping for.

The 7-1 decision issued today by the Supreme Court was on the appeal of the Center for Food Safety's (CFS) successful suit, which resulted in a ban on GMO alfalfa. And, while the High Court ruled in favor of Monsanto by reversing an injunction that was part of the lower court's decision, more importantly, it also ruled that the ban on GMO alfalfa remains intact, and that the planting and sale of GMO alfalfa remains illegal.

This point, which seems to be lost in some news reports, is actually a huge victory for the Center for Food Safety and---most importantly---for the farmers and consumers who we represent.

The Supreme Court ruled that an injunction against planting was unnecessary since, under lower courts' rulings, Roundup Ready Alfalfa became a regulated item and illegal to plant. In other words, the injunction was 'overkill' because our victory in lower federal court determined that USDA violated the National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental laws when it approved Roundup Ready alfalfa. The court felt that voiding the USDA's decision to make the crop legally available for sale was enough.

A different ruling could had had far-reaching ramifications that might have extended beyond our borders, affecting the health and status of world markets for U.S. alfalfa, and impacting the fastest growing sector of the US agriculture market---organic. But the court clearly saw that, and opted instead to rule very narrowly.

And yet, Monsanto is out there in a public statement saying that they've won a great victory. They claim that they're ready to sell Roundup Ready Alfalfa seeds now, and that they hope that their farmers should be able to plant by fall 2010. It's a canny statement, but neither of those potential situations is by any means possible at this point. The bottom line: the ban on planting Roundup Ready Alfalfa still stands.

The Center is victorious in this case in several other ways: most importantly, the High Court did not rule on several arguments presented by Monsanto about the application of federal environmental law. As a result, the Court did not make any ruling that could have been hurtful to National Environmental Policy Act or any other environmental laws. In addition, the Court opinion supported the Center's argument that gene flow is a serious environmental and economic threat. This means that genetic contamination from GMOs can still be considered harmful under the law, both from an environmental and economic perspective.

This Court opinion is in many ways a victory for the environment, The Center for Food Safety, for farmers and for consumers.....and a defeat for Monsanto's hopes of a green light. To represent this opinion in any other way is just spin.

-by Andrew Kimbrell
Exec. Dir. Center for Food Safety
Huffington Post, 6/21/2010

USDA researcher raises GE alarm

"It's one thing for environmentalists to say genetically engineered crops are dangerous but now scientists at the U.S. Dept.of Agriculture are sounding the alarm, too.

Microbiologist Robert Kremer has analyzed farm soil for 20 years, the last several studying soil quality and genetically engineered (GE) plant growth. Kremer and his group say they found worrisome problems with glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup.

Kremer say Monsanto's "Roundup Ready (RR) plants sprayed with the Roundup herbicide (glyphosate) appear----on the surface---to be impervious to the pesticide. But Kremer say ravaged roots below ground tell a different story. Glyphosate apparently affects root growth and necessary microbes. Kremer's colleagues report that glyphosate exudes from roots into soil, where it persits and accumulates. It's toxic to soil organisms facilitating absorption of nutrients, and it's not biodegradable. It accumulates in roots, stems and seeds---parts that animals and people eat.

Research shows about 3/4 of applied glophosate stays in a plant and about 1/4 of it is exuded over time. There's an accumulation every time glyphosate is applied.

Reuters news service quotes Kremer as saying, "This could be something big. We might be setting up a huge problem" Kremer expressed alarm that federal regulators are not paying enough attention to the risks of GE technology on farms. He says, "Science is not being considered in policy setting and deregulation."

The first RR seed, soy, hit the market in 1998. At the time, the tolerance for Roundup residues was three parts per million. After RR seeds were introduced, residues reportedly increased up to 20 ppm, indicating farmers used Round-up more liberally since it didn't hurt their GE crops.

Instead of holding the line on residues, the Environmental Protection Agency raised the tolerance to 20 ppm---after Monsanto asked for the increase.

This is why GMO foods will contain higher concentrations of chemicals."

by Trudy Bialic
PCC Sound Consumer, June, 2010

Food, Inc.

