Food Politics

[.invisible ink.]

I didn't write the following, but it's something I am passionate about so I wanted to pass this along for anyone else who cares about what's going on politically with our food systems in the United States and the world. So I'm starting out with an urgent plea to sign this petition.
Also, I would love to use this thread to discuss food politics in general such as those issues discussed by the journalist Michael Pollan in his books "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or "In Defense of Food" to name a few.

The following is from Food Democracy Now, http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/ :

President Obama has found himself with some strange bedfellows lately.


While on the campaign trail in Iowa, Barack Obama boasted, “We’ll tell ConAgra that it’s not the Department of Agribusiness. We’re going to put the people’s interests ahead of the special interests.”1 Despite that promise, it seems that ConAgra’s friends at Monsanto and CropLife are still finding their way into the USDA.


Last month, President Obama nominated two “Big Ag” power brokers–Roger Beachy and Islam Siddiqui–to key agency positions, putting agribusiness executives in charge of our country’s agricultural research and trade policy.


(http://fdn.actionkit.com/cms/sign/obama_monsanto_croplife/#1)
Please join us in telling the President that this isn’t the change we voted for. We don’t want Big Ag running the show any more (http://fdn.actionkit.com/cms/sign/obama_monsanto_croplife/#1).
Siddiqui’s confirmation hearing is set for next week. Please help us reach our goal of 50,000 signatures to make a real impact (http://fdn.actionkit.com/cms/sign/obama_monsanto_croplife/#1).


Obama’s first agribusiness selection is Roger Beachy, to be head of the USDA’s newly created National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Beachy is the founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO. It may sound innocuous, but the Danforth Center is essentially the non-profit arm of GMO seed giant Monsanto; Monsanto’s CEO sits on its board, and the company provides considerable funding for the Center’s operations.


As the head of the USDA’s new research arm, formerly known as the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CREES), Beachy is responsible for deciding how U.S. research dollars will be spent in agriculture. Translation: more research on biotech, less research on how to scale sustainable and organic agriculture.


Unfortunately, Beachy has already started work at the USDA, but the next nominee—Islam Siddiqui—still must be confirmed by the U.S.Senate. Siddiqui, the Vice President of Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, was recently nominated to be the Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the US Trade Representative.


Amazingly, when Michele Obama planted her “organic” garden on the White House lawn, Siddiqui’s CropLife MidAmerica said the pesticide-free garden made them “shudder”.


During his career, Siddiqui spent over 3 years as a pesticide lobbyist, an Undersecretary at the USDA and a VP at CropLife. In defending Siddiqui, the White House has stated that he played a key role in helping establish the country’s first organic standards. What they neglect to mention, though, is that those original organic standards would have allowed irradiation, sewage sludge and GMOs to undermine organic integrity! The standards were so watered down that 230,000 people signed a petition for them to be changed, which they eventually were.


Fortunately, the organic community stopped Siddiqui and his cronies then, and we need your help now to do it again. If Siddiqui’s nomination is allowed to go through, then agribusiness will continue to control the seeds, the science, and the distribution of global food and agriculture.


Please join Food Democracy Now! and a broad coalition of other groups, in calling on President Obama to keep his campaign promise of closing the revolving door between agribusiness and his administration (http://fdn.actionkit.com/cms/sign/obama_monsanto_croplife/#1).



Thanks for standing with us and our coalition partners from across the country, including: The Pesticide Action Network (PAN), National Family Farm Coalition, Food & Water Watch, Farmworker’s Association of Florida, Institute of Agriculture & Trade Policy, Greenpeace and the Center for Food Safety in calling for President Obama to live up to his promises to put people’s interests ahead of special interests
Sustainably Yours,
Dave, Lisa and the Food Democracy Now! Team.


Sources:
1. Obama slams corporate agriculture, two Illinois firms, The Chicago Tribune, November 10, 2007
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2007/11/obama_slams_corporate_agricult.html


2. Another Monsanto man in a key USDA post?, Grist, September 24, 2009
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-24-usda-obama-monsanto-organic/


3. A New Direction on Research at the USDA? The Experts Weigh In, The Huffington Post, October 15, 2009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/a-new-direction-on-resear_b_322243.html


4. Obama’s attempt to tap an agrichemical-industry flack runs into trouble, Grist, October 10, 2009
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-10-27-obama-Siddiqui-croplife/


5. Michelle’s green garden upsets pesticide makers, The First Post, April 23, 2009
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/47131,people,news,michellersquos-green-garden-upsets-pesticide-makers


6. Agriculture nomination steams greens, Politico, October 10, 2009
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28722.html


7. USDA Enters Debate on Organic Label Law, The New York Times, February 23, 2003 http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/26/dining/26WELL.html?ex=1047277541&ei=1&en=2%201d089423d2791bf

[wendjiqn]

After reading the title of this thread, i thought it would teach me all about politics using food. I'm disappointed now.

[wrppdarndyrfngr]

This is something I need to research more for sure.

I bought my mom "In Defence of Food" for her birthday. I need to see if she finished it I can read it.

[coryatlarge]

subscribin' to hopefully learn some more about this topic :-)

[saysmydoctor]

^what he said.

[.invisible ink.]

I will be happy to post articles/information/news relating to food politics in this thread now that I see that there is some interest. In my opinion, this is something that affects everyone and we should all be aware of what's taking place both locally and globally in regard to food systems and the politics which shape them.

I'm exhausted this evening but for starters I'll recommend the following movies to check out to get some insight on the topic:

Food Inc.
The Future of Food
King Corn
The Botany of Desire (which is playing on PBS this month - check your local PBS or get it from Netflix soon)
Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food
The Beautiful Truth (semi-related)
The World According to Monsanto

Here are some great books:
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

I also have tons of podcasts that I can post if anyone is interested. Anyway, that is a start. I'll be able to post more stuff over the weekend when I get back into town (I travel for a living so posting a plethora of articles I have saved at home is impossible from my work laptop).

I hope others join in and share their thoughts/info/insight/opinions/questions as well.

[.invisible ink.]

this is an interesting essay regarding fossil fuels in regard to the current industrialized agriculture system: http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/fossil-fuels.cfm

Here's a basic overview of industrial ag: http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/impacts_industrial_agriculture/industrial-agriculture-features.html

Another easy to read overview, The Seven Deadly Myths of Industrial Agriculture: http://www.alternet.org/globalization/13906/

[.invisible ink.]

Big Food vs Big Insurance: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=2

We Are What We Eat: http://www.ecoliteracy.org/publications/rsl/michael-pollan.html

[.invisible ink.]

Farm subsidies and their history and effect on the current agribusiness environment:
http://www.fee.org/pdf/the-freeman/0604Folsom.pdf
http://www.heritage.org/research/agriculture/bg1510.cfm
http://www.farmland.org/programs/farm-bill/history/usfarmsubsidies.asp


(http://www.alternet.org/action/)

When Cocaine and Monsanto's Pesticide Collide, the War on Drugs Becomes a Genetically-Modified War on Science
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/142495/when_cocaine_and_monsanto%27s_pesti cide_collide,_the_war_on_drugs_beco mes_a_genetically-modified_war_on_science/

Our Government, Monsanto & The Conspiracy To Slowly Kill Us!
Monsanto's Government Ties

A Monsanto official told the New York Times that the corporation should not have to take responsibility for the safety of its food products.

"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food," said Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."
It would be nice to think the FDA can be trusted with these matters, but think again. Monsanto has succeeded in insuring that government regulatory agencies let Monsanto do as it wishes.
Take a look:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/thomas.jpgClarence Thomas

Prior to being the Supreme Court Judge who put GW Bush in office, Clarence Thomas was Monsanto's lawyer.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/venemon.jpgAnne Veneman

Former US Secretary of Agriculture Anne Veneman was on the Board of Directors of Monsanto's Calgene Corporation.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/rumsfield.jpgDonald Rumsfeld

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was on the Board of Directors of Monsanto's Searle pharmaceuticals.

Tommy Thompson

http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/thompson.jpgFormer US Secretary of Health,Tommy Thompson, received $50,000 in donations from Monsanto during his winning campaign for Wisconsin's governor.
John Ashcroft

http://www.organicconsumers.org/images/ashcroft.jpgThe two congressmen receiving the most donations from Monsanto during the 2000 election were Larry Combest (Former Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee) and Missouri Senate candidate John Ashcroft (later to be named Attorney General). (Source: Dairy Education Board)
More Ties

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.
even more here: http://www.politicalfriendster.com/showPerson.php?id=238&name=Monsanto

Obama Caves to Agribusiness: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19325.cfm

[Machu505]

I'll be seeing Food, Inc. today, so I'll just start there.

[.invisible ink.]

I'll be seeing Food, Inc. today, so I'll just start there.

awesome! post your thoughts on it when you get a chance.

[neo506]

thanks for this thread

[&IllBeTheReason]

This is great, thanks for links.

[.invisible ink.]

thanks for this thread

This is great, thanks for links.

you are very welcome. i'll keep posting things when I get a chance.

here's a quick little something to get you thinking about the big picture of Big Food...

Did you know that Phillip Morris (http://www.phillipmorris.com/) owns and operates Kraft (http://www.kraftfoods.com/), Nabisco, Pepperidge Farms, Oscar Meyer, and Miller Brewing brands in addition to its line of tobacco products. Although the products themselves do not list Phillip Morris as the mother company (oftentimes, food items will list Kraft or Nabisco with no mention of the tobacco company), when an individual purchases these items, he/she is financially supporting the tobacco company that he/she may be consciously trying to avoid. In order to learn all the products that a particular company produces, the consumer must often investigate information beyond that which is given to the average consumer.

(read more here: http://ethics.emory.edu/news/archives/000150.html )

Think about it. Every purchase you make has an impact and your dollar goes somewhere. Make your dollars count, put them toward people or companies that you can feel good about.

[coryatlarge]

I will be happy to post articles/information/news relating to food politics in this thread now that I see that there is some interest. In my opinion, this is something that affects everyone and we should all be aware of what's taking place both locally and globally in regard to food systems and the politics which shape them.

I'm exhausted this evening but for starters I'll recommend the following movies to check out to get some insight on the topic:

Food Inc.
The Future of Food
King Corn
The Botany of Desire (which is playing on PBS this month - check your local PBS or get it from Netflix soon)
Bad Seed: The Truth About Our Food
The Beautiful Truth (semi-related)
The World According to Monsanto

Here are some great books:
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

I also have tons of podcasts that I can post if anyone is interested. Anyway, that is a start. I'll be able to post more stuff over the weekend when I get back into town (I travel for a living so posting a plethora of articles I have saved at home is impossible from my work laptop).

I hope others join in and share their thoughts/info/insight/opinions/questions as well.
I've seen these and I'll check out all the others. How do you feel about The Beautiful Truth? I am planning to get a juicer for Christmas and I think it will be great for me to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet.

[.invisible ink.]

I've seen these and I'll check out all the others. How do you feel about The Beautiful Truth? I am planning to get a juicer for Christmas and I think it will be great for me to get more fruits and vegetables in my diet.

I thought The Beautiful Truth was pretty good content-wise but I wasn't really stoked on the way it was done with the boy as the narrator, it came off slightly cheesy but with an important message. The diet that Max Gerson promotes is a fairly reasonable one (although I draw the line at coffee enemas, that's a bit out there for me). I don't think it can hurt to ingest more organic fruits and vegetables (in moderation). I think a vegan diet can be healthy for some people if you watch your soy intake (and of course any processed foods, be they vegan or not), which many don't do (including myself when i was a vegan for 3 years). Soy can really mess your hormones up so watch that, but yeah, increasing vegetable intake while decreasing processed food intake is something more people should do.

The part that stands out the most for me in The Beautiful Truth was about the cavity fillings in our mouths. That bothers me to no end. There's a lot to be aware of in this world and while it might not be possible to correct everything to our liking, I think it's important that people are aware of this sort of thing, otherwise we're really just like rats in someone's lab with no say whatsoever.

[.invisible ink.]

Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/science/10patch.html?_r=1&ref=global-home

You may have heard about the growing floating islands of man-made trash floating in our oceans but did you realize that when the plastics break down they end up in your food? Scary.

[coryatlarge]

I thought The Beautiful Truth was pretty good content-wise but I wasn't really stoked on the way it was done with the boy as the narrator, it came off slightly cheesy but with an important message. The diet that Max Gerson promotes is a fairly reasonable one (although I draw the line at coffee enemas, that's a bit out there for me). I don't think it can hurt to ingest more organic fruits and vegetables (in moderation). I think a vegan diet can be healthy for some people if you watch your soy intake (and of course any processed foods, be they vegan or not), which many don't do (including myself when i was a vegan for 3 years). Soy can really mess your hormones up so watch that, but yeah, increasing vegetable intake while decreasing processed food intake is something more people should do.

The part that stands out the most for me in The Beautiful Truth was about the cavity fillings in our mouths. That bothers me to no end. There's a lot to be aware of in this world and while it might not be possible to correct everything to our liking, I think it's important that people are aware of this sort of thing, otherwise we're really just like rats in someone's lab with no say whatsoever.
I feel pretty much exactly the same way haha. I wouldnt do the coffee enemas unless it was that or dying from cancer. I dont think i could do a vegan diet anyways but i think having more fruits and vegetables is always better for you. I've just been researching lately about soy milk and i had no idea a lot of the bad things that can come of it. What's your opinion on raw milk? I've never tried it and i here opposing arguements all the time that its extremely good for you or extremely bad for you.

Yeah the cavities bother me as well and I was so relieved when my dentist told me i dont have the amalgum fillings.

[.invisible ink.]

I feel pretty much exactly the same way haha. I wouldnt do the coffee enemas unless it was that or dying from cancer. I dont think i could do a vegan diet anyways but i think having more fruits and vegetables is always better for you. I've just been researching lately about soy milk and i had no idea a lot of the bad things that can come of it. What's your opinion on raw milk? I've never tried it and i here opposing arguements all the time that its extremely good for you or extremely bad for you.

Yeah the cavities bother me as well and I was so relieved when my dentist told me i dont have the amalgum fillings.

i'm a fan of raw milk (if you're going to consume dairy at all) but good luck finding it unless you're tight with a farmer nowadays! It's been outlawed in most states for political bullshit reasons (of course), but unless you have a weakened immune system and/or the milk has been improperly handled, it's supposedly just fine for most people and there are a lot of people who swear by it.

Here's a good blog post on why raw milk is illegal: http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A155882
and here's a site on raw milk facts (obviously biased towards raw milk but whatever): http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/

I personally am not a huge fan of dairy consumption in general and feel like it's not really all that natural for humans to consume it (although i do on occasion, just not that often). What other animal can you think of that continues to drink milk past infancy? Not to mention the fact that we're the only animals that consume *another* animal's milk - it was not designed for human consumption. It's just not natural, nor do i really feel it's all that healthy, despite what we've been brainwashed to think by the Dairy industry.

[coryatlarge]

i'm a fan of raw milk (if you're going to consume dairy at all) but good luck finding it unless you're tight with a farmer nowadays! It's been outlawed in most states for political bullshit reasons (of course), but unless you have a weakened immune system and/or the milk has been improperly handled, it's supposedly just fine for most people and there are a lot of people who swear by it.

Here's a good blog post on why raw milk is illegal: http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A155882
and here's a site on raw milk facts (obviously biased towards raw milk but whatever): http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/

I personally am not a huge fan of dairy consumption in general and feel like it's not really all that natural for humans to consume it (although i do on occasion, just not that often). What other animal can you think of that continues to drink milk past infancy? Not to mention the fact that we're the only animals that consume *another* animal's milk - it was not designed for human consumption. It's just not natural, nor do i really feel it's all that healthy, despite what we've been brainwashed to think by the Dairy industry.
Ahh I see. Yeah I dont like milk anyways and dont think its good for you but I heard about raw milk and figured it might be better but you bring up very good points. What would you say is your favorite site for buying healthy products, finding articles on this stuff, etc.? I like http://www.mercola.com/ but I really dont know any other sites and that guy seems to have a pretty good idea about most things.

Also sorry it takes me so long to quote you. For some reason every time I come in here I see you've quoted me but it doenst show up in my who quoted me. Weird.

[.invisible ink.]

Ahh I see. Yeah I dont like milk anyways and dont think its good for you but I heard about raw milk and figured it might be better but you bring up very good points. What would you say is your favorite site for buying healthy products, finding articles on this stuff, etc.? I like http://www.mercola.com/ but I really dont know any other sites and that guy seems to have a pretty good idea about most things.

Also sorry it takes me so long to quote you. For some reason every time I come in here I see you've quoted me but it doenst show up in my who quoted me. Weird.

no worries! :) i'm just stoked to be able to converse about these topics with someone who's interested!

