The Secrets of Sugar - the fifth estate

A small but influential group of medical researchers is stirring up the health debate, linking sugar not just to rising obesity rates but also to a host of diseases including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Why are we being fed by a poison expert?

Monsanto now has control over as much as 90 percent of seed genetics on the planet.

Why does this matter? Watch this humorous, entertaining, and chillingly accurate 5-minute video to find out. Then tell everyone you know.

Want to take action? Share this video! And if you want to go further, you can join the Food Revolution Network’s Campaign, calling on Coca-Cola to stop fighting GMO labeling.

Coke says it supports transparency and consumer empowerment. But last year, the company spent more than $2 million fighting against labeling of genetically engineered foods in Oregon and Colorado.

Click here to join the Coke boycott, and to stand with more than 300,000 people in demanding that Coca-Cola stop fighting against GMO labeling.

Source:

http://foodrevolution.org/blog/monsanto-gmos-video/

Poison on the Platter

By The Institue for Responsible Technology

Bollywood filmmaker superstar Mahesh Bhatt launches a scathing attack on biotech multinational companies and compliant government regulators, showing how their dangerous genetically engineered foods and crops comprise one of the greatest dangers on earth. Released in February 2008, the hard-hitting Poison on the Platter is generating unprecedented fervor against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) throughout India. It is probably the most talked about film in the country.

Mahesh Bhatt says, “in their mad rush to capture the multi-billion dollar Indian agricultural and food industry, the biotech multinational companies are bulldozing warnings by scientists about the adverse impact of GM foods on health and environment, and hurtling the mankind toward a disaster, which will be far more destructive than anything the world has seen so far, simply because it will affect every single person living on this planet”.

Bhatt’s film makes a mockery of Government of India’s claim of not allowing import of any GM foods in the country as it conclusively demonstrates that supermarkets in India are flooded with harmful food stuff and biotech MNCs are cashing on the ignorance of unsuspecting consumers in India.

Trials of GM foods on lab animals across the world have repeatedly shown that they cause bleeding stomachs, and adversely affect brain, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas and intestine. They have been even linked to higher offspring mortality and causing infertility.

“Are we ready to eat a food that has the potential to stunt our growth, impair our immune system and adversely affect all our vital organs,” asks Ajay Kanchan, director of the documentary, adding that “It’s shocking that instead of protecting the interests of farmers and consumers, regulatory bodies in India are pandering to the greed of biotech MNCs like Monsanto, whose track record is littered with lies, deceptions and notorious ability to corrupt the regulatory bodies all over the world”.

“I can say with absolute confidence that there is irrefutable and overwhelming evidence that genetically engineered foods are harmful and that they are not being evaluated properly by the governments of India, United States, the European Union, or anywhere in the world,” says Jeffrey M. Smith, Founder Director, Institute of Responsible Technology and author of two widely respected books on health impact of GM foods – Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette. He added, “this is one of the most dangerous technologies ever introduced on earth, and it’s being deployed in our food supply. It’s madness, what we need is a political willingness to say no more.”

German Supermarket Giants Demand Return to GMO-Free Fed Poultry

Written By: Henry Rowlands

Germany's top supermarkets, the powerhouses of Europe when it comes to retail, have delivered a blow to the biotech industry by forcing the German poultry industry to return to the use of non-GMO feed.

Global GMO Free Coalition on Facebook

It was announced last Thursday that the German supermarkets, with a broad consensus, recently demanded from the German Poultry Association (ZDG) to stop using GMO feed for both egg and poultry meat production, starting from January 1st 2015. That is the date when the retailers want to receive GMO-free fed products again, meaning poultry suppliers will have to rush to get their feed supply chains free from GMO feed once more.

German language source: www.db.zs-intern.de

In February this year, the ZDG unilaterally declared that it was stopping using GM-free animal feed, following similar moves by other associations in England and Denmark. The reasons provided for the step after over a decade of GMO-free feeding were an alleged shortage of GMO-free soya, the risk of contamination, and the associated legal uncertainty.