Radical changes in how we eat have taken place over the past 50 years as opposed to the past 2,000 years. It's time to know what we eat, where it comes from, and why it is cheap. Factory farmed food, cheap to the consumer, has a high potential for disease. Chemically engineered food removes nutrients while restructuring our and animal DNA. Find out what's behind sanitation and additives to make food appealing.

Becoming aware of what we eat allows us to make different choices and create positive solutions.

"Everyone should see Food, Inc." says The Washington Post.
Food, Inc. DVD can be borrowed from the King County Library at Muckelshoot (over 700 holds), rented from Netflix, or purchased at Amazon for $10.
Click here to order Food, Inc. from Amazon.com

Monsanto case at Supreme Court

"For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case about the risks of GE crops. Monsanta vs. Geertson Seed Farms involves alfalfa seed engineered to be immune to Monsanto's flagship herbicide Roundup. A federal court ruled in 2006 that GE alfalfa would hurt both organic and non-organic farmers. "

- Genetically Engineered News List

Free-Range Chicken Feed

Question: "Please provide us with information so we may make educated shopping choices regarding Ranger chicken feed. Does the chicken feed contain pesticides and GE crops? I have sadly realized how food/health concerns are now beyond antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. Genetically Engineered corn and soy compound the food choices I make."

Answer: "Ranger chicken is from Draper Valley operation (Mt. Vernon, WA) which does prohibit antibiotics but does not screen for and does not exclude GE soy and corn. It therefore would have no prohibition against pesticides, since Genetically Engineered technology relies on pesticides and herbicides."

- PCC Sound Consumer, letters to the Editor, March 2010.

GE Traits Transfer to Animals

"For the first time, there's evidence of large concentrations of transgenic DNA---from genetically engineered (GE) corn---in animals. Scientists in Canada found the GE transgene from Roundup Ready corn in numerous soil dwelling animals, demonstrating that GE transgenes do not degrade significantly within the food web. The transgene was found in all animals tested, including anthropods, nemotodes, insects and earthworms. The finding suggest that there's opportunity for genetic transformation into non-GE plants and humans from GE-contaminated soil."

- Miranda Hart, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe?

"Genetically modified foods have come to your local supermarket, even though most Americans don't want them and many believe they are dangerous. A CBS poll found that 53 % of Americans would not buy food they knew had been genetically modified. But here's the rub---there's no easy way to know which foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

Genetically modified foods are made by inserting genes from another species into a food's DNA. About 60 to 70% of products on grocery store shelves contain at least one genetically engineered element. These foods include corn, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, soybean, and canola.

The public is generally unaware when they purchase genetically modified foods---called GM or GMO, short for genetically modified organism---since manufacturers and producers are not required to disclose the information on labels. The European Union, Japan, China, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand require GMO foods to be labeled. And despite a CBS News poll that showed a majority of American want labeling, no such law exists.

Many experts as well as concerned customers want to know if GMO foods are safe. A few troubling reports have been released. A study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences revealed the parameters of 60 different biochemicals in rats. Rats fed genetically modified corn were compared to their parents who had been feed non-GM corn. The results clearly showed a difference between the two groups. Rats fed GM food had signs of liver and kidney problems. Effects were also found on the heart, adrenal glands, and spleen.

According to Phys.Org.com a Russian study found that 55.6% of the newborns of female rats fed genetically-engineered soy flour before, during, and after pregnancy, died within three weeks. Only 9% of the offspring of rats fed non-GM soy died. In addition, 36% of the rats in the GM-fed group were underweight, compared with only 6.7 percent of the control group. In another study, groups of rats were fed GM tomatoes for 28 days. Seven of 20 developed bleeding stomachs, and seven out of a group of 40 rats died within two weeks.