I've read mercola before but it feels sort of sales-pitchy to me overall so i don't really love it. One of my favorite sites is http://www.whfoods.com (http://www.whfoods.com/) but it's really just for healthy foods, not supplements or research. http://www.organicfacts.net/ is a really good site for articles about natural foods and their benefits. It's a bit more in-depth article-wise than whfoods. Check it out.

I buy pretty much all my supplements, natural products, etc. from http://www.iherb.com (http://www.iherb.com/) . I absolutely love them for their prices and their shipping is super speedy not to mention the abundance of reviews from people who've tried the products. Geez, I sound like I work for them, lol. I don't, I just really dig them and recommend them wholeheartedly.

Generally though if there's something that catches my attention or I have an interest in learning more about stuff i just use google and go with the least biased site i can find to learn more. I dig wikipedia a lot too, but I guess you kind of have to have a specific goal in mind before searching it.

This is a great site for reading about the latest things going on with food safety as well as nutrition that I recommend for general reading purposes: http://cspinet.org/index.html , let me know what you think if you decide to check out any of them.

edit: holy shit, i just checked out your blog. sweet post on earthships! when i was in college I spent a summer in Napa Valley building a strawbale house. it's awesome that you're into that stuff. I am really into sustainable housing, permaculture, and the like. have you gotten a chance to do anything hands-on yet with sustainable housing?

[coryatlarge]

no worries! :) i'm just stoked to be able to converse about these topics with someone who's interested!

I've read mercola before but it feels sort of sales-pitchy to me overall so i don't really love it. One of my favorite sites is http://www.whfoods.com (http://www.whfoods.com/) but it's really just for healthy foods, not supplements or research. http://www.organicfacts.net/ is a really good site for articles about natural foods and their benefits. It's a bit more in-depth article-wise than whfoods. Check it out.

I buy pretty much all my supplements, natural products, etc. from http://www.iherb.com (http://www.iherb.com/) . I absolutely love them for their prices and their shipping is super speedy not to mention the abundance of reviews from people who've tried the products. Geez, I sound like I work for them, lol. I don't, I just really dig them and recommend them wholeheartedly.

Generally though if there's something that catches my attention or I have an interest in learning more about stuff i just use google and go with the least biased site i can find to learn more. I dig wikipedia a lot too, but I guess you kind of have to have a specific goal in mind before searching it.

This is a great site for reading about the latest things going on with food safety as well as nutrition that I recommend for general reading purposes: http://cspinet.org/index.html , let me know what you think if you decide to check out any of them.

edit: holy shit, i just checked out your blog. sweet post on earthships! when i was in college I spent a summer in Napa Valley building a strawbale house. it's awesome that you're into that stuff. I am really into sustainable housing, permaculture, and the like. have you gotten a chance to do anything hands-on yet with sustainable housing?
Yeah exactly if its not on his website then mercola says its bad for you or the only way you can get real cod liver oil is through his site because all the other kinds arent as good! Thanks for the links i'll be sure to check them out tomorrow when i'm not so sleepy :-)

And thanks! i just found out about earthships about a year ago and i have yet to visit one or do anything with sustainable housing :-(. I know for a fact that there are at least 4 earthships in colorado but its just a matter of contacting the person and asking if they would show me around haha. I would love to check out the community or whatever its called in Taos but looking into it they charge you about $400 dollars just to have a "training" session.
But yeah i would love to build an earthship its just i dont really have a set place i want to live and i dont want to have to "settle down" for a few years so i probably wont build one for myself for some time but I am hoping to be more involved in stuff like this after i move out of my hometown this summer. I'm going to CSU and hopfully I will be able to meet more like minded people. Glad i met you on here though, you seem to know whats up :-)

[.invisible ink.]

Yeah exactly if its not on his website then mercola says its bad for you or the only way you can get real cod liver oil is through his site because all the other kinds arent as good! Thanks for the links i'll be sure to check them out tomorrow when i'm not so sleepy :-)

And thanks! i just found out about earthships about a year ago and i have yet to visit one or do anything with sustainable housing :-(. I know for a fact that there are at least 4 earthships in colorado but its just a matter of contacting the person and asking if they would show me around haha. I would love to check out the community or whatever its called in Taos but looking into it they charge you about $400 dollars just to have a "training" session.
But yeah i would love to build an earthship its just i dont really have a set place i want to live and i dont want to have to "settle down" for a few years so i probably wont build one for myself for some time but I am hoping to be more involved in stuff like this after i move out of my hometown this summer. I'm going to CSU and hopfully I will be able to meet more like minded people. Glad i met you on here though, you seem to know whats up :-)

There are lots of workshops around the country (and the world) that focus on sustainable housing and permaculture practices. Actually building an earthship for yourself would take a lot of consideration and funds since they're not eligible for any sort of financing that I'm aware of, so you'd have to own your land and then finance the cost outright. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for homeowner's insurance for the property either, but that's something to deal with down the line. It's just those reality things that makes it even harder to accomplish, but it's still possible, if you really want it. Anyway, I'm at work right now so I can't really give as in-depth of a post as I'd like to, but I'd be happy to point you in the right direction as far as places/organizations to check out when I get home later.

[coryatlarge]

There are lots of workshops around the country (and the world) that focus on sustainable housing and permaculture practices. Actually building an earthship for yourself would take a lot of consideration and funds since they're not eligible for any sort of financing that I'm aware of, so you'd have to own your land and then finance the cost outright. I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for homeowner's insurance for the property either, but that's something to deal with down the line. It's just those reality things that makes it even harder to accomplish, but it's still possible, if you really want it. Anyway, I'm at work right now so I can't really give as in-depth of a post as I'd like to, but I'd be happy to point you in the right direction as far as places/organizations to check out when I get home later.
Yeah Colorado has regulations about earthships but they vary by county so someone in one county can build one no problem but in the next county over another person can't. I would really appreciate some info on that stuff! I would love to just do some volunteer stuff and learn how to build different types. If I could afford it I was going to try and volunteer for the earthship builders but you have to pay for everything including food, housing, and airfare.

[.invisible ink.]

Yeah Colorado has regulations about earthships but they vary by county so someone in one county can build one no problem but in the next county over another person can't. I would really appreciate some info on that stuff! I would love to just do some volunteer stuff and learn how to build different types. If I could afford it I was going to try and volunteer for the earthship builders but you have to pay for everything including food, housing, and airfare.

i haven't forgotten about replying to you but this week has been a complete and total nightmare for me so i promise i will get back to you soon but i can't wrap my head around anything that isn't mindless this evening. sorry.

[coryatlarge]

i haven't forgotten about replying to you but this week has been a complete and total nightmare for me so i promise i will get back to you soon but i can't wrap my head around anything that isn't mindless this evening. sorry.
No problem! I totally understand.

[.invisible ink.]

No problem! I totally understand.

[/URL][URL]http://www.naturalhomes.org/learning-earthship.htm (http://www.naturalhomes.org/learning-straw.htm) check this out, there's even some free options, if you can figure out ways to get there. You could always contact some of the non-free courses and see if there is any way you can intern with them. I've attended workshops where some of the people who are assisting the people running the program actually live on-site either in tents on the property or in an extra bedroom and do chores etc. to help pay the bills, but they are there learning for free. It's definitely an option worth considering over a summer when you're not in school.

Do a search on permaculture design courses and you'll find a ton of stuff that relates.

[.invisible ink.]

From the Organic Consumer Association and Treehugger.com:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/11/obama-cites-michael-pollan.php

Quote of the Week Will Obama Walk His Talk on Organics?

"I was just reading an article in the New York Times by Michael Pollan about food and the fact that our entire agricultural system is built on cheap oil. As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it's creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they're contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs."
-Barack Obama, campaigning for the Presidency, during an interview with Joe Klei in TIME, October 23, 2008


New York Times Echoes OCA's Charges Against Biotech and Sewage Sludge Advocate Siddiqui

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/opinion/04wed4.html?_r=1
Editorial Questions for a Trade Official

When Islam Siddiqui appears for his Senate confirmation, possibly as early as next week, it will be time for some tough questions.
The White House has nominated Mr. Siddiqui for the position of chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the United States trade representative. He is presently a vice president at CropLife America, a coalition of the major industrial players in the pesticide industry, including Syngenta, Monsanto, Dow Chemical and DuPont. That job doesn’t seem to square with the Obama administration’s professed interest in more sustainable, less chemically dependent approaches to agriculture.


Nor does much of the rest of Mr. Siddiqui’s résumé. The White House has touted his role in the first phase of developing national organic standards. But those standards, as they first emerged in draft form in the Clinton years, were notoriously loose about allowing genetically engineered crops and the use of sewage-sludge fertilizers to be labeled as “organic.”


There’s no disputing Mr. Siddiqui’s experience in government — in California and at the national level. But the business of CropLife — an arm of which openly scoffed at Michelle Obama’s plans for an organic garden — is to increase exports of agricultural chemicals.
This seems too narrow a perspective given the administration’s interest in the more organic approach favored by many consumers and farmers — an interest reflected not only by Mrs. Obama but by the appointment of Kathleen Merrigan, an advocate of sustainable agriculture, as deputy agriculture secretary.


Everyone wants a pesticide backup, much like an antibiotic when diseases get out of control. But there are other ways to control pests — more diversity in crop production and rotation, for instance — besides chemicals. The negotiator we need is someone who can represent a broad view of American agriculture.

[.invisible ink.]

More on Michael Pollan
Video: Michael Pollan, Taking a Plant's Perspective (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/michael_pollan_ted_video.php)
Michael Pollan: Read it and Eat! (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/michael-pollan-rom.php)
Biofuels, Food, and Sustainability Examined: Michael Pollan Interviewed by Yale Univ. (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/michael-pollan-yale-interview.php)
Michael Pollan on What Sustainability is Really About (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/michael_pollan_5.php)
Michael Pollan: The Government Makes You Fat (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/michael_pollan_4.php)
Quote of the Day: Michael Pollan on Eating (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/08/michael_pollan.php)
Michael
Pollan On Organics at Wal-Mart (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/michael_pollan_1.php)
More on Monsanto
Monsanto Dumping Bovine Growth Hormone (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/monsanto-dumping-posilac.php)
Monstrous Harvest: "The World According to Monsanto" Movie Review (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/world_according_to_monsanto_review. php)
Wal-Mart To Monsanto 'No Thanks For The Bovine Growth Hormone (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/walmart-monsanto-milk-growth-hormones.php)
Monsanto pays $1M for GMO bribe (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/monsanto_pays_1.php)
Business Week on Monsanto, Pickens (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/business-week-monsanto-pickens.php)
Monsanto House of the Future (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/04/monsanto_house_1.php)
Monsanto’s Monopoly Challenged in Munich (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/monsantos_monop.php)
Battles over Bovine Growth Hormones (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/05/battles_over_bo.php)

(http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/got_hormones_ho_1.php)

[oldwirehands]

Although this is a really important topic, it really makes me sick to read about it.

[.invisible ink.]

Although this is a really important topic, it really makes me sick to read about it.

it's important to know so you can do something about it, or at least give it your best shot.

[oldwirehands]

it's important to know so you can do something about it, or at least give it your best shot.

Over the past year I've become extremely pessimistic and don't believe any in real action is going to change anything. I think the greatest act is to do absolutely nothing. Thats besides any extreme action anyways.

[.invisible ink.]

Over the past year I've become extremely pessimistic and don't believe any in real action is going to change anything. I think the greatest act is to do absolutely nothing. Thats besides any extreme action anyways.

you may be exactly right but I personally have a really hard time going through life thinking that all is a lost cause. I already tend toward the negative so it sends me into a spinning deep dark depression when I think of all the bad in the world and how there is nothing that can be done. This is one thing that can be easily done pretty easily on a personal level - supporting companies/organizations/practices that you can feel good about or at least better about and just keeping informed. Sure, it's not perfect, but nothing really is.

we do too much burying our heads in the sand as it is. for what? so we can be the pawns that the politicians and corporations want us to be? Slave away at meaningless jobs trying to scrape enough money together to take care of ourselves and if we're lucky, our families, and ignore the actual world that's going on around us? That's the easiest way to give them what they want. As cliche as it is, knowledge is power and I don't know about you, but I'm not going out without a fight.

[oldwirehands]

you may be exactly right but I personally have a really hard time going through life thinking that all is a lost cause. I already tend toward the negative so it sends me into a spinning deep dark depression when I think of all the bad in the world and how there is nothing that can be done. This is one thing that can be easily done pretty easily on a personal level - supporting companies/organizations/practices that you can feel good about or at least better about and just keeping informed. Sure, it's not perfect, but nothing really is.

we do too much burying our heads in the sand as it is. for what? so we can be the pawns that the politicians and corporations want us to be? Slave away at meaningless jobs trying to scrape enough money together to take care of ourselves and if we're lucky, our families, and ignore the actual world that's going on around us? That's the easiest way to give them what they want. As cliche as it is, knowledge is power and I don't know about you, but I'm not going out without a fight.

I used to let it get me depressed but I've come to an understanding that the world is on a set path and nothing is going to stop it. I still keep up with the news but simply for entertainment. At least until people decide to fight back with force. People can talk, yell, march, and whatnot to try and make a change, but doing that is the equivalent of throwing a rock at a tank. A revolution against the Bourgeois is in order to shift the direction of our future.

I still follow my beliefs in boycotting, which I guess could be a form of activism, but I also understand that its meaningless and its not going to change anything. So unless there is a group that is willing to take some real action against those who are really in power, I will just sit back and enjoy what I like to call "the greatest show on Earth".

[.invisible ink.]

3bObItmxAGc

[.invisible ink.]

France Finds Monsanto Guilty of Lying:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8308903.stm

France's highest court has ruled that US agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its best-selling weed-killer, Roundup.
The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto had falsely advertised its herbicide as "biodegradable" and claimed it "left the soil clean".
The company was fined 15,000 euros (£13,800; $22,400). It has yet to comment on the judgment.
Roundup is the world's best-selling herbicide.
Monsanto also sells crops genetically-engineered to be tolerant to Roundup.
French environmental groups had brought the case in 2001 on the basis that glyphosate, Roundup's main ingredient, is classed as "dangerous for the environment" by the European Union.
In the latest ruling, France's Supreme Court upheld two earlier convictions against Monsanto by the Lyon criminal court in 2007, and the Lyon court of appeal in 2008, the AFP news agency reports.
Earlier this month, Monsanto reported a fourth quarter loss of $233m (£147m), driven mostly by a drop in sales of its Roundup brand.


So What's the Problem With Roundup?

They say: "It's Safer than Mowing"; "Biodegradable";"Environmentally Friendly"
Some Important Facts You Should Know
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is the third most commonly-reported cause of pesticide illness among agricultural workers in California.
Glyphosate is the most commonly reported cause of pesticide illness among landscape maintenance workers in California.
The surfactant ingredient in Roundup is more acutely toxic than glyphosate itself and the combination of the two is yet more toxic.
Glyphosate is suspected of causing genetic damage.
Glyphosate is acutely toxic to fish and birds and can kill beneficial insects and soil organisms that maintain ecological balance.
Laboratory studies have identified adverse effects of glyphosate-containing products in all standard categories of toxicological testing.
Glyphosate residues in soil can persist over a year.
Glyphosate residues has been found in strawberries, wild blueberries and raspberries, lettuce, carrots and barley.
Glyphosate has been measured 1,300 - 2,600 feet away from its application site.
This year Monsanto, manufacturer of Roundup, agreed with the New York Attorney General's office to discontinue their use of the terms "biodegradable" and "environmentally friendly" in ads promoting glyphosate-based products, including Roundup.Effective and Safe Alternatives Exist!For more information, contact the Ecology Center.
Sources:
Cox, Caroline. 1995. Glyphosate, Pt. 1: Toxicology
Journal of Pesticide Reform Vol.15, No.3:14 -20
Cox, Caroline. 1995. Glyphosate, Pt. 2: Human Exposure and Ecological Effects
Journal of Pesticide Reform Vol.15, No.4:14-19
Moses,Marion. 1995. Designer Poisons

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8308903.stm

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19672.cfm

In honor of Thanksgiving...

Thanking Indigenous People for the Food We Eat:

This Thanksgiving, the Organic Consumers Association gives thanks to the indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere for their contributions to agriculture.