However, following close consultation with Brazilian authorities, the German supermarkets have realized that the reasons given by ZDG do not stand up: There is clearly enough Brazilian GMO-free feed in the system to supply Europe's needs.

Global GMO Free Coalition Coordinator, Henry Rowlands, stated:

"The wool has been pulled over the eyes of retailers across Europe by the GMO industry over the past year. We welcome the news that they have started to fight back in the interest of their customers, who do not want to buy GM-fed eggs and meat."

Claire Robinson of Earth Open Source, a Global GMO Free Coalition partner organisation, said, "Retailers must ensure that their GMO-free feed requirements are communicated all the way along the supply chain to the Brazilian soymeal exporters."

Vandana Shiva of Navdanya (India), added: "This is an important step towards food democracy, the right to choose what you eat, and the right to know how it was produced."

"By taking a stand against the biotech and poultry industries, German supermarkets have proven that it's possible to respond to consumer demand for poultry that is fed non-GMO feed and in doing so, force significant changes to the supply chain despite pressure from Monsanto and industry trade associations," said Ronnie Cummins, international director of the Organic Consumers Association and its Mexico affiliate, Via Organica.

Sayer Ji of Greenmedinfo.com, commented:

"The use of glyphosate-contaminated GMO feed in poultry adds significant toxicological risks to the food chain both through bioaccumulation of agrochemicals and the shift in microbial communities within poultry towards higher pathogenicity. This promising decision by Germany's leading supermarkets should be applauded and used as an example of where the rest of the world should head for both a safer and more sustainable business model."

ZDG has reacted to the pressure from the supermarkets and consumers by proposing to the retailers to set up a working group to discuss options, but the truth is they do not look as if they have many. The argument of insufficient availability of non-GMO soya has been formally retracted by the ZDG.

The German retailers also indicated that they will demand a completely GMO-free feed supply chain in all animal feed sectors, including dairy, pork and beef as a next step that is to follow relatively soon.

In 2013 12 supermarkets from across Europe signed the Brussels Soy Declaration, stating that they want EU consumers and farmers to have a choice to eat and use non-GMO soy. This development came soon after the announcement by some UK supermarkets that they would abandon requirements that their poultry suppliers use non-GMO feed.

Original article can be read at:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/german-supermarket-giants-demand-return-gmo-free-fed-poultry

CFS Launches Class Action Lawsuit against Monsanto

By the Center For Food Safety

Last week, CFS and Pacific Northwest wheat farmers launched a class action lawsuit against Monsanto for the escape of Monsanto’s illegal GE wheat in Oregon. Support our work to hold Monsanto accountable!

You probably read the news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that unapproved, genetically engineered (GE) wheat was found contaminating an Oregon farmer’s field. The GE wheat, known as Roundup Ready, was developed by the Monsanto Company to withstand direct application of Roundup (glyphosate) herbicide, and was never approved for sale. 

The discovery of unapproved Roundup Ready wheat in a farmer's field in Oregon, years after Monsanto terminated field testing, is just the latest example of Monsanto's inability to keep their engineered genes under control. Until Monsanto and USDA begin to take gene flow from field tests more seriously, we can expect GE contamination to continue to cause havoc.

CFS is not standing idly by hoping Monsanto and USDA do the right thing. We are taking action. Last week, Center for Food Safety and Pacific Northwest wheat farmers filed a class action lawsuit against Monsanto. Center for Food Safety and Pacific Northwest wheat farmers are representing the broad class of farmers affected by this contamination, seeking monetary compensation for farmers who have lost export markets, and forcing Monsanto to take measures to clean up the contamination and ensure it never happens again. 

This is a pivotal moment for the food movement, and we can’t do this work without your support! Together we can stand up to Monsanto and hold them accountable.

As we’ve warned for over a decade, GE crops simply can’t be controlled once they’re released into the environment. Past transgenic contamination episodes involving GE corn and GE rice triggered over $1 billion in losses and economic hardship to farmers, and recalls of food products containing illegal GE corn. CFS has been there every time, fighting in the courts, in the halls of Congress, and in communities to protect our food, our farms, and our environment from these risky GE crops.