If you'd rather not eat genetically modified foods, you can take the following steps to avoid them:

• Look for foods labeled "100% organic".
• Read fruit and vegetable numbers on the produce sticker. Five-digit numbers beginning with an 8 mean it is a GM food. Five-digit numbers beginning with a 9 indicate organic foods. Conventionally produced foods have numbers containing four digits.
• Hunt for products that are GM-free.
• Buy from small, local farmers. Most GM foods come from large commercial farms.
• Avoid processed foods."

- Sylvia Booth Hubbard, January 15, 2010, http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/

A Brief Opportunity.....

"After years of bureaucratic wrangling, a recently USDA environmental review may finally approve Monsanto's GMO alfalfa. If approved, GMO alfalfa will fundamentally undermine the entire organic industry overnight. Despite massive outcry the USDA says American consumers don't care about the contamination of organics! ACT TODAY: comments are due by close of business this Wednesday, March 3rd.

Please join in calling on Secretary Vilsack to stand up for Organic Family Farmers---and reject approval of Monsanto's GMO alfalfa by signing this petition.

During the Bush administration Monsanto illegally won USDA approval for its GMO alfalfa by convincing USDA regulators to bypass a mandatory environmental review. In 2007, a court reversed this decision, ordering the USDA to complete the legally required environmental impact statement.

Surprisingly, the Obama Administration's recent review would approve Monsanto's GMO Alfalfa.

The draft USDA EIS was issued in December 2009 and is poised to allow Monsanto's GMO alfalfa on the market, despite the fact that the USDA admits these seeds will contaminate organic feed that organic dairy farmers rely on to produce organic milk.

According to the CEO of the largest farmer-owned organic dairy coop in the U.S. 'GMO alfalfa threatens the very fabric of the organic industry.....we can't allow this to happen.'

To tell Secretary Vilsack you care about organic contamination and that you want him to stand up for the organic industry and organic consumers Google 'Food Democracy Now' and click on the 4th link "Act now or kiss your organics goodbye."

Thank you for helping to protect our food chain.

Organic vs. Non-Organic Seeds

"Are you growing corn, yellow squash or zucchini, which have been genetically engineered? If so choose organic seeds because organic standards prohibit genetic engineering. Beyond that, the vigor and attributes of any plant starts with good, healthy seed. If you are going to be eating your produce, why not start with the best possible seeds---Organic (or tested Heirloom)---from plants grown without synthetic pesticides and toxic sludge in fertilizers?"

PCC Sound Consumer, February 2010

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

The Environmental Working Group has compiled a recent list of 47 Fruits & Veggies from "worst to least" pesticide load. Adjusting eating habits can lower our intake of pesticides -- sometimes dramatically so. Substitute organic for conventional produce that is consistently contaminated with pesticides. (Better yet, grow your own!) When organic produce is not available, or combining it with non-organic due to budget concerns, the shoppers guide below will help in making healthier choices.

Print out this list for grocery shopping planning. For more information on how to reduce your exposure to pesticides, or to download a wallet size guide, visit http://www.foodnews.org/.

RANK (worst to least) - FRUIT or VEGETABLE - SCORE (highest to lowest)

1. (worst) Peach 100 (highest pesticide load)
2. Apple 93
3. Sweet Bell Pepper 83
4. Celery 82
5. Nectarine 81
6. Strawberries 80
7. Cherries 73
8. Kale 69
9. Lettuce 67
10. Grapes (Imported) 66
11. Carrot 63
12. Pear 63
13. Collard Greens 60
14. Spinach 58
15. Potato 56
16. Green Beans 53
17. Summer Squash 53
18. Pepper 51
19. Cucumber 50
20. Raspberries 46
21. Grapes (Domestic) 44
22. Plum 44
23. Orange 44
24. Cauliflower 39
25. Tangerine 37
26. Mushrooms 36
27. Bananas 34
28. Winter Squash 34
29. Cantaloupe 33
30. Cranberries 33
31. Honeydew Melon 30
32. Grapefruit 29
33. Sweet Potato 29
34. Tomato 29
35. Broccoli 28
36 Watermelon 26
37. Papaya 20
38. Eggplant 20
39. Cabbage 17
40. Kiwi 13
41. Sweet Peas (Frozen) 10
42. Asparagus 10
43. Mango 9
44. Pineapple 7
45. Sweet Corn (Frozen) 2
46. (best) Avocado 1 (lowest pesticide load)
47. (best) Onion 1 (lowest pesticide load)

Is My Pork Okay to Eat?