75% of the food crops (http://kporterfield.com/aicttw/index.html) grown in the world today were first cultivated by Native Americans. These include corn (http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/cornhusk.html), beans (http://www.usda.gov/news/pubs/indians/intro.htm), peanuts (http://www.peanutsusa.org.uk/Europe/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.page&pid=59), cotton (http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=200878), potatoes (http://www.gourmet.com/travel/2009/04/perus-potato-park), tomatoes (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/tomato.html), chili peppers (http://www.naturalnews.com/021757.html), avocados (http://www.american-indians.net/empires.htm), blueberries (http://www.wildblueberries.net/bluehistory.html), cranberries (http://www.motherlindas.com/cranberries.htm), strawberries (http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheOriginofStrawberries-Cherokee.html), squashes (http://food.change.org/blog/view/three_sisters_corn_beans_and_squash ), black walnuts (http://ourohio.org/neighbors/learn-about-farms/niche-farming/the-market-for-black-walnuts/), pecans (http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/american_native_pecan/), chocolate (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sci-tech/central-american-indian-beer-makers-created-chocolate-3000-years-ago_1004786.html), tobacco (http://nativeamericanfirstnationshistory.s uite101.com/article.cfm/scared_smoke), rubber (http://www.rubber-stichting.info/art3nr17.html), and sunflowers (http://www.sunflowernsa.com/all-about/default.asp?contentID=41).
In "Pristine Nature (http://www.rangemagazine.com/features/spring-05/pristinenaturehtml.htm): The Founding Falsehood," Steven H. Rich explains that the New World that European colonists believed was a miraculous wilderness was actually a "human-created landscape full of food and useful plants":

Native Americans had managed the woodlands and grasslands to produce native game animals, native birds and fish, berries, nuts, greens, fruits, bulbs, corns, mushrooms, roots, basketry and cordage materials, firewood, weapon-making and building materials, medicines and ceremonially important plants.
Many 'wild' native plants that exist today are in fact the products of ancient Native American genetic selection and propagation projects that favored better-tasting and more useful varieties.
Popular belief that pre-Columbian America was a "pristine wilderness" is false and based on racist stereotypes that reduce the highly successful and extremely intelligent adaptations and achievements of Native American societies to the instinctual behavior of wildlife or "nobel savages in a state of nature."
Native American elders remember better times. "The white man sure ruined this country," said Southern Sierra Miwok elder Jim Rust. "It's turned back to wilderness. In the old days there used to be lots more game: deer, quail, gray squirrels and rabbits."
There are no "spontaneous Edens" on earth. The New World paradises were created by the sweat of millions of Native Americans caring for their land.Today, indigenous farmers (ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/MI/soc/USDA%20Overview%20Indigenous%20Farm ers%20Conf.pdf) remain the custodians of an immeasurable wealth of biodiversity (http://www.indigenousportal.com/Conference-of-the-Parties-COP-9/COP9-IIFB-Statement-on-Agriculture-Biodiversity.html).

[.invisible ink.]

Great piece in the NY Times in honor of Thanksgiving: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/24/opinion/about-a-bird.html

[.invisible ink.]

Turkey Factory Farms

http://www.goveg.com/photos/240-ffturkeys2.jpg Turkeys are packed together so tightly that they often can’t even spread their wings.
Every year in the United States, 300 million turkeys are killed for their flesh. Almost all spend their entire lives on factory farms and have no federal legal protection. http://www.goveg.com/images/quote-FFTurkey2.gif
Turkeys raised on factory farms are hatched in large incubators and never see their mothers or feel the warmth of a nest. When they are only a few weeks old, they are moved into filthy, windowless sheds with thousands of other turkeys, where they will spend the rest of their lives. To keep the birds from killing one another in such crowded conditions, parts of the turkeys’ toes and beaks are cut off, as are the males’ snoods (the flap of skin under the chin). All this is done without any pain relievers—imagine having the skin under your chin chopped off with a pair of scissors. Millions of turkeys don’t even make it past the first few weeks of life in a factory farm before succumbing to “starve-out,” a stress-induced condition that causes young birds to simply stop eating.
Turkeys are bred, drugged, and genetically manipulated to grow as large as possible as quickly as possible to increase profits. According to one industry publication, modern turkeys grow so quickly that if a 7 pound human baby grew at the same rate, the infant would weigh 1,500 pounds at just 18 weeks of age. Turkeys are now so obese that they cannot reproduce naturally; instead, all the turkeys who are born in the United States today are conceived through artificial insemination. Read “My Day Working as a Turkey Breeder,” a first hand account of this cruel process (http://www.peta.org/feat/turk2004/artificialturkeys.html).
http://www.goveg.com/photos/240-ffturkeys3.jpg The large amount of feces in the shed causes an ammonia buildup that severely burns turkeys’ skin.
Their unnaturally large size also causes many turkeys to die from organ failure or heart attacks before they are even 6 months old. According an investigative report in the Wall Street Journal about the miserable conditions on turkey farms, “It’s common in a rearing house to find a dead bird surrounded by four others whose hearts failed after they watched the first one ‘fall back and go into convulsions, with its wings flapping wildly.’” When they grow so obese that their legs can’t even support their own weight, turkeys may become crippled—some of these birds starve to death within inches of water.
When turkeys fall ill because of the filthy conditions or become crippled under their own weight, farmers walk through the shed to cull the slow-growing animals (so that they don’t eat any more food). A PETA investigation in Minnesota, the number-one turkey-producing state in the country, revealed that the manager of the farm repeatedly used a metal pipe to bludgeon 12-week-old turkeys who were lame, injured, ill, or otherwise unsuitable for slaughter and consumption. The injured birds were thrown onto piles of other dead and dying birds then tossed into a wheelbarrow for disposal. Birds who were overlooked were kicked or beaten with pliers or had their necks wrung—all in full view of other terrified birds. When the Minnesota Turkey Growers came to the defense of the farmer, the local district attorney refused to prosecute.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.sphere.com/2009/11/25/plant-cited-in-waffle-shortage-had-listeria-problem/.. (http://www.sphere.com/2009/11/25/)

(Nov. 25) -- According to Kellogg, the nationwide shortage of Eggo waffles (http://www.sphere.com/2009/11/19/how-to-survive-a-world-without-waffles/) is due to technical difficulties: equipment problems in one factory, a flood in another. But the deluge at the plant in Atlanta happened just two weeks after health inspectors discovered potentially lethal bacteria there.

As the Web turned its gaze to this rare -- and potentially amusing -- disruption in the food supply, Kellogg made no mention of the Georgia Agriculture Department's discovery (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm181301.htm) of listeria in Eggo Buttermilk Waffles produced in the Atlanta bakery. About 4,500 cases of waffles had been recalled.

The foodborne pathogen kills one out of five of those who contract listeriosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But Kellogg, which claims about 65 percent of the frozen waffle market, says no one was reported sickened by the iconic round waffles.

Phil Coale, AP
Kellogg's failure to tell consumers about the listeria outbreak in its explanations for the waffle delay has angered some consumer activists and food safety specialists.

There is no law requiring Kellogg to inform consumers of the setback, but "it was a significant sin of omission," said Sarah Klein, a food safety lawyer with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

"This is the kind of information that a company shouldn't conceal from the consumer," Klein said. "Even though Kellogg apparently believes listeria presents no health threat, the public has a right to know."

The specialist in public issues of food safety litigation also called the flood "a convenient smoke screen to the pathogen problem."

Kellogg disputes the criticism.

"We disagree," said Kris Charles, a company spokesperson. "We've been up front about the early September recall as well as the reasons for the plant downtime for restoration after recall and after the flood."

But Klein and others said that even if the listeria was isolated in one tiny area of the plant, the fast-rising flood water could have spread the bacteria throughout the plant.

Charles said the plant had been cleaned of listeria before the water rose on Sept. 23, and Georgia officials and the Food and Drug Administration cleared the waffle plant to start baking.

The company says it hopes to have store shelves packed early in the year.

Earlier this month, Kellogg was accused of a bizarre case of misleading the public and jumping on the H1N1 scare when it shipped its popular kid's cereal with labels proclaiming "Support Your Child's Immunity" with its cereal that adds vitamins A, B, C and E.

"Kellogg and other companies of its size should not only be expected to be a leader in food safety, but also in communicating with integrity to its consumers," said CSPI's Klein.

[coryatlarge]

http://www.naturalhomes.org/learning-earthship.htm check this out, there's even some free options, if you can figure out ways to get there. You could always contact some of the non-free courses and see if there is any way you can intern with them. I've attended workshops where some of the people who are assisting the people running the program actually live on-site either in tents on the property or in an extra bedroom and do chores etc. to help pay the bills, but they are there learning for free. It's definitely an option worth considering over a summer when you're not in school.

Do a search on permaculture design courses and you'll find a ton of stuff that relates.
hey! thanks for this. sorry i havent been in here at all. i'll look into this more. i just picked up in defense of food and the omnivores dilemma this weekend so i'm starting those :-) have you seen the movie blue gold? its semi related to food politics in that agriculture has become industrialized and uses huge amounts of water and how displacing this water is effecting the planet. pretty interesting, if you havent seen it yet its up on instant watch on netflix.

[anthonydarko]

Hmm I'll keep my eye on this thread.

[.invisible ink.]

hey! thanks for this. sorry i havent been in here at all. i'll look into this more. i just picked up in defense of food and the omnivores dilemma this weekend so i'm starting those :-) have you seen the movie blue gold? its semi related to food politics in that agriculture has become industrialized and uses huge amounts of water and how displacing this water is effecting the planet. pretty interesting, if you havent seen it yet its up on instant watch on netflix.

awesome, i'm glad you picked up those two books - they're fantastic and will most likely change the way you think about food and the world. I recommend everyone read them.

I hadn't heard of that movie but I'm adding it to my netflix queue, it sounds really good. i'll let you know what i think of it when i watch it.

[coryatlarge]

awesome, i'm glad you picked up those two books - they're fantastic and will most likely change the way you think about food and the world. I recommend everyone read them.

I hadn't heard of that movie but I'm adding it to my netflix queue, it sounds really good. i'll let you know what i think of it when i watch it.
yeah i am about finished with in defense of food and i'm going to try to loan it out to everybody. cool i hope you like it!

[.invisible ink.]

Tom Vilsack gets an earful about GMOs. This article is hilarious (and awesome).

http://www.moffa.org/articles/article/7208544/133561.htm

Vilsack Mistakenly Pitched "GMOs-Feed-The-World" to an Audience of Experts--Oops

27 Oct 2009
By Jeffrey Smith
Author and founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology
October 13, 2009

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was getting lots of appreciative applause and head nods from the packed hall at the Community Food Security Coalition conference today, held in Des Moines, Iowa. He described the USDA's plans to improve school nutrition, support local food systems, and work with the Justice Department to review the impact of corporate agribusiness on small farmers. But then, with time for only one more question, I was handed the microphone.

"Mr. Secretary, may I ask a tough question on GMOs?"

He said yes.

"The American Academy of Environmental Medicine this year said that genetically modified foods, according to animal studies, are causally linked to accelerated aging, dysfunctional immune regulation, organ damage, gastrointestinal distress, and immune system damage. A study came out by the Union of Concerned Scientists confirming what we all know, that genetically modified crops, on average, reduce yield. A USDA report from 2006 showed that farmers don't actually increase income from GMOs, but many actually lose income. And for the last several years, the United States has been forced to spend $3-$5 billion per year to prop up the prices of the GM crops no one wants.

"When you were appointed Secretary of Agriculture, many of our mutual friends--I live in Iowa and was proud to have you as our governor--assured me that you have an open mind and are very reasonable and forward thinking. And so I was very excited that you had taken this position as Secretary of Agriculture. And I'm wondering, have you ever heard this information? Where do you get your information about GMOs? And are you willing to take a delegation in D.C. to give you this hard evidence about how GMOs have actually failed us, that they've been put onto the market long before the science is ready, and it's time to put it back into the laboratory until they've done their homework."

The room erupted into the loudest applause of the morning.
Secretary Vilsack knew at once what kind of crowd he was dealing with. Or so I thought.
He said he was willing to visit with folks, to read studies, to learn as much as he possibly can. He pointed out that there are lots of studies, not necessarily consistent, even conflicting. He said he was in the process of working on a set of regulations and had brought proponents and opponents together to search for common ground. And he was looking to create a regulatory system with sufficient assurances and protections.
At this point in his answer, Secretary Vilsack, who has a history of favoring GMOs--and even appears to be more pro-GMO than his Bush administration predecessors--was trying to sound even handed. Then he made a tragic mistake.

After a slight pause, he added in a warm tone, "I will tell you that the world is very concerned about the ever-increasing population of the globe and the capacity to be able to feed all of those people."

Moans, groans, hisses, even boos. Not rowdy, mind you. But clearly agitated.
You see, the people in the room were among the top experts at actually feeding the world. They included numerous PhDs who had spent their careers looking deeply into the issue. Among those present were several of the authors of the authoritative IAASTD report. The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, is the most comprehensive evaluation of world agriculture ever. It was a three-year collaborative effort with 900 participants and 110 countries, and was co-sponsored by all the majors, e.g. the World Bank, FAO, UNESCO, WHO. The behemoth effort evaluated the last 50 years of agriculture, and prescribed the methods that were now needed to meet the development and sustainability goals of reducing hunger and poverty, improving nutrition, health and rural livelihoods, and facilitating social and environmental sustainability.

And GMOs was not one of those needed methods! It was clear to the experts that the current generation of GMOs did not live up to the hype continuously broadcast by biotech companies and their promotional East Coast wing--the federal government.
In fact, the night before Vilsack addressed the conference, the same audience heard a keynote by Hans Herren, the co-chairman of the IAASTD report, during which he reiterated that biotechnology was not up to the task. And this morning, Hans Herren was in the room when Vilsack tried to play the feed-the-world card. Bad move.

Vilsack responded to the crowd's rejection by saying, "And well you all can disagree with this, but I am just telling you this. As I travel the world, I am just telling you what people are telling me. They are very concerned about this."

Thus, he distanced himself from the contentious, and fallacious, argument. He was just reporting what others had told him.
And that may in fact be his problem with understanding the serious health and environmental dangers of GMOs in general, if he is simply, as he says, repeating what others--Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont--have told him over and over again.

It's true that I have mutual friends of Tom Vilsack who like and respect him and believe him to be reasonable and thoughtful. I have seen this myself, but not on the GMO issue.

Perhaps the reaction of the experts this morning will help to jar him out of his GMOs-feed-the-world mindset. Unfortunately, he is now deeply immersed in the second of this week's food conferences here in Des Moines, the World Food Prize. It features the major GMO promoters from around the world, including Bill Gates (who gives tens of millions to GMO development in Africa), and top executives of DuPont and Syngenta.
Expect to hear constant chatter about how GMOs are the solution to world hunger which, unfortunately, may undue any of the restructuring that this morning's run-in with reality may have awakened.

In the meantime, if there are Q & A sessions at meetings where Secretary Vilsack is speaking or attending, I'll do my best to get to a mic.

------------------------------------------------------
International bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology. His first book, Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating, is the world's bestselling and #1 rated book on GMOs. His second, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, documents 65 health risks of the GM foods Americans eat everyday. Both are distributed by Chelsea Green Publishing.

[.invisible ink.]

Williamsburg Brooklyn hipsters become farmers:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/16/fashion/16farmer.html

"The Billyburg scene has changed, said Annaliese Griffin, who contributes to a blog called Grocery Guy (http://www.groceryguy.blogspot.com/). “Having a cool cheese in your fridge has taken the place of knowing what the cool band is, or even of playing in that band,” she said. “Our rock stars are ricotta makers.”"

[.invisible ink.]

This is a serious issue that many people are unaware of. This affects pet owners, small farmers, and most of all, you and your rights.

The National Animal Identification System

WHAT IS NAIS?