With your support, we’ve been working to hold biotech companies like Monsanto accountable and tighten regulations over their experimental GE crop field trials for over a decade. And we’ve had a lot of successes -- like our past litigation over similar field trials in Oregon and Hawaii for other GE crops in which we won substantial victories over USDA and industry for their field trial abuses and failures. Because of this litigation, we now have the legal ability to challenge the legality of field trials, and USDA can no longer ignore their environmental and socioeconomic impacts. We’ve even forced USDA to publicly admit new field trial contamination incidents, like this one, that they otherwise tried to keep secret. 

We can do so much more, but we need your help to succeed. Please make a donation to support our groundbreaking lawsuit today!

Center for Food Safety

660 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, #302

Washington DC 20003

phone (202) 547-9359 | fax (202) 547-9429

Contact Us: office@centerforfoodsafety.org

GMO film project

By the Globonsomeday

I decided to share the video trailer to an upcoming film, GMO Film Project, which shows a father's discovery of GMOs via the symbolic act of Haitian farmers burning seeds in defiance of Monsanto's "gift" of 430 t of hybrid corn and vegetable seeds after the devastating earthquake of January 2010.

The film description notes that after a journey to Haiti to find out why hungry farmers would burn seeds, the real awakening of what has happened to food in the United States and what is at stake at the global food supply.

The dangers of unknown health and environmental risks, takeover of seeds, toxins, and food monopoly meets with a growing resistance of organic farmers, concerned citizens, and a movement to take back what has been lost.

Multinational agrochemical companies such as Monsanto (known for Agent Orange, rBGH, PCBs and Roundup) and Dow (known for Napalm) are contributing towards producing genetically modified food that have never been fully labelled or fully tested.  Indeed Monsanto has resisted attempts at requiring labelling.

The small handful of corporations are attempting to control everything we eat worldwide - through buying, genetically modifying, and patenting seeds.

Furthermore, there were 148 600 000 ha of GM crops worldwide in 2010 (of which 66 800 000 ha were grown in the United States alone). One can find the full statistics, as well as which GM crops are grown country-by-country, here.

However, there is still time to save our planet and protect our food supply. As mentioned in previous articles in this blog, we can also take action ourselves. In addition to demanding full labelling of food, boycott anything from big agribusiness, stick to local, organic, natural and ideally fresh produce. Avoid anything with GMO, anything resulting from factory farming or intensive farming as well as also harmful chemicals (including pesticides and herbicides).

Further information

• The GMO Film Project
• Global Distribution of GMO Crops in 2010
• glob on someday - Organic farming can feed the world
• glob on someday - In praise of organic food
• glob on someday - Ban factory farming now
• glob on someday - Videos: Monsanto and GM
• glob on someday - Avoiding harmful chemicals

Dr. Shiv Chopra on rBGH

Internationally renowned natural health physician and Mercola.com founder Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Shiv Chopra talk about Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH).

RGBH in Milk May Increase Your Breast Cancer Risk

Your breast cancer risk can increase if you ingest milk contaminated with Monsanto's recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/23/rgbh-in-milk-increases-risk-of-breast-cancer.aspx?e_cid=20111023_SNL_Art_1

Cereal Crimes

"Natural" claims in the cereal and granola aisle mislead consumers. A new research study from The Cornucopia Institute indicates the "natural" claim is mostly meaningless marketing hype, in contrast to the USDA certified organic label which signifies the food was produced without genetically modified organisms (GMOs), toxic pesticides and other potentially dangerous synthetic inputs. Cornucopia and USDA research finds GMOs, and toxic pesticide residues, in "natural" cereal ingredients... and many "natural" brands are often priced higher than equivalent organic products.

For more information: http://www.cornucopia.org/2011/10/natural-vs-organic-cereal/

Food Inc.

Know where your food is coming from and vote for change through your food choices and with your wallet!