Question: "We raise pasture pigs and are confused by reports of swine flu. Should we be concerned for our animals and ourselves?

Answer: Most people are aware that the influenza virus is a matter of change. That's why humans are offered vaccinations for the flu with a new strain of virus every year. Not only does the virus change within a species, but it has been known to 'jump ship' and infect new species, such as with the avian flu in Asia a few years ago. There are many species of animals that are susceptible to the influenza virus, including humans, swine, birds, (domestic poultry, ducks, geese, etc.), dogs and horses. Scientists have determined that this new flu outbreak has multiple genes in common with swine, avian and human flu.

There has been some suggestion that the first cases in Mexico were related to people who were working or living near large swine operations. There's no direct evidence, however, that these people contracted the virus from infected swine. As of this writing, there have been no reported cases of swine in the United States infected with this particular strain of the virus. If you maintain a closed herd of pigs (not bringing in any new animals from outside sources), you shouldn't be unduly concerned that your pigs will get infected.

....Pastured-raised swine are generally less immunologically stressed than those raised in indoor, close-confinement operations. Infectious diseases and parasites travel more rapidly in confinement units, as well. At this printing, the USDA and CDC haven't proven that the H1Ni strain is transferred from pigs to humans or vice-versa....."

by Dianne Hellwig, Phd, DVM with Dr. Lyle G. Mc Neal,
Hobby Farms magazine, July-August 2009 http://www.hobbyfarms.com/

"Unsafe Meat"

Bacteria
"Animals are not sterile, and neither are we. They carry many different kinds of bacteria in unimaginably large numbers (we do too). Fortunately, most bacteria are harmless, but some, like that especially nasty form of E.coli, are deadly. Toxic bacteria often do not make the animals sick, but they can make you sick---and sometimes kill you---if you eat meat from animals that carry them.

"How bacteria of any kind get into the meat you buy in supermarkets is not a pretty story. Like all animals, food animals excrete bacteria in their wastes, and these bacteria spread quickly under the crowded conditions in feedlots, batteries, and slaughterhouses. Bacteria also spread from one animal to another during slaughter and when meat is cut and ground. Bacteria usually only contaminate the other surfaces of whole cuts of meat like roasts, steaks, or chops; if you sear pieces of meat like these, you kill the bacteria on their surfaces. Bacteria cannot easily get into the inside of a steak, for example, unless it has been pierced, cut, or ground. That is why hamburger poses safety problems; once ground, the bacteria on its surface can mix into its interior. Meat packers make commercial hamburger from the parts of a large number (sometimes hundreds) of beef cattle, so if just one animal is contaminated with harmful bacteria, the entire batch of hamburger can make people ill. This is also why it makes sense to cook commercial hamburger thoroughly, so you kill bacteria throughout the mix. Meat will never be completely free of bacteria, but you have every right to wonder why producers are not doing a better job of keeping their meats free of harmful ones."

from What to Eat by Marion Nestle
Click here to order this book from Amazon.com

Fertilizer Facts

"[A] key turning point in the industrialization of our food can be dated with some precision to the day in 1947 when the huge munitions plant at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, switched over to making chemical fertilizer.

"After the war the government had found itself with a tremendous surplus of ammonium nitrate, the principal ingredient in the making of explosives. Ammonium nitrate also happens to be an excellent source of nitrogen for plants. Serious thought was given to spraying America’s forests with the surplus chemical, to help out the timber industry. But agronomists in the Department of Agriculture had a better idea: Spread the ammonium nitrate on farmland as fertilizer. The chemical fertilizer industry (along with that of pesticides, which are based on poison gases developed for the war) is the product of the government’s effort to convert its war machine to peacetime purposes."

(by Michael Pollan in The Ominvore’s Dilemma)
Click here to order this book from Amazon.com