The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is designed to identify all livestock animals and poultry and track their movements. When the program is fully implemented, the USDA claims that NAIS will be able to identify all premises on which animals and poultry are located, and all animals that have had contact with a disease of concern, within 48 hours of discovery. In reality, NAIS provides no food safety benefit and threatens small-scale organic farmers and ranchers, while accelerating farm consolidation and benefiting factory farms.
NAIS creates expensive and time-consuming tagging and reporting requirements for small farms

NAIS requirements are particularly expensive and burdensome for those farmers raising sustainable livestock on pasture. Ultimately, this will reduce the availability of grass-fed meats, eggs, and milk. In many cases, the tagging and reporting costs for small farmers would exceed the value of the animals. Certified organic and pasture raised animals would likely be forced into confinement for ranchers and farmers adequately implement the ID program. Without access to pasture, many ranches will be disqualified from the USDA National Organic Program and consumers will have less choice when purchasing meat and dairy.NAIS favors factory farms and will spurn the further consolidation of family farms and ranches

Proposed NAIS regulations favor factory farms and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Feedlots to battery cage operations are already highly computerized from feed to slaughter. Corporate factory farms have the capital and infraestructure to purchase and implement the costly NAIS regulations with little or no impact on their profit margin. Small and medium-scale farms and ranches will either have to expand and eliminate sustainable ranching practices, like pasture raising their animals, to compete with CAFOs and other factory farms, or simply disappear.
NAIS does nothing to improve food safety for consumers or prevent animal diseases

The USDA's stated goal of NAIS "to be able to identify all animals and premises that have had contact with a foreign or domestic animal disease of concern within 48 hours after discovery." Yet the program is silent on how that information would be used to prevent or control disease outbreaks. This program is a one-size-fits-all program developed by and for big Agribusiness. NAIS will increase consolidation of our food supply in the hands of a few large companies and put the brakes on the growing movement toward local food systems. While purported to be a safety-focused imitative, NAIS does not address the threats to food safety or animal welfare. In lieu of regulating factory farms, antibiotic abuse, manure discharge, or Mad Cow (http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.cfm), the USDA is merely going to track and segregate this food safety crisis.
NAIS is a multi-million dollar subsidy program for agribusiness, tag manufacturers and database companies, at the expense of farmers and taxpayers

In addition to massive Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), other agribusiness corporations are promoting NAIS. Included in this list is the National Institute of Animal Agriculture (NIAA), an industry organization that includes "a who's who of agribusiness": Cargill, Monsanto, the National Livestock Producers Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the National Renderers Association, and veterinary medicine companies such as Pfizer and Schering Plough. Additionally, manufacturers of animal ID and tracking systems, such as Cattle-Traq and Digital Angel, stand to make massive profits, with millions of new clients, like 4-H youth programs and homesteaders. These new tracking costs will be borne by taxpayers, consumers and small-scale farmers.
NAIS creates government surveillance of normal, daily activities of farmers, homesteaders, and pet owners
Current NAIS provisions require that all animal owners, from small hobby farms and homesteaders, to backyard chickens and pasture-based operations to participate in the USDA's animal ID program. In addition to increasing a massive "Big Brother" infrastructure to monitory everyday citizen farmers, religious groups, including Amish farmers (http://www.familyfarmdefenders.org/pmwiki.php/NAIS/ComputerChipsInCattleViolateAmishBe liefs%29), oppose NAIS as violation of their religious beliefs.
While national implementation of NAIS has been stalled by public opposition and Congressional funding cuts (OCA activists helped convince Congress to slash NAIS funding to $5.3 million, 1/3 of USDA's request), some states have begun enforcing laws that require farmers to register their farms with the government. Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to require mandatory livestock premises registration and, in October, it became the first state to convict a farmer for not registering (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_19488.cfm). Patrick Monchilovich was fined $389.50 and ordered to comply with the law.

Take action: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26666

[.invisible ink.]

hey! thanks for this. sorry i havent been in here at all. i'll look into this more. i just picked up in defense of food and the omnivores dilemma this weekend so i'm starting those :-) have you seen the movie blue gold? its semi related to food politics in that agriculture has become industrialized and uses huge amounts of water and how displacing this water is effecting the planet. pretty interesting, if you havent seen it yet its up on instant watch on netflix.

so i tried watching Blue Gold: World Water Wars just a little while ago. I will have to pick up watching it again another time. It's really good but oh my god, it's so completely depressing!! I have to be in the right mood to watch stuff that seriously upsetting. I'm glad you told me about it, it's awesome so far. I'm about 40 minutes through it I think. Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow.

[coryatlarge]

so i tried watching Blue Gold: World Water Wars just a little while ago. I will have to pick up watching it again another time. It's really good but oh my god, it's so completely depressing!! I have to be in the right mood to watch stuff that seriously upsetting. I'm glad you told me about it, it's awesome so far. I'm about 40 minutes through it I think. Hopefully I'll finish it tomorrow.
i know what you mean! it really effects my area because our main water source is from the ogallala aquifer under us and most of nebraska. some scientists think that because we are taking all the water at such a rapid rate that it will mess up the cycle that cools stuff at yellowstone which is just one big huge crater. pretty scary stuff.

[.invisible ink.]

A Return to Real Food

We have become so disconnected from nature that we have forgotten what real food is. It is time to relearn how to live with the planet.
The Mark News (http://www.themarknews.com/articles/578-a-return-to-real-food)
by Alexandra Morton – Professional biologist; Founder of non-profit Salmon Coast Field Station for research.
As I stand behind a young mother at the market checkout counter, the biologist in me wonders if my species no longer recognizes food. Item after item bears no resemblance to any food item that our species evolved to consume. Even the apples in the plastic bag were too toxic for any insect to touch. This would be like watching a mother bear trying to feed her cubs rocks and empty shells. I would not give that bear’s lineage high potential for survival. I look sadly at the mother, who without a doubt is trying her best to please and feed her children. She is just too distant from her roots as a living creature on planet earth to recognize what real food looks like.

Ten thousand years ago, glacier melt-water scoured the rocky British Columbia coast and the humans that first stepped into this landscape could barely survive. Birds brought the seeds of the hardy little shore pine, empty rivers beckoned to salmon as they swam past. Forest, fish, and humans hung on and eventually flourished.

These people’s lives depended on salmon and salmon are dependable because they return on a very precise schedule. The world around them can prosper if they set their clocks to the salmon. Legends and rules steeped the culture of the first people. They must have damaged some salmon runs and they must have learned from that, because without our current wealth of understanding of salmon biology, they managed the wild salmon runs extremely well.

They did this because their lives depended on it. I would argue we are no different today. In a world of corporate food experiments gone bad, there should be a global body created immediately to safeguard the remaining natural systems that produce clean air, food, and water. B.C. is one of these systems, and our wild salmon are a food resource we may dearly wish we had better managed.
Consider this. The city of Vancouver is a world-class city, producing waste like all other cities and yet one of earth’s largest wild salmon runs is still trying to migrate through its streets. This is a miracle, a gift no other city in the world can boast of! But, like the young mother, the city no longer recognizes food. The fish are vanishing and we don’t care because we think it has nothing to do with us.
Oh the folly of us humans. It pulls deeply at me as I have children and know we are risking their lives simply because we are disconnected and foolhardy. We actually think fish farms will feed the world. We drill deep into the earth, suck up oil, refine it, pour it into generators, all to throw food – real fish caught and moved the length of the planet and made into pellets – into pens where over-fed, fat farm fish defecate tons daily, despoiling the natural systems around them.

Lift your heads people and look at the sky. Power we cannot even measure blows storm clouds, oxygenating the ocean with waves, pouring water into watersheds where billions of salmon hatch. As they flow from the rivers, trillions of natural solar panels absorb the sun, making food which salmon collect and carry back to us land dwellers, and lay it at our feet even as they start the cycle over again.

This is the stuff of life. This is what made us. This is what we need. This is food security. We will live or die as a species based on whether we relearn how to work with the planet or not.

[.invisible ink.]

This is a great article, fitting for the season, and positive to boot:

Food banks take the lead in soliciting healthier eats
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-fo-food-banks23-2009dec23,0,7463204,full.story

[.invisible ink.]

New Michael Pollan book coming out 12/29! http://michaelpollan.com/foodrules.php

http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp/014311638X/ref=pd_sim_b_4

Eating doesn't have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings a welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with the clarity, concision and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan's trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page accompanied by a concise explanation. It's an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, "What should I eat?"

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/12/26/ky.urban.chickens.wave

Chickens in the City

[.invisible ink.]

apparently Michael Pollan is going to be on The Daily Show tonight. I don't have cable, but maybe some of you lurkers might enjoy seeing him.

[coryatlarge]

i didnt get to catch the episode he was one but i watched the interview online just a few minutes ago. i hope to get the new book this friday when i'll be in denver. i just finished omnivore's today and i loved it.

[.invisible ink.]

i didnt get to catch the episode he was one but i watched the interview online just a few minutes ago. i hope to get the new book this friday when i'll be in denver. i just finished omnivore's today and i loved it.


here's the link to the interview in case anyone wants to see it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/michael-pollan-on-the-dai_n_411493.html

i'm glad you liked Omnivore's Dilemma! Have you gotten a chance to read In Defense of Food yet? I preferred it to OD personally but both are great.

[.invisible ink.]

wow, this is disgusting... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/fecal-bacteria-found-in-n_n_413733.html?view=print
Bacteria Linked to Feces Found in Nearly Half of Fast Food Soda Fountains

Didn't think the fast food industry could get any grosser? Well it can.
This time, it's not the food, but the soda fountains to be worried about. According to Tom Laskawy (http://www.weaversway.coop/blog/), a media and technology professional and blogger for grist.org (http://www.grist.org/), a team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake.
The microbiologists published their findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. They tested 90 beverages from 30 soda fountains. Their abstract (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4XMKB25-3&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=9&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235061%232010%2399862 9998%231577606%23FLA%23display%23Vo lume%29&_cdi=5061&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=18&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1007cbb46b2a1bb3e5e56725fbad4fa 2) states:...Coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. [...] More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.Laskawy notes that only one recorded outbreak linked to a soda fountain has occurred, and that was ten years ago. But on a smaller scale, these bacteria could cause sickness on an individual level that can go unreported.

[coryatlarge]

here's the link to the interview in case anyone wants to see it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/05/michael-pollan-on-the-dai_n_411493.html

i'm glad you liked Omnivore's Dilemma! Have you gotten a chance to read In Defense of Food yet? I preferred it to OD personally but both are great.
yeah i actually read in defense first because i wasnt sure which came first and i agree i liked the reasoning behind why the food is the way it is and how you can live around it rather than how he just kind of described it in detail. but i really enjoyed the whole examination of vegetarianism and thought the comment on how in cultures they would alternate who had to slaughter the animals so as not to become too desensitized. i really loved joe salatin's (sp?) farm as well. it really makes you realize that today's farmers are considered stupid people but that guy seems really intelligent.
wow, this is disgusting... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/07/fecal-bacteria-found-in-n_n_413733.html?view=print
Bacteria Linked to Feces Found in Nearly Half of Fast Food Soda Fountains

Didn't think the fast food industry could get any grosser? Well it can.
This time, it's not the food, but the soda fountains to be worried about. According to Tom Laskawy (http://www.weaversway.coop/blog/), a media and technology professional and blogger for grist.org (http://www.grist.org/), a team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake.
The microbiologists published their findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. They tested 90 beverages from 30 soda fountains. Their abstract (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T7K-4XMKB25-3&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2010&_rdoc=9&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235061%232010%2399862 9998%231577606%23FLA%23display%23Vo lume%29&_cdi=5061&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=18&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1007cbb46b2a1bb3e5e56725fbad4fa 2) states:...Coliform bacteria was detected in 48% of the beverages and 20% had a heterotrophic plate count greater than 500 cfu/ml. [...] More than 11% of the beverages analyzed contained Escherichia coli [E. Coli] and over 17% contained Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. Other opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the beverages included species of Klebsiella, Staphylococcus, Stenotrophomonas, Candida, and Serratia. Most of the identified bacteria showed resistance to one or more of the 11 antibiotics tested.Laskawy notes that only one recorded outbreak linked to a soda fountain has occurred, and that was ten years ago. But on a smaller scale, these bacteria could cause sickness on an individual level that can go unreported.
i just saw this! just another reason why i take a jar of water with me if i do eat out :-d

[floodedheart456]

This would be a large part of why im a vegetarian.
bleh, idk what they put in hamburgers.
yummm, a couple cow penises =]

w/ mayo?

[.invisible ink.]

USDA releases its environmental impact statement on GE alfalfa, and incredibly, claims that "there is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic crops and foods." Oh, really? Do something about it below.

http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS

[kdefrisc]

Also worth watching is Fresh, I haven't seen it yet but there's a screening at my school soon I'm planning to go to and I've heard its informative but a little more positive than Food Inc.

Here's that Michael Pollen interview on The Daily Show

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-4-2010/michael-pollan

[.invisible ink.]

Also worth watching is Fresh, I haven't seen it yet but there's a screening at my school soon I'm planning to go to and I've heard its informative but a little more positive than Food Inc.


I've never heard of Fresh before, do you happen to have a link to some info on it? Netflix didn't find it either and I'm interested in seeing it. Thanks!

[Wisdom Tooth]

Watch Earthlings, Go Vegan, and Trust Nobody.

/thread

[kdefrisc]

I've never heard of Fresh before, do you happen to have a link to some info on it? Netflix didn't find it either and I'm interested in seeing it. Thanks!

http://www.freshthemovie.com/
:)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.freshthemovie.com/
:)

That looks awesome! Thanks so much for posting this here. I will have to try and figure out a way to see it soon. After you get a chance to watch it, please post your thoughts on it, I'd love to hear them.

[kdefrisc]

That looks awesome! Thanks so much for posting this here. I will have to try and figure out a way to see it soon. After you get a chance to watch it, please post your thoughts on it, I'd love to hear them.

Yeah for sure, the screening is on tuesday, I'll be sure to come post in here afterwards :)

[kdefrisc]

Fresh was amazing, I cried lol

[.invisible ink.]

Fresh was amazing, I cried lol

Was it better that Food Inc.? King Corn? I wish it was out on DVD. I'd really really like to see Fresh.

[kdefrisc]

Was it better that Food Inc.? King Corn? I wish it was out on DVD. I'd really really like to see Fresh.

I haven't seen either of those, I've heard they are great though I need to get on that. From people who have seen both, I've heard that Fresh is a little more positive than Food Inc. which I feel may be accurate, you definitely leave Fresh feeling like there's a way things can change. Made me feel kind of jaded about my major though

[.invisible ink.]

I haven't seen either of those, I've heard they are great though I need to get on that. From people who have seen both, I've heard that Fresh is a little more positive than Food Inc. which I feel may be accurate, you definitely leave Fresh feeling like there's a way things can change. Made me feel kind of jaded about my major though

What's your major? I'm going back to school as soon as the economy turns around to get a M.S. in Community Food and Agricultural Systems (http://www.carrs.msu.edu/programs/focalareasCommunityFood.php ) or Family and Consumer Science Education (http://www.public.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007-2009/courses/fceds.html (http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Ecatalog/2007-2009/courses/fceds.html) ) so I can do either policy change or grassroots education on the subject of sustainable agriculture/nutrition/food systems. I haven't decided which path I want to take quite yet.

[kdefrisc]

What's your major? I'm going back to school as soon as the economy turns around to get a M.S. in Community Food and Agricultural Systems (http://www.carrs.msu.edu/programs/focalareasCommunityFood.php ) or Family and Consumer Science Education (http://www.public.iastate.edu/~catalog/2007-2009/courses/fceds.html (http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Ecatalog/2007-2009/courses/fceds.html) ) so I can do either policy change or grassroots education on the subject of sustainable agriculture/nutrition/food systems. I haven't decided which path I want to take quite yet.

Sweet deal man, that is a job that is so seriously needed right now.

My major is Food Science, I entered into college knowing that I wanted to go to culinary school and cook professionally but wanted to get a full four year degree first. So anyway the Food Science major is interesting and I chose to do that over nutrition because there is a lot more about science of food on the chemical level, which I find really interesting, but there is also a lot of classes about food processing and preservation and what not. Which is definitely a necessary field of work, but it has never been something that I want to do and I guess Fresh kind of just made me realize how so much of processed/convenience food is garbage.

Ah well, I guess all I can do is try to stick to sustainable, fresh, and whole food ingredients when I have my own restaurant

[coryatlarge]

Sweet deal man, that is a job that is so seriously needed right now.

My major is Food Science, I entered into college knowing that I wanted to go to culinary school and cook professionally but wanted to get a full four year degree first. So anyway the Food Science major is interesting and I chose to do that over nutrition because there is a lot more about science of food on the chemical level, which I find really interesting, but there is also a lot of classes about food processing and preservation and what not. Which is definitely a necessary field of work, but it has never been something that I want to do and I guess Fresh kind of just made me realize how so much of processed/convenience food is garbage.

Ah well, I guess all I can do is try to stick to sustainable, fresh, and whole food ingredients when I have my own restaurant
if your looking at going to culinary school here's a list of schools that have classes on sustainable food :) http://www.sustainabletable.org/kitchen/schools/ if that helps at all.

[kdefrisc]

if your looking at going to culinary school here's a list of schools that have classes on sustainable food :) http://www.sustainabletable.org/kitchen/schools/ if that helps at all.

Wow thanks man I really appreciate that. Awesome website, I'll definitely have to peruse that more :-)

[coryatlarge]

Wow thanks man I really appreciate that. Awesome website, I'll definitely have to peruse that more :-)
you're welcome :-d i've been looking at jobs in the food world lately and came across that... i think i want to major in something food related know but i have no idea what yet. any body in this thread have any suggestions? i have no idea where to start i mean is there a list of majors that are teaching about the current food systems flaws or anything? i would love to get more involved in this area of stuff or at least take some classes on sustainability or something haha.