Join the rally for the right to know this Saturday, March 26th! (US)

By The Center for Food Safety

The United States may soon be the only country in the world that does not require labeling of genetically engineered food. In Spring 2000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that labeling of GE foods would remain voluntary, even though there was no indication that any company would voluntarily label genetically engineered foods--and in the 11 years since, none have. Meanwhile, companies who have eliminated GE ingredients and added “NON-GMO” labels have faced burdensome regulations, while the FDA lets other companies continue to use GE ingredients in secret. It is time to stand up and demand mandatory labeling of GE foods!

This Saturday, March 26th, from D.C. to Colorado Springs--and more than 20 cities in between--thousands of people will join together for a Rally for the Right to Know, demanding labeling of GMO foods. Check out the events listing on the Rally for the Right to Know Facebook page to find a rally near you (please RSVP at the event page if you plan to attend an event).

Our CFS True Food Shoppers Guides will be available at all of the rallies! We hope our True Food Network members in these areas can attend a rally. This is a great way to make your voice heard, demand mandatory GE food labeling, and meet others in your community who care about True Food!

Find a rally near you and RSVP:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/topic.php?uid=150163591710461&topic=152

If you can't attend any of the rallies in person, join our virtual rally on Saturday, March 26th instead! CFS True Food Network members across the country will be sending letters to Congress urging legislation implementing mandatory labeling of GMO foods.

If you are not a Facebook user, the event cities and times are listed below.

Rally for the Right to Know!

Washington, D.C.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

11am - 3pm

Location: The White House Sidewalk

Colorado Springs, CO

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 1:30pm 

Location: Acacia Park

Los Angeles (Westwood)

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 2:00pm 

Location: Los Angeles (Westwood) Federal Building

11000 Wilshire Blvd.

Milwaukee, WI

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 2:00pm 

Location: Water and Wisconsin

Indianapolis, IN

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Location: 200 W. Washington Street #220, Indianapolis IN 46204

Nashville, TN

Saturday, March 26, 10:00am - 1:00pm

Location: 900 Rosa Parks Boulevard (Eighth Avenue North)

Nashville, TN 37208

Tampa, FL

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 1:00pm

Location: Meet at the St Pete Fine Arts Museum under the Banyon trees

255 Beach Drive Northeast

Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 www.fine-arts.org

Hollywood, FL

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 2:00pm

Location: Open Air Bandshell Theatre on Hollywood Beach Boardwalk, 100 Johnson Street and North Ocean Drive/A1A

Hollywood Beach, FL

Salem, OR

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 3:00pm 

Location: 900 Court St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301

Atlanta, GA

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 4:00pm 

Location: Around Centennial Olympic Park across from the CNN Bldg. Atlanta, GA

Kansas City, MO

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 3:00pm 

Location: Country Club Plaza Downtown Kansas City, MO

Montpelier, VT

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 3:00pm 

Location: Outside CITY HALL in Montpelier, VT

Albuquerque, NM

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 3:00pm 

Location: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Maui, HI

Saturday, March 26, 8:00am - 11:00am 

Location: in front of Long's streetside on Ka'ahumanu Ave in Kahului, Maui 

Ann Arbor, MI

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 3:00pm 

Location: Southeast corner of Catherine Street and N. 4th Avenue - just south of the A2 Farmers Market and Kerrytown Shops

Austin, TX

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 3:00pm 

Location: The Capitol - Austin, TX

Gilbert, AZ

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 1:00pm 

Location Pending; check http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161143050607393 for updates

Saint Paul, MN

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 2:00pm 

Location: Minnesota State Capitol Building - South Mall

75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, 55155

Seattle, WA

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 2:00pm 

Location: Victor Steinbrueck Park, SEATTLE

2001 Western Avenue (by Pike Place Market)

New York, NY

Saturday, March 26, 12:00pm - 1:00pm 

Location: CITY HALL steps New York City 

Between Broadway and Park Row

Chico, CA

Saturday, March 26, 11:00am - 3:00pm 

Location: Downtown "Park" between Broadway and Main Streets (where the fountains are; 3 blocks from FOOD CO-OP), Chico, CA 

*If you plan to attend one of these events and can not RSVP via the Facebook pages, please RSVP via email to office@centerforfoodsafety.org and let us know which event you plan to attend (and how many of you will attend) so we can get a head count to local rally organizers!

Food dyes: the toxic situation

By Food Freedom Network

Below is a list of the most common food dyes used today, posted by the Center for Science in Public Interest. Keep in mind that most, to all, studies were found inconclusive by the FDA. The Appendix also contains where the dye is most commonly found and reactions. CSPI also lists that most of the food dyes contain Benzidine and 4-Aminobiphenyl. Benzidine is a man-produced chemical that causes skin allergies, cancer of the urinary bladder. Some evidence suggests that other organs, such as the stomach, kidney, brain, mouth, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, bile duct, and pancreas, may also be affected. Nice, huh? Please keep in mind that most findings were only tested on rats, mice and dogs. I suggest you read the CSPI’s full document for further information. Here.

Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue):

Summary: Was not found to be toxic in key rat and mouse studies, but an unpublished study suggested the possibility that Blue 1 caused kidney tumors in mice, and a preliminary in vitro study raised questions about possible effects on nerve cells. Blue 1 may not cause cancer, but confirmatory studies should be conducted. The dye can cause hypersensitivity reactions. Added permanently to the food dye exemption list in 1982

What it’s in: Baked goods, beverages, desert powders, candies, cereal, drugs, and other products

What it causes: Excreted in the bile, absorbs in the GI tract and intestine, becomes radioactive in the urine, chromosomal aberrations, kidney tumors, viral infections, microscopic lesions, the FDA nixed one study that a dog died in because the study did not have equal numbers of males and females (uh huh …), kidney tumors, females showed decreased amount of weight and survival in utero, hyperactivity disorders in children, suggested that even in small amount would have a large effect on a child’s brain growth, particularly worrisome for fetuses and infants

Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine):

Summary: Cannot be considered safe given the statistically significant incidence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats. Added permanently to the food dye ‘exemption’ list in 1983 because it is ‘claimed’ that B2 cannot cross the blood-brain-barrier

What it’s in: Color beverages, candies, pet food, & other food and drugs

What it causes: Excreted in feces, bile, and small amount in urine, cell neoplasms in the urinary bladder, mammary-gland tumors and brain glimoas

Citrus Red 2:

Summary: Is permitted only for coloring the skins of oranges not used for processing, is toxic to rodents at modest levels and caused tumors of the urinary bladder and possibly other organs. The dye poses minimal human risk, because it is only used at minuscule levels and only on orange peels, but it still has no place in the food supply. … Really? It’s like saying: “Oh, your food just fell in the cyanide, but you are not eating the skin so you’ll be okay!”

What it’s in: Skins of Florida oranges

What it causes: Still intact in feces 48 hours later, broken down in GI tract, causes bladder cancer, found in urine (absorbed, sulfonated, and then excreted), tumors in liver, lungs, lymph nodes, increased fatty metamorphosis, significant weight gain in females, hyperplasia, thickening of urinary bladder wall causing papillomas, can be consumed by humans after peeling oranges

Green #3 (Fast Green):

Summary: Caused significant increases in bladder and testes tumors in male rats. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it safe, this little-used dye must remain suspect until further testing is conducted.

What it’s in: Drugs, personal care products, cosmetic products except in eye area, candies, beverages, ice cream, sorbet; ingested drugs, lipsticks, and externally applied cosmetics

What it causes: Excreted in feces and bile, tests on dogs proved raise in pup mortality, testes tumors, liver neoplastic nodules, urinary neoplasms, studies found that mostly males were affected

Orange B: is approved for use only in sausage casings, but has not been used for many years. Limited industry testing did not reveal any problems

Red #3 (Erythrosine):

Summary: Recognized in 1990 by the FDA as a thyroid carcinogen in animals and is banned in cosmetics and externally applied drugs. All uses of Red 3 lakes (combinations of dyes and salts that are insoluble and used in low-moisture foods) are also banned. However, the FDA still permits Red 3 in ingested drugs and foods, with about 200,000 pounds of the dye being used annually.