[splitsecond]

there is nothing more that I hate than a fucking right-wing omelet.

[.invisible ink.]

finally, a positive article about the USDA and organic farming! http://www.grist.org/article/2010-01-27-usdas-deputy-secretary-discusses-local-organic-farming/

[.invisible ink.]

...and a not so pleasant one about Monsanto releasing it's newest GMO corn onto the unwitting public this year. ugh. http://www.wellnessresources.com/freedom/articles/health_scandal_of_the_decade_monsan tos_gmo_pervers

[.invisible ink.]

Here's a good non-GMO shopping guide to keep in mind when buying foods: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/SG/TipsforAvoidingGMOs/index.cfm

[Praetor]

Just wanted to let you know that I read all the links that you post here and am trying to educate myself on the issue(s). Your work is not going unnoticed! haha

[.invisible ink.]

Just wanted to let you know that I read all the links that you post here and am trying to educate myself on the issue(s). Your work is not going unnoticed! haha

thanks! I really appreciate that. if there is any specific topic that relates which you might want more info on or ever want to discuss in more detail, please share it. this is an open thread and i want to encourage discourse on the subject.

[.invisible ink.]

An article with sustainable farmer Joel Salatin (from Food Inc. and Michael Pollan's books): http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/31/food-industry-environment

[Praetor]

thanks! I really appreciate that. if there is any specific topic that relates which you might want more info on or ever want to discuss in more detail, please share it. this is an open thread and i want to encourage discourse on the subject.

Not anything in particular but if I have any questions/discussion topics I'll bring them up. Such a vast topic.

[kdefrisc]

An article with sustainable farmer Joel Salatin (from Food Inc. and Michael Pollan's books): http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/31/food-industry-environment

I wanna go live on Polyface Farms. Joel Salatin is so great

[coryatlarge]

I wanna go live on Polyface Farms. Joel Salatin is so great
that guy makes me want to be a farmer. or at least grow a really cool garden haha. he's actually been pretty helpful in convincing my parents to get organic chicken feed and to start feeding out chickens better :-)

[A7XXX]

Here's a good non-GMO shopping guide to keep in mind when buying foods: http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/SG/TipsforAvoidingGMOs/index.cfm
That's a really helpful link. My class watches some interview of Michael Pollen last year and it's quite appalling to see how corn is present in almost all the food we eat.

[coryatlarge]

I just watched Beer Wars and its a documentary on the big corporate beer companies taking over any and every type of beer market they can by buying out small micro breweries and stuff like that. It dealt with a little bit of the organic movement and how organic beer is the next market for the large beer companies to buy into but it was really interesting to me. There are hundreds of micro breweries in Colorado and the national beer fest is in Denver every year so I've known about small breweries all my life but i learned stuff I didnt know about it. Check it out (http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Beer_Wars/70116984?strackid=7918a6cbfe3ad129_ 0_srl&strkid=190974818_0_0&trkid=222336) if you want its on Netflix Instant :-)

[.invisible ink.]

Urgent: USDA to rule on mutant alfalfa read and sign please! http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1753

[jjmcmana]

Soda Pop Prices On the Rise (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2688399/obamas_energy_policy_involves_soda. html?cat=9)

[coryatlarge]

i'm not a fan of ethanol. there's a plant that was built less than a mile from my house so it smells like fermenting corn constantly at my house. it's not a good smell.

[.invisible ink.]

i'm not a fan of ethanol. there's a plant that was built less than a mile from my house so it smells like fermenting corn constantly at my house. it's not a good smell.

ethanol is a joke. it takes 1.3 gallons of oil to produce one gallon of ethanol.

this is an interesting take on ethanol production: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4237539.html?page=2

fuck corn and its subsidies.

[.invisible ink.]

Soda Pop Prices On the Rise (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2688399/obamas_energy_policy_involves_soda. html?cat=9)

interesting article! i'm personally not a fan of soda pop or corn syrup and think that the cheap availability of this commodity has greatly influenced the declining health of this nation. i wish we could subsidize small diverse farms rather than push the corn and soybean death machine along.

[coryatlarge]

ethanol is a joke. it takes 1.3 gallons of oil to produce one gallon of ethanol.

this is an interesting take on ethanol production: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4237539.html?page=2

fuck corn and its subsidies.
ah i knew it took more oil to produce it than ethanol but i didnt know the exact number. plus you'd think that they would use ethanol fueled trucks to transport the byproduct but no they use a huge number of diesel trucks. that in itself has to defeat the purpose.

on a different note i just joined an honor roll group thing this year and we basically volunteer time or try to get our campus involved in different things and i suggested a showing of food inc. or the future of food.then afterwards we're planning to have a discussion about it. well the teacher that's running it is all for it and he's watching them this weekend. this could be huge for my community because a huge chunk of kids going to college here are going for ag. related things and own local farms. hopefully i can turn a few :-)

[.invisible ink.]

ah i knew it took more oil to produce it than ethanol but i didnt know the exact number. plus you'd think that they would use ethanol fueled trucks to transport the byproduct but no they use a huge number of diesel trucks. that in itself has to defeat the purpose.

on a different note i just joined an honor roll group thing this year and we basically volunteer time or try to get our campus involved in different things and i suggested a showing of food inc. or the future of food.then afterwards we're planning to have a discussion about it. well the teacher that's running it is all for it and he's watching them this weekend. this could be huge for my community because a huge chunk of kids going to college here are going for ag. related things and own local farms. hopefully i can turn a few :-)

that's awesome about your group. have you considered taking on a project of trying to get your school cafeteria program to do a once a week or once a month day where many of the foods served are locally produced? it takes a lot of work but it could make a huge difference! If you're interested, i can dig up a few podcasts i've heard discussing this very idea.

[coryatlarge]

that's awesome about your group. have you considered taking on a project of trying to get your school cafeteria program to do a once a week or once a month day where many of the foods served are locally produced? it takes a lot of work but it could make a huge difference! If you're interested, i can dig up a few podcasts i've heard discussing this very idea.
actually there is a local golf course that went under and some rich family bought it and donated it to the colllege so the school is looking into making a few of the buildings out on the course into classrooms. one of them might possibly be a cooking school so i'm trying to push getting sustainable food from local resources to the people in charge.
but i really think this movie night will help a lot because if i can get the ag teachers from school here and i'm also talking to my high school science teacher (he teaches 7-12 grade) to bring his classes to it. that alone could change a lot of peoples ideas on how to farm/eat. i used that eatwellguide.com and there are a few grass fed cattle people and a co-op not too far away so i'm going to see if i can get one of them to speak as well.

[jenkkem]

oh shit

[.invisible ink.]

oh shit

what seems to be the problem?

actually there is a local golf course that went under and some rich family bought it and donated it to the colllege so the school is looking into making a few of the buildings out on the course into classrooms. one of them might possibly be a cooking school so i'm trying to push getting sustainable food from local resources to the people in charge.
but i really think this movie night will help a lot because if i can get the ag teachers from school here and i'm also talking to my high school science teacher (he teaches 7-12 grade) to bring his classes to it. that alone could change a lot of peoples ideas on how to farm/eat. i used that eatwellguide.com and there are a few grass fed cattle people and a co-op not too far away so i'm going to see if i can get one of them to speak as well.

That sounds fantastic. What you're doing is amazing and should be applauded. Have you picked your major yet btw?

http://www.localharvest.org/ is awesome too to find local CSAs, farms, and occasionally classes. Since I quit my job that made me travel 24/7 and am now working a reasonable distance from home (and actually living in my house, finally!) I've decided that I'm going to buy from a local CSA for my vegetables and eggs. I'm also going to split a grass-fed beef share with my mom (splitting 10 lbs/month) soon (I currently don't eat any beef so this will be an interesting change). Buying from the CSAs will actually be much more convenient (they deliver to a stripmall drop-off location a few times a week) than getting to the local farmer's market which is only on Saturday mornings here and the price is really pretty equivalent to what I spend at the grocery store so it should work out great.

[coryatlarge]

what seems to be the problem?



That sounds fantastic. What you're doing is amazing and should be applauded. Have you picked your major yet btw?

http://www.localharvest.org/ is awesome too to find local CSAs, farms, and occasionally classes. Since I quit my job that made me travel 24/7 and am now working a reasonable distance from home (and actually living in my house, finally!) I've decided that I'm going to buy from a local CSA for my vegetables and eggs. I'm also going to split a grass-fed beef share with my mom (splitting 10 lbs/month) soon (I currently don't eat any beef so this will be an interesting change). Buying from the CSAs will actually be much more convenient (they deliver to a stripmall drop-off location a few times a week) than getting to the local farmer's market which is only on Saturday mornings here and the price is really pretty equivalent to what I spend at the grocery store so it should work out great.
yeah i'm really excited to finally be doing something in my community about it :-) and no i havent picked one yet but i know that CSU does a lot of stuff with the local farmers so hopefully there's some cool classes i can take.

that sounds like it will be awesome! are you glad you quit your traveling job? my dad had to do that for a few years and it sucked so bad. my family does that too. we bought a stand up freezer and store the beef in there and it usually lasts us 6 or 7 months. a family of 8 goes through it kind of fast though haha. we're also looking at getting organic feed and raising our chickens organically this year. we used to do just about everything organic except the regular feed so it shouldnt be too different.
the closest CSA to my house is like and hour and a half away but i'm going to be able to look into one this fall after i move.

[.invisible ink.]

yeah i'm really excited to finally be doing something in my community about it :-) and no i havent picked one yet but i know that CSU does a lot of stuff with the local farmers so hopefully there's some cool classes i can take.

that sounds like it will be awesome! are you glad you quit your traveling job? my dad had to do that for a few years and it sucked so bad. my family does that too. we bought a stand up freezer and store the beef in there and it usually lasts us 6 or 7 months. a family of 8 goes through it kind of fast though haha. we're also looking at getting organic feed and raising our chickens organically this year. we used to do just about everything organic except the regular feed so it shouldnt be too different.
the closest CSA to my house is like and hour and a half away but i'm going to be able to look into one this fall after i move.

I'm so stoked that I'm not traveling anymore. I hated my life beyond belief when I was doing that so I'm completely grateful to have gotten a new job locally. It's good timing too since one of my dogs just got really sick and I'm having to spend a lot of time (and huge sums of money, unfortunately) going back and forth to the emergency vet hospital. I don't know what I would have done if my mom was solely responsible for dealing with that while I was away but luckily i didn't have to deal with that.


This is an interesting blog post about the new proposed soda tax. what do you think about it?

IS Soda the new tobacco?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html

[coryatlarge]

I'm so stoked that I'm not traveling anymore. I hated my life beyond belief when I was doing that so I'm completely grateful to have gotten a new job locally. It's good timing too since one of my dogs just got really sick and I'm having to spend a lot of time (and huge sums of money, unfortunately) going back and forth to the emergency vet hospital. I don't know what I would have done if my mom was solely responsible for dealing with that while I was away but luckily i didn't have to deal with that.


This is an interesting blog post about the new proposed soda tax. what do you think about it?

IS Soda the new tobacco?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/weekinreview/14bittman.html
well that's good that you are happier now but i'm sad to hear about your dog. my step mom's dog who had been with here for like 10 years died just 2 years ago and we had to take to him to vet a lot so i know how that goes. i hope your dog gets better though! ours just was getting old and was going to pass no matter what.

i think the penny per ounce tax sounds really good actually if its used to subsidized fruits and vegetables. i think just this tax wont fix everything like a lot of people quoted in that article said but its definitely a start.

[.invisible ink.]

well that's good that you are happier now but i'm sad to hear about your dog. my step mom's dog who had been with here for like 10 years died just 2 years ago and we had to take to him to vet a lot so i know how that goes. i hope your dog gets better though! ours just was getting old and was going to pass no matter what.

i think the penny per ounce tax sounds really good actually if its used to subsidized fruits and vegetables. i think just this tax wont fix everything like a lot of people quoted in that article said but its definitely a start.

my dog, Spike,(an Old English Sheepdog) is only 5. i find out tomorrow if he's got Addison's Disease (which isn't that bad considering the alternatives - it can at least be treated with medication for the rest of his life instead of something more serious/deadly), if that's not it, then I have no clue what's wrong with him. I love him so much, I don't want anything bad to happen to him ever.

i'm kind of split on the soda tax to be honest. For as much as I think it could be helpful in providing funds toward positive uses, I take issue politically with sin taxes. It just seems very Big Brotherish to me. Ideally, I'd prefer it if we could find a way to remove the tariffs on cane sugar and end the subsidies on corn and just let the market work on its own. I'd rather educate people on the evils of soda than hit them in their pocketbooks. I think it gets the point across better without making people angry and defensive.

[coryatlarge]

my dog, Spike,(an Old English Sheepdog) is only 5. i find out tomorrow if he's got Addison's Disease (which isn't that bad considering the alternatives - it can at least be treated with medication for the rest of his life instead of something more serious/deadly), if that's not it, then I have no clue what's wrong with him. I love him so much, I don't want anything bad to happen to him ever.

i'm kind of split on the soda tax to be honest. For as much as I think it could be helpful in providing funds toward positive uses, I take issue politically with sin taxes. It just seems very Big Brotherish to me. Ideally, I'd prefer it if we could find a way to remove the tariffs on cane sugar and end the subsidies on corn and just let the market work on its own. I'd rather educate people on the evils of soda than hit them in their pocketbooks. I think it gets the point across better without making people angry and defensive.
oh well hopefully it turns out to be that and it's treatable. our other dog has a problem with her ear and has to take medication for it.

yeah i agree you bring up great points. i just want some sort of money going to farmers that dont farm corn or soybeans haha. i think we could see a lot of good things happening for food with the attention its been getting lately. comparisons to big tobacco are never good either haha. but yeah i think you're right people are going to take it as an attack on them rather then helping them.

[.invisible ink.]

Wal-Mart - changing the game on buying local: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201003/walmart-local-produce

[.invisible ink.]

Monsanto faking scientific data to get approval of GMO seeds? Say it ain't so. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/83093/Monsanto%20%27faked%27%20data%20for %20approvals%20claims%20its%20ex-chief.html

[.invisible ink.]

Competing ag policies in the White House: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=BA337E32-18FE-70B2-A8813032EC1C4DC6

[.invisible ink.]

If you want to learn more about Monsanto's evil tactics against farmers, you have got to listen to this podcast, it's fantastic: http://www.helgehellberg.com/1013/monsanto-vs-percy-schmeiser/

If you want to add the podcast straight through Itunes, search for the podcast "An Organic Conversation" - it's well worth downloading.

[.invisible ink.]

farmed salmon SUCKS (for you and the environment): http://food.change.org/blog/view/farmed_salmon_destructive_and_distu rbing_video (article)4ZBbYzyuwF0 (the video is less than 4 minutes long, totally worth watching)

[.invisible ink.]

this happens to be one of, if not the most disturbing articles I have ever in my life read. I truly hope that everyone who reads this thread will take the time to read this article from Rolling Stone magazine about the pork industry. It's old but it doesn't matter because if anything, things are even worse now than they were 3+ years ago when this was written. Please post your comments when you finish reading it. Please note that it's a very long article so read it when you have some time and aren't eating.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12840743/porks_dirty_secret_the_nations_top_ hog_producer_is_also_one_of_america s_worst_polluters

[.invisible ink.]

What your hamburger is eating: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-02-16-more-biofuel-waste-for-cows-plus-a-california-beef-packer-pulls-

[.invisible ink.]

This is NOT the answer: breeding factory farmed animals to be less sensitive to the pain they endure http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/opinion/19shriver.html
ugh. how sad this world is if this is the best we can do for the animals we nourish our bodies with.

[.invisible ink.]

when you eat non-organic vegetables you run the risk of having it grown in "sludge" aka the mucky residue of municipal wastewater treatment operations, consisting largely of human feces. Repackaged as “biosolids,” sludge is sold or given away to farmers and homeowners for use as a nutrient-rich fertilizer.

But when used to grow food, our turds may bite back: sludge can contain (http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?accountID=421&refID=104203) heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, toxic chemicals, disease-causing bacteria (including e. coli and salmonella), viruses (hepatitis and polio), and parasites that can contaminate soil and potentially food crops. More than 330 synthetic chemical contaminants (http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachArticlePDF.aspx?cid=9256&codi=5809) that have been detected in sludge are known or suspected toxins.

http://generationgreen.org/?p=745

[andrewddrum]

food inc

[.invisible ink.]

food inc

have you seen it? what's your opinion on it?