What it’s in: Sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods, candies, some cosmetics

What it causes: 58% iodine content, excreted in bile which means the body absorbs and to some extent body tissue metabolizes it, those who use it normally have double the amount of protein iodine than those who do not, dye takes about 3 months to leave the body, ulcers, increased incidences of lyhmphocytic lymphoma in males, increased thyroid follicular cell adenomas in males, weight loss in adults and children, animal carcinogen

Red #40 (Allura Red):

Red40 scientific name: 6-hydroxy-5-[(2-methoxy-5-methyl-4-sulfophenyl)azo]-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, also referred to as “Azos” or Cochineal

Summary: First produced at the Allied Chemical Corporation, most-widely used/consumed dye, may accelerate the appearance of immune-system tumors in mice. The dye causes hypersensitivity (allergy-like) reactions in a small number of consumers and might trigger hyperactivity in children.

What it’s in: Beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs, and cosmetics

What it causes: Becomes radioactive in urine and stays radioactive in the guts (yes, you read that right … even in small amounts), affects the stomach, lungs and colon, urticaria, angiodema, hypersensitivity in all patients tested, passes in utero and proves a significant decrease in body weight in females, was present in dogs system years later, reticuloendotheliel tumors did not show growth but were still there, aniline and other contaminants found

Yellow #5 (Tartrazine):

Summary: Not carcinogenic in rats, but was not adequately tested in mice. It may be contaminated with several cancer-causing chemicals. In addition, Yellow 5 causes sometimes-severe hypersensitivity reactions in a small number of people and might trigger hyperactivity and other behavioral effects in children. Posing some risks, while serving no nutritional or safety purpose. Y5 is contaminated with several carcinogens, including benzidine and 4-aminobiphenyl. All studies indicated that Y5 contains more parts per million than ‘certifiably’ allowed by FDA standards.

What it’s in: Pet foods, in numerous bakery goods, beverages, dessert powders, candies, cereals, gelatin desserts, and many other foods, as well as pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics

What it causes: Effects metabolism, accelerated urinary excretion, hyperactivity in children, induces chromosomal aberrations, studies done on infant rats proved more toxic and carcinogenic, benzidine and other contaminant level found above FDA regulation. A study done by the FDA in 1990 says that Y5 found 4 cancers in 10 million people but that does not provide enough risk to pull its usage. The ratio is more than likely increased by 500% since 1990.

Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow):

Summary: Caused adrenal tumors in animals, though that is disputed by industry and the FDA. It may be contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals and occasionally causes severe hypersensitivity reactions. Yellow 6 adds an unnecessary risk to the food supply. FDA-approved Form of Sunset yellow, is water soluble sulfonated azo dye.

What it’s in: Color bakery goods, cereals, beverages, dessert powders, candies, gelatin deserts, sausage, cosmetics and drugs

What it causes: Adrenal tumors, severe hypersensitivity/hyperactivity, increased/ accelerated urinary excretion, urticaria, asthma angioedema of lips, eyes, or face; reddening of the eyes; sweating; increased tear secretion; nasal congestion; sneezing; rhinitis (runny nose); hoarseness; wheezing; and a variety of subjective symptoms

To read the full article, please click here.

US using Codex Alimentarius to force Europe to allow carcinogenic and neurogenic drug in animal feed

Safe limits are not for protecting consumers but for industry, so they can still continue with contaminating our food supply. No wonder so many people are turning towards vegetarianism.

By Gaia Health

Ractopamine causes cancer in humans, and misery to the point of death for animals. Yet, Codex Alimentarius is pushing for its worldwide use, and the United States is behind the push.

Ractopamine is a drug used to increase muscle mass in animals and known to cause cancer and neurological disorders in humans. Nearly every country in the world has banned its use, with the glaring exceptions of the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, and Brazil. But the US wants to sell its tainted meat and poisonous drugs outside the country, so they are pressing Codex Alimentarius to take a stand in favor of ractopamine, which trade agreements will force down the throats of the rest of the world.

Europe's principled stand against the drug—and, believe it or not, China's—will end. The entire world will be subjected to pseudo-science that finds no problems with ractopamine, so that Big Pharma and Agribusiness can continue to ratchet up the profits.

Ractopamine

As documented in Drug Banned in China Used to Fatten Animals in U.S., ractopamine is given to pigs, cows, and turkeys during their last weeks of life because it forces their metabolism to make less fat and more meat. It's sold as Paylean when meant for pigs, as Optiflexx for cattle, and Tomax for turkeys.

Ractopamine is considered too dangerous for human consumption—and there is no question that residue from racotopamine remains in the meat that's eaten by humans. It results in misery for the animals, causing hyperactivity and stress. Many die—but apparently not enough to make the stuff unprofitable.

Agribusiness' Problem

Because most countries have representatives in Codex Alimentarius, they didn't initially approve ractopamine. —Yes, it's hard to believe that Codex took the right stand. But, when enough pressure is brought to bear—at least officially and when the evidence is irrefutable—even Codex doesn't always side with Big Pharma and Agribusiness.— So, the US has been putting pressure on Codex, and of course, it's bearing results.

Codex Alimentarius is a joint venture of two United Nations agencies, the misnamed World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Its function is to set rules that will be used among nations with trade agreements. The rules are enforced through trade treaties.

Though officially considered advisory, in reality the "guidelines" it sets up are implemented with stronger controls than most laws. Ultimately, Codex serves its corporate masters, but often, those masters work through governmental agencies, as in the case of ractopamine.

The US lobbied Codex for approval of ractopamine. Thew weren't successful at initial meetings, but they managed to get Codex to hold off on an opinion until European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed scientific information. EFSA found that the reports it was given were inadequate, so went to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for its opinion. EMEA supported the reevaluation to allow a Codex standard for the maximum residue limits (MRL).

So, Codex managed to get cover to set a world-wide standard to allow ractopamine use in animal feed. They met in 2009 with the intention of setting the MRL—but China forestalled them by submitting new evidence that demonstrated ractopamine residue in feed animal muscles, liver, and kidneys, and high residue levels in lungs. So, Codex was forced to table the adoption of MRL standards.

Now, though, Codex is scheduled to meet again on the issue. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is pushing for ractopamine MRL standards, will be attending a meeting in Brussels, 10-11 February 2011, with a small group of counties. One wonders what sort of arm twisting will happen there. The USDA will be pushing hard for a solution—and, of course, the only solution they'd consider acceptable is the one that sets an MRL for ractopamine. After all, there's money to be made on the suffering of animals and the slow-developing cancers and neurological disorders that now plague us.

The Purpose of Codex Alimentarius

Codex Alimentarius' website states:

The main purposes of this Programme are protecting health of the consumers and ensuring fair trade practices in the food trade...

However, the health of consumers and ensuring fair trade are in conflict. In practice, the health of consumers takes a backseat to the moneyed interests of multinational corporations and "fair trade" is interpreted according to their desires. That leaves the people and the true representatives of their needs, small businesses, without protection.

Codex Alimentarius acts for the benefit of some of the most rapacious industries on earth. Ractopamine is a banned drug. It seriously harms health, offers no benefit to humans, and makes the lives of animals miserable. Yet, Codex isn't interested in banning it, but only in finding a maximum residue limit that doesn't cause too much obvious harm, so that multinational corporations can profit.

Obviously, Codex Alimentarius plays an insidious role in the oppression of people around the world.

Blueberries in your food or something else?

Food manufacturers have managed to come up with something again to save costs. Instead of real blueberries, they feed you artificial colors, partially hydrogenated oils (like soy and cottonseed!),  and liquid sugars like high fructose corn syrup. My guess is that these are all GMO-s too. You can find fake blueberries in cereals, muffins, bagels and bread. So instead of believing the packaging, you have to read the labels! 

Related post:
Metal filings in your enriched cereal.

Neotame, the new neurotoxic sweetener

Good old Monsanto! What chemical they were cooking in their lab again  to be approved as food!? Neotame! More toxic than aspartame! Since some of us already know how toxic aspartame is, or maybe they thought that it's not toxic enough, they felt the urge to come up with something lovely again. And guess what! By the time we learnt how to read food labeling, FDA won't require Neotame to be labeled. Not even in organic and kosher food. After all, why would you bother with this when FDA is always there for you to keep you safe?! 