[.invisible ink.]

this is such a cool article on a working school organic garden: http://www.noozhawk.com/green_hawk/article/022010_carpinteria_school_organic_g arden

[whenyourearound]

so do you guys think food that comes from cloned animals should be labeled?

[.invisible ink.]

so do you guys think food that comes from cloned animals should be labeled?

Yes, emphatically yes. There is no proof at this point that cloned animals are as safe as non-cloned, and they most definitely are not "organic". I believe in extremely detailed food labeling - I would like as much information as possible disclosed to the consumer - where the animal came from, how it was raised, what it was fed, what it was given medically, where it was slaughtered, packed, etc. Consumers should not be kept in the dark about what they are purchasing. We deserve full disclosure.

[whenyourearound]

Yes, emphatically yes. There is no proof at this point that cloned animals are as safe as non-cloned, and they most definitely are not "organic". I believe in extremely detailed food labeling - I would like as much information as possible disclosed to the consumer - where the animal came from, how it was raised, what it was fed, what it was given medically, where it was slaughtered, packed, etc. Consumers should not be kept in the dark about what they are purchasing. We deserve full disclosure.

I agree with what you're saying except maybe without as much detail on some things. This was the topic for one of the bills I wrote in youth & government in HS and it passed without too much trouble.

[.invisible ink.]

Did you know that Olympian ski champion Bode Miller is an organic farmer and a lifelong vegetarian? G7KEkD751CE
(i apologize that this is sort of a Stonyfield commercial, but it's still good to watch)

[SuperFinelin9]

great thread !

[0s0]

have you seen it? what's your opinion on it?

Has alot of good points. Sometimes drags [entertainment wise]. Personally, it really pushed me to just go out to the market and cook my own food. I rarely eat out anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't buy organic everything; but atleast I'm half way there.

And in terms of organic, it does cost more, and numerous independent studies from Yale and Harvard, etc. show that there's no difference in what it does to your body. I recommend people go to farmer markets. If not for your health, then for the flavor! You ever eat a FRESHLY grown tomato? You will never buy another one at the store again.

My main criticism is that in the movie they are like, "There's a food monopoly" [pertaining to how that Mexican family could buy Burger King for a cheaper price than actual fruits and veggies]. I spend $20 a week for three meals a deal that I cook for myself. That's 21 meals; that's less than $1 a day. But then again, it's because I tend to eat smaller portions when I cook for myself.

[aoftbsten]

Has alot of good points. Sometimes drags [entertainment wise]. Personally, it really pushed me to just go out to the market and cook my own food. I rarely eat out anymore. Don't get me wrong, I don't buy organic everything; but atleast I'm half way there.

And in terms of organic, it does cost more, and numerous independent studies from Yale and Harvard, etc. show that there's no difference in what it does to your body. I recommend people go to farmer markets. If not for your health, then for the flavor! You ever eat a FRESHLY grown tomato? You will never buy another one at the store again.

My main criticism is that in the movie they are like, "There's a food monopoly" [pertaining to how that Mexican family could buy Burger King for a cheaper price than actual fruits and veggies]. I spend $20 a week for three meals a deal that I cook for myself. That's 21 meals; that's less than $1 a day. But then again, it's because I tend to eat smaller portions when I cook for myself.

This is one of the things I didn't like about the film. It made organic seem like the solution to all our problems. But with the way organic is defined by the USDA it can be almost as bad as industrial foods.

[Machu505]

Huntington first-graders can't identify vegetables:

L5Xto3KsY10

[.invisible ink.]

Huntington first-graders can't identify vegetables:



that is absolutely frightening. i'm glad this show is coming on television, i think it will be a positive move towards getting children interested in vegetables and eating properly.

what a sad state of the world we live in when children can't even tell what a tomato is.


My main criticism is that in the movie they are like, "There's a food monopoly" [pertaining to how that Mexican family could buy Burger King for a cheaper price than actual fruits and veggies]. I spend $20 a week for three meals a deal that I cook for myself. That's 21 meals; that's less than $1 a day. But then again, it's because I tend to eat smaller portions when I cook for myself.

I agree with your point completely. it's not impossible to eat healthily on a tight budget. it just involves more time (actually preparing one's own meals). i hope that with the push from Michelle Obama's new program "Let's Move" that people will become more aware of the options out there on a tight budget. Food stamp money actually goes twice as far at a farmer's market then it does in a grocery store thanks to this program. It's a move in the right direction at least.

[kdefrisc]

http://blip.tv/file/2282115/

I knew I loved Chipotle with good reason :D

[.invisible ink.]

http://blip.tv/file/2282115/

I knew I loved Chipotle with good reason :D

that's fantastic! I had heard Chipotle was better than other fast food but I hadn't understood how fully-committed they were to non-factory farmed foods. I may actually even eat there someday (I avoid meat when I don't know where it comes from - which is most of the time unfortunately). Thanks for posting this. I would actually feel good giving my hard-earned money to their restaurant which is more than I can say for most places. It's also nice to know McDonalds is no longer involved in any way with their operation.

[.invisible ink.]

I wanna go live on Polyface Farms. Joel Salatin is so great

I am SO excited!!!! On Tuesday night I'm going to see a viewing of Fresh! The Movie and Joel Salatin is speaking after the film!!!!! I don't think I've ever been so excited to go see a movie before. I can't wait! Thanks again for telling me about this film, I subscribe to their feed on Facebook and have gotten a lot of great info from them.

[kdefrisc]

I am SO excited!!!! On Tuesday night I'm going to see a viewing of Fresh! The Movie and Joel Salatin is speaking after the film!!!!! I don't think I've ever been so excited to go see a movie before. I can't wait! Thanks again for telling me about this film, I subscribe to their feed on Facebook and have gotten a lot of great info from them.

Holy shit I'm so jealous!!! Hahahaha no problem, let me know how you like it and about how Joel Salatin's talk was!! I love him. lol

[coryatlarge]

I am SO excited!!!! On Tuesday night I'm going to see a viewing of Fresh! The Movie and Joel Salatin is speaking after the film!!!!! I don't think I've ever been so excited to go see a movie before. I can't wait! Thanks again for telling me about this film, I subscribe to their feed on Facebook and have gotten a lot of great info from them.
that's awesome! i really wish i could listen to him speak. i'm doing the showing of food inc next tuesday and i got my teacher that's helping me show it to talk to the ag. teachers on campus to come to it. i'm really excited. but be sure to post your thoughts on fresh and how awesome joel salatin is. but i'm sure you will :-)

[coryatlarge]

here's a video of jamie oliver's TED speech...
jIwrV5e6fMY
its about 20 minutes long but really informative. i really want to watch his new show now.

[coryatlarge]

since this thread was discussing ethanol before i thought this article was interesting. using orange peels instead of corn to make ethanol (http://www.energyboom.com/biofuels/end-corn-university-central-florida-research-team-produces-cellulosic-ethanol-orange-peels)

[caveBEAR]

Huntington first-graders can't identify vegetables:

L5Xto3KsY10

Didn't watch the video, so I don't know for sure, but I think that has to do mostly with it just not being considered important to teach anymore. Now it's less Green Giant and more Steve Jobs.

It's fucked because that would mean we are screwed down to the fundamentals.



This thread is the scariest thread in the Politics forum.

[GuitarR0cker1]

I saw Food Inc. last month and my eyes were opened up on this subject.

[coryatlarge]

Didn't watch the video, so I don't know for sure, but I think that has to do mostly with it just not being considered important to teach anymore. Now it's less Green Giant and more Steve Jobs.

It's fucked because that would mean we are screwed down to the fundamentals.



This thread is the scariest thread in the Politics forum.
did you watch that video i posted with jamie oliver? if you have the time you should watch it. he makes the point that the entire purpose of schools is to teach kids and every student should be capable of cooking at least 10 meals to help them survive. lots of good points.

[.invisible ink.]

here's a video of jamie oliver's TED speech...
its about 20 minutes long but really informative. i really want to watch his new show now.

Jamie Oliver's speech is fantastic. Thanks for posting it. Jamie Oliver is doing a great service to the world by helping lead this revolution towards better health. I'm stoked on his show completely, i can't wait to see what he does and the reaction to him. I hope he makes a real difference.

It's fucked because that would mean we are screwed down to the fundamentals.

This thread is the scariest thread in the Politics forum.

We *are* screwed down to the fundamentals. People aren't being taught what to eat, what/how to cook, how to grow their own food or at least make intelligent food choices in a sea of shitty options, and how to make time to do the things that will benefit them and this planet in a sustainable way. It's an epidemic. We focus all this energy and attention on fixing the health care system and yet few make the connection between what we consume, how we consume it, and our health. People often complain about the cost of eating healthily but they rarely look at the cost of eating junk - it's a far higher price later on when you're sick and need to fix yourself than if you didn't get sick in the first place. We are brainwashed by corporations to consume their swill because they do whatever it takes to make it palatable both mentally and physically. Their influence is EVERYWHERE - right down to the politicians who make the decision to subsidize their poison for our consumption and their financial gain. Look at advertising even. Do you think Ronald McDonald was created for adults for fun? No, it's all about hooking your audience while they're young so they're a captive consumer for life, make the evil innocuous by desensitizing us to it. We are FUCKED if we don't wake up and realize how we're constantly being manipulated for someone else's gain and not our own.

And yes, I agree that this is the scariest thread in the Politics Forum, but the best part about it is that we have the power to change things with every food purchase we make. There are very few other political actions I can think of where we can essentially vote 3 times a day.

[.invisible ink.]

Holy shit I'm so jealous!!! Hahahaha no problem, let me know how you like it and about how Joel Salatin's talk was!! I love him. lol

I LOVE JOEL SALATIN!!!! ok, now that i've gotten that out of my system, Fresh The Movie was FANTASTIC!!! I liked it so much better than Food Inc. It was so positive and inspiring, I recommend everyone see it. This evening (the movie and the panel with Salatin and other experts in the field) just cemented that this is what i live for and long to do with my life. I'm exhausted but I will post more on the event tomorrow after getting some much-needed rest.

[coryatlarge]

I LOVE JOEL SALATIN!!!! ok, now that i've gotten that out of my system, Fresh The Movie was FANTASTIC!!! I liked it so much better than Food Inc. It was so positive and inspiring, I recommend everyone see it. This evening (the movie and the panel with Salatin and other experts in the field) just cemented that this is what i live for and long to do with my life. I'm exhausted but I will post more on the event tomorrow after getting some much-needed rest.
awesome! i cant wait to hear more and i saw that fresh is getting a theatrical release... i hope there's one in denver. i did my showing of food inc. and pretty it was pretty much me and my girlfriend against 10 ag. students... and their teacher which kind of knew a lot and yeah i kind of didnt have a lot of info off the top of my head to refute anything but they brought up how organic is incapable of feeding everyone on the planet. they agreed with a lot of it and all agreed that laws need to change and stuff and they want to try and get another showing of it with more people. this was basically the ag students so its kind of preaching to the choir but we all agree that more people need to be educated so if all goes well we will be having another showing soon. glad to hear fresh was good though i really want to see it.

[coryatlarge]

awwwww shit. so i was looking on the polyface farm site and joel salatin will be in colorado next friday and that's during my spring break :-d i'm so excited!

[.invisible ink.]

awesome! i cant wait to hear more and i saw that fresh is getting a theatrical release... i hope there's one in denver. i did my showing of food inc. and pretty it was pretty much me and my girlfriend against 10 ag. students... and their teacher which kind of knew a lot and yeah i kind of didnt have a lot of info off the top of my head to refute anything but they brought up how organic is incapable of feeding everyone on the planet. they agreed with a lot of it and all agreed that laws need to change and stuff and they want to try and get another showing of it with more people. this was basically the ag students so its kind of preaching to the choir but we all agree that more people need to be educated so if all goes well we will be having another showing soon. glad to hear fresh was good though i really want to see it.

awwwww shit. so i was looking on the polyface farm site and joel salatin will be in colorado next friday and that's during my spring break :-d i'm so excited!

i didn't get as much rest as i had intended so i'm sort of a little fuzzy as i recall details but i can tell you that my favorite things about Fresh were the longer segments with the sustainable pig farmers, Joel Salatin (of course), and the segment with Will Allen of http://www.growingpower.org/ .He is truly inspirational and he's making a hugely positive impact on many many lives and should be commended for all that he's doing. Apparently he came to NC to speak last year (I only found this out today) and the event sold out so hopefully he will be back again when i can attend. Speaking of selling out, there were nearly 600 people in attendance for last night's event and they raised $2500 for http://www.foodshuttle.org/ a local organization here that encourages people to grow extra food in their gardens to feed the homeless, as well as helps keep good food from going to waste and also teaches underprivileged people culinary skills for both personal and professional empowerment.

There were some good questions from the audience to the panel regarding the prevalence of GMOs, how to fight the system in regard to raw milk, and trying to make changes to the food service in the dining halls at UNC-Chapel Hill. All of which is obviously an uphill battle to which there wasn't any groundbreaking information passed along (at least to me) unfortunately, but it's fantastic knowing that so many people are passionate about this as well. You probably already know this but getting a large school to agree to go with local farm products rather than industrial food that's being shipped from all over the place is pretty much like pulling teeth. Even if you get your foot in the door, the corporations (i.e. Aramark, US Food Systems, Sysco, etc.) will strong-arm the school boards into going back to them by threatening them with ideas of lawsuits over food poisoning or even going so far as to have the Dining Services Coordinators fired. I'm not really shocked but it was interesting hearing that said aloud. The best way to fight that sort of system is to organize the students to boycott the dining halls until they are forced to listen. That's the best way to get it done at this point.

Basically, this is a great time for small sustainable farmers. We've reached a turning point that could change the way things progress in the food systems in this country, we just need to stay vigilant and informed and do our part by voting with our wallets as well as contacting our legislators and letting them know which bills they need to support and which they should not. Speaking of which, Joel Salatin went up to DC today to meet with legislators at this event http://www.nicfa.com/ . Anyway, I'm rambling so I'm going to stop talking for now. :)

Btw, it's awesome that you get to see Salatin speak next week, you definitely have to post your thoughts afterward. Also, i think it's awesome that you and your gf put yourself out there to be the lone dissenting voices in a room of conventional farmers. That takes balls. Someday (hopefully soon) more and more farmers will realize that it's not "us" against "them" - that we're all in this together.

[coryatlarge]

i didn't get as much rest as i had intended so i'm sort of a little fuzzy as i recall details but i can tell you that my favorite things about Fresh were the longer segments with the sustainable pig farmers, Joel Salatin (of course), and the segment with Will Allen of http://www.growingpower.org/ .He is truly inspirational and he's making a hugely positive impact on many many lives and should be commended for all that he's doing. Apparently he came to NC to speak last year (I only found this out today) and the event sold out so hopefully he will be back again when i can attend. Speaking of selling out, there were nearly 600 people in attendance for last night's event and they raised $2500 for http://www.foodshuttle.org/ a local organization here that encourages people to grow extra food in their gardens to feed the homeless, as well as helps keep good food from going to waste and also teaches underprivileged people culinary skills for both personal and professional empowerment.

There were some good questions from the audience to the panel regarding the prevalence of GMOs, how to fight the system in regard to raw milk, and trying to make changes to the food service in the dining halls at UNC-Chapel Hill. All of which is obviously an uphill battle to which there wasn't any groundbreaking information passed along (at least to me) unfortunately, but it's fantastic knowing that so many people are passionate about this as well. You probably already know this but getting a large school to agree to go with local farm products rather than industrial food that's being shipped from all over the place is pretty much like pulling teeth. Even if you get your foot in the door, the corporations (i.e. Aramark, US Food Systems, Sysco, etc.) will strong-arm the school boards into going back to them by threatening them with ideas of lawsuits over food poisoning or even going so far as to have the Dining Services Coordinators fired. I'm not really shocked but it was interesting hearing that said aloud. The best way to fight that sort of system is to organize the students to boycott the dining halls until they are forced to listen. That's the best way to get it done at this point.

Basically, this is a great time for small sustainable farmers. We've reached a turning point that could change the way things progress in the food systems in this country, we just need to stay vigilant and informed and do our part by voting with our wallets as well as contacting our legislators and letting them know which bills they need to support and which they should not. Speaking of which, Joel Salatin went up to DC today to meet with legislators at this event http://www.nicfa.com/ . Anyway, I'm rambling so I'm going to stop talking for now. :)

Btw, it's awesome that you get to see Salatin speak next week, you definitely have to post your thoughts afterward. Also, i think it's awesome that you and your gf put yourself out there to be the lone dissenting voices in a room of conventional farmers. That takes balls. Someday (hopefully soon) more and more farmers will realize that it's not "us" against "them" - that we're all in this together.
that's awesome! i watched the trailer a while ago but did it show how people are trying to make inter city gardens too? that was one of the big things that we brought up last night was how to farm in cities.
yeah it wouldnt even be possible for me to convince enough people to boycott our local cafeteria and plus i live off campus so i dont eat there in the first place haha. yeah my girlfriend grew up on a farm where they grow organic alfalfa, pasture fed cattle and they grow a small garden for themselves too so she is definitely a help for me. it was hilarious because all the kids looked the part of ag kids with boots and cowboy hats and carharts on and me and my girlfriend looked like "city kids" so they were really condescending towards us at first. but after she told them she grew up on a farm they changed completely and at the end they asked if i was majoring in farming or something haha. i think they thought we were going to use the movie as a way to attack them but they really liked the last few minutes of the movie where the farmer said something along the lines of "if you tell us what you want we'll provide for you" and the words at the end about eating at home and cooking meals etc. and they realized that the movie was about the lies that corporations and the government have told and the things the government has or hasnt done to make the food the way it is.
yeah i'm really excited to see joel speak and there's a book signing afterwords which is a good excuse to get his books finally and the organization hosting it is making it free to the public with suggested donations for ticket sales which i think is really cool.

[.invisible ink.]

food inc.

way to contribute to the thread dude. i wish everyone on this board was as eloquent a poster as you.

[kdefrisc]

I LOVE JOEL SALATIN!!!! ok, now that i've gotten that out of my system, Fresh The Movie was FANTASTIC!!! I liked it so much better than Food Inc. It was so positive and inspiring, I recommend everyone see it. This evening (the movie and the panel with Salatin and other experts in the field) just cemented that this is what i live for and long to do with my life. I'm exhausted but I will post more on the event tomorrow after getting some much-needed rest.

AAHHHHH I know right?! He is the best. That movie just made me feel like so warm and fuzzy inside and like something can really change you know? So awesome. I know I don't know you super well, but I might have you read through my senior project... lol its about sustainable agriculture. But anyway I'm turning it in soon and I'd love to get your opinion on it :)

[.invisible ink.]

AAHHHHH I know right?! He is the best. That movie just made me feel like so warm and fuzzy inside and like something can really change you know? So awesome. I know I don't know you super well, but I might have you read through my senior project... lol its about sustainable agriculture. But anyway I'm turning it in soon and I'd love to get your opinion on it :)

i would absolutely *love* to! i'll PM you my email address if you want to send it to me. :)

[.invisible ink.]

The truth about soy http://www.westonaprice.org/Myths-Truths-About-Soy.html

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.
Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.
Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.
Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.
Truth: Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.
Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.
Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.
Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.
Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.
Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol with soy protein improves one's risk of having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.
Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.
Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.
Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.
Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.
Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment.
Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.
Truth: In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

[.invisible ink.]

The Femivore's Dilemma http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/magazine/14fob-wwln-t.html?ref=dining (great article about backyard chicken raising and housewives)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/12seed.html?scp=6&sq=&st=nyt Rapid rise in seed prices (lots about GMOs)

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/science/09obethanol.html?scp=7&sq=&st=nyt Turning ag waste into fuel

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124610428 Why Making Healthful Foods Cheaper isn't Good Enough

[brunoo]

sssssssssss

[coryatlarge]

i found an article about GMOs but i'm not really sure about the source (http://www.voltairenet.org/article162087.html) hah. basically why studies on GMOs are useless because independent studies arent allowed.

[.invisible ink.]

i found an article about GMOs but i'm not really sure about the source (http://www.voltairenet.org/article162087.html) hah. basically why studies on GMOs are useless because independent studies arent allowed.

i don't know much about the publication it's from but the author of the article wrote this: http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Destruction-Hidden-Genetic-Manipulation/dp/0973714727 which is a legit book. Plus, what he's saying makes total sense, unfortunately.

[coryatlarge]

i don't know much about the publication it's from but the author of the article wrote this: http://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Destruction-Hidden-Genetic-Manipulation/dp/0973714727 which is a legit book. Plus, what he's saying makes total sense, unfortunately.
ah ok i just came across the article and didnt really look much at the site. that looks like an interesting book.

[.invisible ink.]

Everything connects: How getting rid of trans-fats kills orangutans (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/everything_conn.php)

A Deforestation-Based Diet: Seven Foods That Are Destroying the World's Forests
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/foods-destroying-worlds-forest.html?campaign=daylife-article

Steak 'n Bake? 51% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Now Come From Meat & Dairy Industry (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/51-percent-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from-meat-dairy-industry.php)

Is Plastic Making Us Fat?
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/plastic-fat.html

10 Most Surprising Places to Find Petroleum
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/surprising-places-find-petroleum.html

Dairy Gives You the Willies But Is Soy Milk a Safe Alternative?
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/soy-milk-safe-alternative.html?campaign=daylife-article

[.invisible ink.]

USDA Inspector General Finds Bush Administration Ignored Organic Laws http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/03/usda-inspector-general-finds-bush-administration-ignored-organic-laws/


Really interesting article: Worse Than Peak Oil? We're Quickly Running Out of a Chemical Essential to Growing Food: http://www.alternet.org/story/146048/worse_than_peak_oil_we%27re_quickly _running_out_of_a_chemical_essentia l_to_growing_food (http://www.alternet.org/story/146048/worse_than_peak_oil_we%27re_quickly _running_out_of_a_chemical_essentia l_to_growing_food)

“We are effectively addicted to phosphate rock,” said Dana Cordell (http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/isf/staff/details.cfm?StaffId=2446), a Ph.D. candidate who works with White and co-authored the recent studies. Cordell’s thesis, The Story of Phosphorus: Sustainable Implications of Global Phosphorus Scarcity for Food Security, was published as an e-book by Linköping University in Sweden on Feb. 4.
“The quality of the remaining phosphate rock is declining,” Cordell said. “We’re going to have to shift away from our use of it. There is no single quick fix solution.”
Worldwide, according to Cordell and White, five times more phosphorus is being mined than is being consumed. Stated another way, 15 million tons of phosphorus is mined yearly to grow food, but 80 percent never reaches the dinner table: It is lost to inefficiency and waste.


Eli Lilly's Desperate, Deceptive Campaign to Boost Bovine Growth Hormone http://industry.bnet.com/food/10001697/eli-lilly-stoops-to-desperate-measures-to-boost-the-sagging-image-of-bovine-growth-hormone/

Food you should eat - Ginger: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72

[coryatlarge]

so i saw joel salatin speak on friday night and i was so glad i was able to. he talked about laws prohibiting people from selling jams, pickled foods, raw milk, meat, etc. and it was really interesting. plus it was great to meet so many people from the community that support this stuff and talk to them. i also got to get one of salatin's book's signed by him and i had a short chat with him. it was just a great night and he is a really inspiring guy.

[.invisible ink.]

so i saw joel salatin speak on friday night and i was so glad i was able to. he talked about laws prohibiting people from selling jams, pickled foods, raw milk, meat, etc. and it was really interesting. plus it was great to meet so many people from the community that support this stuff and talk to them. i also got to get one of salatin's book's signed by him and i had a short chat with him. it was just a great night and he is a really inspiring guy.

that's so cool, what did you talk to him about? i have to pick up his books still. i'm glad you got to see him speak, he's such an amazing dude.

[coryatlarge]

that's so cool, what did you talk to him about? i have to pick up his books still. i'm glad you got to see him speak, he's such an amazing dude.
well after he spoke he had a little question answer segment and someone asked what he says to the argument that sustainable farming cant feed the growing population and he said something along the lines of that if something gets big enough it will eventually become too big and something better will replace it. he made comparisons to the concorde plane and how people were wondering what the next bigger and faster plane would be but it was so expensive that they made cheaper more efficient planes instead. i really liked how he put that and i just told him in the book signing that i had this argument brought up to me and couldnt really say anything to defend myself. i bought everything i want to do is illegal to start and i plan on starting it soon.

there was also a state senator in attendance that asked him if he had any advice on passing state laws to help people get more food freedom and he said in virginia they passed a law that allows the sale of baked goods and jams and that this year they tried for pickles but it wasnt passed. the senator said he would love if he could have him speak at the colorado capitol so i hope he does that.

[Skadrist]

Duke Study links high fructose corn syrup to liver damage

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/03/15/daily44.html

[.invisible ink.]

Duke Study links high fructose corn syrup to liver damage

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/03/15/daily44.html

that is freaking awesome! i hadn't heard that before. I'm totally reposting this article on my facebook.

[singkey]

subscribin' to hopefully learn some more about this topic :-)

[wrppdarndyrfngr]

Duke Study links high fructose corn syrup to liver damage

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/03/15/daily44.html

Huge Princeton study links it to weight gain

A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain (http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/)

[.invisible ink.]

Repost from Food Democracy Now!:

For too long now, food and agricultural production has been consolidated into the hands of a few agribusiness giants. These companies dictate to us how our food is produced, how much farmers are paid for their crops and livestock and how much consumers pay for food.

The safety of your family's food is too important to be limited to a few powerful giant agribusiness corporations.

Act today to put choice back in the American marketplace:

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/cms/sign/bust_up_big_food

Please sign!

[.invisible ink.]

Because everyone (including myself) could stand to learn more about subsidies. Here's a bunch of really interesting links about farm/food subsidies. Enjoy!

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2007/06/How-Farm-Subsidies-Harm-Taxpayers-Consumers-and-Farmers-Too (http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2007/06/How-Farm-Subsidies-Harm-Taxpayers-Consumers-and-Farmers-Too)

http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/food-subsidies (http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/agriculture/food-subsidies)

http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/11/the-subsidized-food-pyramid.html (http://www.seriouseats.com/2007/11/the-subsidized-food-pyramid.html)

http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm07autumn/health_pork.html

[.invisible ink.]

Guess who Owns what? Which shitty corporations own each other? Some of this is slightly outdated but it's interesting nonetheless.

http://www.salvationinc.org/archives/000099.html

Altria (http://www.altria.com/), the new surname for RJ Reynolds, Kraft Foods, Miller beer and Nabisco owns more than Coke or Pepsi...
Marlboro
Basic
Chesterfield
Lark
L&M
Parliament
Virginia Slims
Kraft Foods North America
Kraft Foods International
Jacobs
Maxwell House
Milka
Nabisco
Oreo
Oscar Mayer
Philadelphia
Post
Tang
Miracle Whip
Toblerone Chocolate
Chips Ahoy!
Ritz
Post Cereals
Sanka
Starbucks (registered trademark)
General Foods Int'l Coffees
Yuban
Country Time
Crystal Light
Knudsen cottage cheese
Athenos cheese
DiGiorno
Hani-Snacks
Louis Rich
Tombstone pizza
Bull's Eye BBQ sauce
Calumet baking powder
Lunchables
Shake 'n' Bake
Boca burgers
Nabisco
Milk-Bone
Jell-O
Barnum's Animals (I ate those as a kid!..)
Balance Energy bars
Jenny Craig (a registered trademark)
Taco Bell Dinner Kits (a registered trademark)
Cool Whip
Claussen pickles
Teddy Grahams
Honey Maid pie crusts
Corn Nuts
Planters nut variety
Stove Top Stuffing
Altoids
Lifesavers
(there's much more in the link above)

Philip Morris' Non-Tobacco Companies and Brands:

Miller Brewing Brands: Miller Geniune Draft, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Lowenbrau, Red Dog, Leinenkugel’s, Icehouse, Milwaukee’s Best, Meister Brau, Sharps, Magnum, Celis, Shipyard, Olde English 800, Hamm’s, Mickey’s and Henry Weinhart’s. Miller has a majority interest in Molson USA, LLC, who imports Asahi, Presidente, Molson, and Foster’s into the US market
Post Cereals: (Alpha-Bits, Grape Nuts, Raisin Brands, Banana Nut Chrunch, Pebbles, Toasties, Oreo’s, etc.)
Oscar Meyer Products
Louis Rich Products
Notes:
Philip Morris is the largest tobacco company in the world. Philip Morris also owns a financial subsidiary Philip Morris Capital Corporation.

[.invisible ink.]

Chasing the Junk Food Dragon: How Junk Food Affects Brain Like Heroin (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/chasing-the-junk-food-dragon-how-junk-food-affects-brain-like-heroin.php)
this isn't the greatest article but it's kind of interesting.
(http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/chasing-the-junk-food-dragon-how-junk-food-affects-brain-like-heroin.php)

[.invisible ink.]

Happy Meals don't Age like normal food:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/mcdonalds-happy-meals-invincible.php (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/mcdonalds-happy-meals-invincible.php)


Not surprising, school lunches make kids fat:

http://www.grist.org/article/New-study-says-school-food-may-make-kids-fatter/ (http://www.grist.org/article/New-study-says-school-food-may-make-kids-fatter/)


Calories to be posted on chain restaurant menus as provision of healthcare bill

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/healthcare-bill-calorie-labels.html (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/healthcare-bill-calorie-labels.html)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-last-supper23-2010mar23,0,7531075.story?track=rss (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-last-supper23-2010mar23,0,7531075.story?track=rss ) hilarious - Last Supper Helpings Have Grown Over Time - Christians Super Sizing

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/09/detroit-looks-at-downsizing-to-save-city/ (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/09/detroit-looks-at-downsizing-to-save-city/) turning Detroit into farmland

http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/plowing-detroit-into-farmland/ (http://ideas.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/plowing-detroit-into-farmland/) more Detroit

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/22912392/detail.html (http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/22912392/detail.html) more Detroit

http://www.grist.org/article/philpott7/ (http://www.grist.org/article/philpott7/) how the feds make bad for you food cheaper than good for you food

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/science/09obspinach.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/science/09obspinach.html) Greens Gain Nutrients in Supermarket, who knew?!

[.invisible ink.]

How to Feed the World video: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/how-to-feed-the-world-video.php

http://vimeo.com/8812686

Pretty good, easy to understand video.

The nine-minute video starts by stating that 1 in 7 humans is undernourished and how 96% of those going hungry live in the Global South. From there it becomes a story of Haves and Have-Nots, with succinct explanations of food dependence and simple solutions that the Haves can implement to help stop the hunger.

[.invisible ink.]

This is crazy. There's a slaughterhouse shortage. It's hard to eat local when your food had to travel hundreds of miles to the closest available slaughterhouse facility.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/us/28slaughter.html?ref=us&pagewanted=all

[.invisible ink.]

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs_v3/greeninc/greeninc_print.png (http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/)
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/26/high-school-gardening-for-credit/
March 26, 2010, 5:10 pm High School Gardening — for Credit

By JARED FLESHER (http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/author/jared-flesher/) Jeremy Flesher Students at Princeton High School in New Jersey receive physical education credit for gardening.

Starting this week at Princeton Public High School (http://phs.prs.k12.nj.us/), students can take gym class in the garden.

“I think it’s strangely enjoyable,” said Tim Vasseur, a Princeton sophomore, shovel in hand. “It’s definitely not easy to do or anything like that.”

Advocates for greener schools believe this is the first time public school students will receive physical education credit for garden work. The idea was conceived by Matt Wilkinson, a physical education teacher and a former wrestling coach who also has a background in horticulture.

“We’re giving students another option to mainstream physical education,” Mr. Wilkinson said. “How long is somebody going to play basketball or soccer? Gardening they can do their whole lives.”

Last fall, members of the community raised $1,500 and constructed 16 raised garden beds (http://phs.prs.k12.nj.us/Garden/) on school property. Now that it’s spring, students will get to work planting seeds, weeding, and turning compost.

“It gives people who aren’t that athletic — and I feel like I’m not — it gives them an opportunity to do something else,” said Kruthi Isola, a sophomore. “You learn how to do more than just play a game.”

As part of the class, students will create weight lifting programs customized to build gardening muscle. For example, Mr. Wilkinson emphasized how the day’s activity — using shovels to turn over soil in preparation for planting — uses the same muscles employed in bicep curls.

But the teenagers are not required to get their hands dirty. Each member of the class can choose between working in the garden or a more traditional activity. On the first day the garden was open, 17 of 27 students in one class picked gardening; the rest played Frisbee.

“Some of my friends, they’re like dude, come on, let’s go play some basketball,” said Alex Henry, also a Princeton sophomore. “Why are you doing this girl stuff? But I was like, you know, let’s break the orthodoxy a little bit.”

When the gardening gym class first received publicity in a local newspaper (http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2009/11/19/topstory/doc4b05c5112621d354657835.txt), most of the comments left on the Internet were positive, but not all.

One commenter wrote: “This leads to the further softening of the next generation of kids.”