The article below is written by Heidi Stevenson

Aspartame can step aside. There's a new sweetener in town and it isn't saddled with the inconvenience of having to be listed on labels, so it can be sneaked into any prepared food, even USDA so-called Organic. So sayeth the FDA. Neotame is a Monsanto-created chemical similar to Aspartame, including its neurotoxic properties.

Monsanto developed Neotame as their Aspartame patent was expiring, and had no trouble in gaining FDA approval in 2002. They added 3-dimethylbutyl, a chemical listed as hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to Aspartame, making it both sweeter and more toxic.

Both Aspartame and Neotame contain substances that are metabolized into formaldehyde, a highly toxic poison, and an excitotoxic amino acid that agitates, thereby damaging, nerves.

Up to this time, Neotame hasn't been sold to the public, but that hasn't been necessary. It's been used widely in prepared foods. So, the less awareness the public has, the less likely it is that people will try to avoid it. For the most part, the technique has worked. Now, very quietly, the FDA has decided that the public shouldn't be informed when Neotame is included in any product. Even Organic products, which are supposed to be unadultered with chemicals, are not required to state when Neotame is inside.

India will soon serve as guinea pigs for Neotame. It will soon be launched there as a tabletop sweetener, like Equal and Splendor, by NutraSweet, which owns and sells the product.

Neotame is now being marketed as Sweetos for use in cattle feed. Molasses has been utlized to get cows to eat foods made unpalatable by chemical additives. Neotame is both less costly than molasses and subject to fewer regulations. How do you like that? A natural food is more stringently regulated than a known-poisonous chemical that's put into food.

The reach of Neotame is likely to be extensive. They're planning to replace other artificial sweeteners with it. A major seller of artificial sweeteners, which goes by the misleading name of Ensigns Health Care Pvt Ltd, intends to use it in place of sucralose.

In the EU, Neotame has been approved by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). As is so common in the EU, the product is hidden behind an E-number. So, labels don't have to say that products contain Neotame. They only need to list "E 961". Naturally, with hundreds of E-numbers, how many people can be aware of which ones are truly dangerous?

You can read the original article here.

You can watch the film about the aspartame story here "Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World"

Everything you need to know about GMO-s

From Jeffrey Smith
"No food shall be grown that we don't own" (Monsanto)



GMO = God Move Over
= it's over

Metal filings in your enriched cereal

No wonder I have never liked nasty cereals!

UK supermarkets urged to label food that isn't GM

Excerpts from the article published on gmwatch.org:

• 70% of the meat and dairy you buy in supermarkets are coming from animals that are fed GM feed.
• The world's second biggest chain, Carrefour launches a new system to mark out such products.  It's gonna be a green stamp saying "Nourri sans OGM" to label animal products such as meat and dairy. 
• 96% of consumers want honest labeling
• 63% of consumers would not buy animals products that are coming from GM fed animals.
• Scientists have found fragments of GM DNA from GM animal feed in products like milk.
• An enzyme, lactic dehydrogenase, was found at significantly raised levels in the heart, muscle, and kidneys of kids fed GM RR soya. This enzyme leaks from damaged cells and can indicate inflammatory or other cellular injury.
• Read Peter Melchett's letter (Soil Association) to Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S.

This article is proof that here in Europe we have already had GM for years! God knows how long. In the US, organizations who want GM out of the food supply, always mention the EU as a good example of being GM free. This is sadly not true. At the moment we buy mostly organic, as much as possible, but we will keep on eye on this new labeling system in Carrefour, I want to see it happening.

We need proper labeling on all food products! From July this year, GM maize/corn can be legally imported into the EU for consumption, for animal feed and for processing. EU officials say it is safe. If it is safe, I doubt that they will label it. If one GM product is announced to be safe, what will stop the rest from entering the EU? Nothing..

I do hope that Carrefour's approach to GM is genuine and I do hope that other supermarket chains will follow suit!