“Athletics isn’t supposed to be easy,” the commenter added, “but it provides a balance in education that the ‘gardening lifestyle’ doesn’t.”

Mr. Henry, who played football this season, sees it differently.

“Looking at articles I’ve seen, you don’t really know what’s in your food,” he said. “It kind of inspires you to say, ‘O.K., let me start a garden, so I know exactly what I’m eating.’ My nutritional level goes up, and I live longer, and I’m healthier.”

Princeton High School will use the garden for academic purposes as well. Each department has adopted a bed and will choose the types of seeds to be planted. The science department wants to study which plants prevent erosion the best, while the foreign languages department will grow food related to various culinary traditions. Even the guidance department is getting involved; it selected plants that will yield relaxing aromas.

As for any extra vegetables, most will be donated to local soup kitchens and other charitable organizations. They can’t be used in school lunches, Mr. Wilkinson said, because of existing contracts the school has with food service companies.

[.invisible ink.]

http://food.change.org/blog/view/what_you_dont_know_about_strawberri es_could_kill_you

What You Don't Know About Strawberries Could Kill You

Ah, fresh strawberries, that sweet, delightful summertime treat appreciated by taste buds everywhere. But those innocent-looking strawberries are also one of the most poisonous foods in the produce section — if you aren't buying organic, that is. According to a study (http://www.foodnews.org/) by the Environmental Working Group, strawberries rank as one of the dirtiest fruits and vegetables, readily absorbing the noxious chemicals that are used to grow them conventionally and exposing the consumer — and far more so the field workers (http://www.panna.org/files/fieldsSum.dv.html)who grow them — to up to 54 known carcinogens (http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=ST), among other toxins. And things are about to get worse (http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3407/are-your-strawberries-cancerfree).

One of these noxious chemical, the widely-used methyl bromide, is being phased out thanks to international efforts to ban it due to its ozone-depleting effects. This would be good, except the chemical that growers would like to replace it with is methyl iodide (http://www.panna.org/fumigants/mei). Methyl iodide is used by scientists for the delightful purpose of intentionally inducing cancer in lab animals. Cancer is not just this chemical's side effect; it's its job.

Astonishingly, the EPA under Bush approved this chemical for use, although California, where the majority of U.S. strawberries are grown, held off on approving the stuff. California is the second largest user of methyl bromide in the country, so now that it's getting the boot, the pressure is on for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to approve methyl iodide, known commercially as "Midas," in its place.

Of course we can avoid this and other dangerous pesticides by buying only organic strawberries, but that doesn't help the migrant laborers who will be working in clouds of the stuff or the shoppers who simply don't know the danger. Encourage people you know to only buy organic strawberries, along with the other "Dirty Dozen (http://www.foodnews.org/)" vegetables the EWG points to as the most dangerous, call Governor Schwarzenegger, and sign the petition (http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1880) to keep the Midas touch out of California. If we succeed, the new EPA officials are likely to take notice and hopefully do the same for the rest of the country.

[.invisible ink.]

also for all you health nuts..theres a new show (the only show id watch on food network or pretty much anything) called Jamie Olivers the Food Revolution...good stuff.

It's not on the Food Network, its on ABC on Fridays at 8pm EST I believe. We actually discussed it not too long ago but it's a good reminder for people to check it out. Thanks!

[.invisible ink.]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food-fraud.aspx

Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

excerpt from article: Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that agave is actually WORSE than HFCS. This expose will offend many hard core natural health advocates because they have been convinced of the agave hype by companies that are promoting it.

Some have even criticized me for having “ulterior” motives. But nothing could be further from the truth. Although I do offer natural health products of sale on this site, I sell no competing products to agave.

Rather I recommend flavored stevia products like English Toffee or French Vanilla. You can also use xylitol in small amounts or glucose which is sold as dextrose and can easily be purchased on Amazon for $1 per pound. I do not sell any of these products.

My only purpose for sharing this information is to help people understand the truth about health. In case you haven’t noticed we have an epidemic of obesity in the US and it wasn’t until recently that my eyes opened up to the primary cause - - fructose.

I had similar epiphanies about omega-3 fats and vitamin D since I started this site, but this is the most major health appreciation I have had since I learned about vitamin D over five years ago. This is serious business and it is my intention to make the public fully aware of it and let you make your own choices.

Yes it is all about freedom of choice. It is hard to have freedom if you aren’t given the entire story, and up until now that has been the case with agave.


the whole article is super long but worth a read.

[caveBEAR]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food-fraud.aspx

Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

excerpt from article:

the whole article is super long but worth a read.

You're very knowledgeable about this kind of stuff; what kinds of foods have the high fructose corn syrups that you might not expect? I know sodas, candies and the like, and I've been trying to cut them out, but I figured there were probably some sneaky products out there to avoid. :shrug:

[.invisible ink.]

You're very knowledgeable about this kind of stuff; what kinds of foods have the high fructose corn syrups that you might not expect? I know sodas, candies and the like, and I've been trying to cut them out, but I figured there were probably some sneaky products out there to avoid. :shrug:

that's kind of a difficult question because they try to sneak it in everything processed. sometimes you'll find it in stuff like yogurt or tortillas, or anything really. i would just read every label you see before you buy, that's what i do and i avoid 95% of all processed foods. Sorry i couldn't give you a more precise answer, unfortunately one doesn't really exist.

[caveBEAR]

that's kind of a difficult question because they try to sneak it in everything processed. sometimes you'll find it in stuff like yogurt or tortillas, or anything really. i would just read every label you see before you buy, that's what i do and i avoid 95% of all processed foods. Sorry i couldn't give you a more precise answer, unfortunately one doesn't really exist.

Is it always just going to be plainly marked as 'high fructose corn syrup', or will it be worded other ways, too?

[.invisible ink.]

Is it always just going to be plainly marked as 'high fructose corn syrup', or will it be worded other ways, too?

At this point, as far as i know, they are still clearly marking it as high fructose corn syrup, but i wouldn't put it past the refiners to come up with other names to hide it as they have with all the forms of corn and soy products they've slipped in under numerous aliases.

[caveBEAR]

At this point, as far as i know, they are still clearly marking it as high fructose corn syrup, but i wouldn't put it past the refiners to come up with other names to hide it as they have with all the forms of corn and soy products they've slipped in under numerous aliases.

Thank you! I hope you know this thread isn't going unappreciated, even if it is under-commented.

[.invisible ink.]

Thank you! I hope you know this thread isn't going unappreciated, even if it is under-commented.

i appreciate that feedback! i figured there were a few people who appreciated it sticking around! Unfortunately it takes some effort to read the stuff that's being posted as most of the articles are far too long to post in full in a message, so it's a little less user-friendly than it might otherwise be, but i certainly appreciate knowing that people are interested and are hopefully gaining some knowledge they might otherwise not have.

[caveBEAR]

i appreciate that feedback! i figured there were a few people who appreciated it sticking around! Unfortunately it takes some effort to read the stuff that's being posted as most of the articles are far too long to post in full in a message, so it's a little less user-friendly than it might otherwise be, but i certainly appreciate knowing that people are interested and are hopefully gaining some knowledge they might otherwise not have.

Yeah, that's the problem. I usually bookmark the articles and read them at a later time, so I never really interact with this thread much. However, I do consider it to be the most important thread in the Politics forum, so thank you for all the effort (and to everyone else who contributes).

You guys are a shining beacon of what the internet could be, among the mass of what the internet is.

[reckoner]

http://food.change.org/blog/view/what_you_dont_know_about_strawberri es_could_kill_you

What You Don't Know About Strawberries Could Kill You

Ah, fresh strawberries, that sweet, delightful summertime treat appreciated by taste buds everywhere. But those innocent-looking strawberries are also one of the most poisonous foods in the produce section — if you aren't buying organic, that is. According to a study (http://www.foodnews.org/) by the Environmental Working Group, strawberries rank as one of the dirtiest fruits and vegetables, readily absorbing the noxious chemicals that are used to grow them conventionally and exposing the consumer — and far more so the field workers (http://www.panna.org/files/fieldsSum.dv.html)who grow them — to up to 54 known carcinogens (http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=ST), among other toxins. And things are about to get worse (http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3407/are-your-strawberries-cancerfree).

One of these noxious chemical, the widely-used methyl bromide, is being phased out thanks to international efforts to ban it due to its ozone-depleting effects. This would be good, except the chemical that growers would like to replace it with is methyl iodide (http://www.panna.org/fumigants/mei). Methyl iodide is used by scientists for the delightful purpose of intentionally inducing cancer in lab animals. Cancer is not just this chemical's side effect; it's its job.

Astonishingly, the EPA under Bush approved this chemical for use, although California, where the majority of U.S. strawberries are grown, held off on approving the stuff. California is the second largest user of methyl bromide in the country, so now that it's getting the boot, the pressure is on for the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to approve methyl iodide, known commercially as "Midas," in its place.

Of course we can avoid this and other dangerous pesticides by buying only organic strawberries, but that doesn't help the migrant laborers who will be working in clouds of the stuff or the shoppers who simply don't know the danger. Encourage people you know to only buy organic strawberries, along with the other "Dirty Dozen (http://www.foodnews.org/)" vegetables the EWG points to as the most dangerous, call Governor Schwarzenegger, and sign the petition (http://action.panna.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1880) to keep the Midas touch out of California. If we succeed, the new EPA officials are likely to take notice and hopefully do the same for the rest of the country.
That is fucked up.

that's kind of a difficult question because they try to sneak it in everything processed. sometimes you'll find it in stuff like yogurt or tortillas, or anything really. i would just read every label you see before you buy, that's what i do and i avoid 95% of all processed foods. Sorry i couldn't give you a more precise answer, unfortunately one doesn't really exist.

My multigrain wheat thins have it.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502709.html

Jamie Oliver: Taking the revolution to president

By J.M. HIRSCH
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 25, 2010; 6:50 PM

NEW YORK -- If Jamie Oliver can't persuade the school lunch ladies of Huntington, West Virginia, that fresh food is better than processed, maybe he'll have better luck with President Barack Obama.

While Oliver's effort to overhaul the diet of one West Virginia community unfolds on network television, the British celebrity chef also will be stumping for national reform with an online petition calling for better food in the country's schools.

Watching "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" should make people angry about the state of the American food system, Oliver said in an interview Thursday. And he hopes the ABC reality series moves people to channel that anger for change.

"If you can create an environment in which the public expects more, all the cogs in life as we know it fall into place," he said.
Once the series (which premiers with a 2-hour episode Friday) ends its run on April 23, Oliver plans to take the petition to the White House, where first lady Michelle Obama has made reducing childhood obesity a priority.

Despite the sometimes chilly reception he got from Huntington locals in early episodes of the series, Oliver said he is convinced this is the right time for a food revolution in the United States.
"I'm starting to see a difference now in America that I've never seen as a foreigner in 12 years," he said, noting a confluence of pressures for reform from the White House, Congress, industry, health and parent groups.

By Thursday afternoon, about 50,000 people had signed on to Oliver's petition, which was launched in early March.

Oliver's series airs as Congress considers legislation to toughen the rules that regulate the nation's school lunches. The measure would create new standards for all foods in schools, including vending machine items.

The series is based on a similar program Oliver did in England that did result in reform of school food. The American version is set in a town the network calls the nation's unhealthiest city.

That designation is based on a 2008 Associated Press story that used federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data to dub the five-county Huntington metropolitan area the country's unhealthiest.

The story pointed out that based on CDC statistics, nearly half the adults in the metropolitan area were obese and that the area led in a half-dozen other illness measures, too, including heart disease and diabetes.

That didn't make it any easier for the community to swallow Oliver's made-for-TV change-your-diet-or-die message.
"We don't want to sit around and eat lettuce all day," local radio DJ Rod Willis told Oliver when the chef appeared on his radio show during the first episode. "You come to town and you say you're going to change our menus and all that. I just don't think you should come in here and tell us what to do."

Though he was clearly taken aback during the filming, Oliver said Thursday the reaction was expected.
"The reception is always fairly icy when you go someplace and want to promote change," he said. "I knew it was going to be hard and certainly the first month was pretty tough."

But Oliver says it definitely got better. "After four, four and a half months, it was a love fest."
In the series, Oliver wrestles with school food bureaucracy as he struggles to replace the menu of processed foods with fresh, does a diet makeover for an obese family that was living on frozen pizzas and junk food, and opens a storefront cooking school to teach basic kitchen skills and healthy recipes.

Still to be seen is what happens now that the cameras are gone. State officials have questioned whether the experiment can be replicated elsewhere. And officials have said food and labor costs already are higher at the existing program.

Oliver doesn't buy it. He says some of those extra costs are debatable. "As far as my experts are concerned, and frankly I trust them more than what's happening down there, they're saying the food actually is coming out the same (cost)."

He acknowledges labor costs for working with fresh food is higher. And he argues it's worth it.
"This is the true cost of feeding your children," he said. "You've been living in a fallacy for the last 30 years. Of course when you reheat and regenerate pre-portioned and pre-prepared processed rubbish, of course its cheaper and easier. It's airplane food. So under the circumstances, our numbers are coming out really good."

Sign the Petition: http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

[.invisible ink.]

http://consumerist.com/2010/03/food-companies-start-listening-to-customers-ditch-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html

[/URL][URL="http://consumerist.com/2010/03/food-companies-start-listening-to-customers-ditch-high-fructose-corn-syrup.html"]Food Companies Start Listening To Customers, Ditch High Fructose Corn Syrup (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:void%280%29)

By Laura Northrup (http://consumerist.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=917643) on March 17, 2010 12:00 PM 0 views

http://consumerist.com/2010/03/17/4066366965_a4997ee8c2_m.jpg (D. Martone (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmartone/))

Do Americans feel strongly enough about high fructose corn syrup to seek out food without it? Will anyone go out of their way and pay extra to find soda or ketchup without the controversial corn-based sweetener? AdAge reports that some companies are removing it from their products, but have discovered that marketing the change without alienating consumers who weren't aware of or simply don't care about the presence of HFCS poses unique problems (http://adage.com/article?article_id=142788).
Big-name brands such as Wheat Thins, Gatorade, and Pepsi are experimenting with corn-free products."We know HFCS was of interest to some of our consumers, but not all," a Wheat Thins spokesman said. The brand chose not to broadcast its shift to sugar, though it did market the broader product overhaul, focusing on the benefits of whole grains. New packaging references the lack of HFCS in the product, but it's "not a core message in our marketing," the spokesman said. Gatorade declined to share specifics of its marketing plans around the reformulation of Gatorade and G2. But a spokeswoman said that targeted communications are planned to address audiences who have expressed concerns about HFCS, namely moms and health professionals. "Removing HFCS is part of our long-term strategy to reinforce the functional benefits and quality of Gatorade and G2," she said. "Through our research and understanding of athletes, we have learned many have a negative perception of HFCS."
Of course, the article also notes that companies aren't switching away from high fructose corn syrup solely out of concern for their customers' health and general consumer demand. Greater production of ethanol for fuel has raised corn prices, making HFCS less obscenely cheap than it has been in past decades.


Do you avoid products containing high fructose corn syrup? (http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2912154/)polls (http://www.polldaddy.com)

Major Brands No Longer Sweet on High-Fructose Corn Syrup (http://adage.com/article?article_id=142788) [AdAge]

[.invisible ink.]

Track your milk! Where'd your milk come from? http://whereismymilkfrom.com/

Trace where your food has come from! https://www.foodlogiq.com/web/home/consumer

[.invisible ink.]

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/03/28/study.shows.compulsive.eating.share s.addictive.biochemical.mechanism.w ith.cocaine.heroin.abuse

Study shows compulsive eating shares addictive biochemical mechanism with cocaine, heroin abuse

Published: Sunday, March 28, 2010 - 13:28 in Biology & Nature (http://esciencenews.com/topics/biology.nature)

In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity. The new study, conducted by Scripps Research Associate Professor Paul J. Kenny and graduate student Paul M. Johnson, was published March 28, 2010 in an advance online edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The study's startling findings received widespread publicity after a preliminary abstract was presented at a Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago last October. Articles heralding the new discovery appeared in news publications around the world, focusing on the point obese patients have been making for years – that, like addiction to other substances, junk food binging is extremely difficult to stop.

The study goes significantly further than the abstract, however, demonstrating clearly that in rat models the development of obesity coincides with a progressively deteriorating chemical balance in reward brain circuitries. As these pleasure centers in the brain become less and less responsive, rats quickly develop compulsive overeating habits, consuming larger quantities of high-calorie, high-fat foods until they become obese. The very same changes occur in the brains of rats that overconsume cocaine or heroin, and are thought to play an important role in the development of compulsive drug use.

Kenny, a scientist at Scripps Research's Florida campus, said that the study, which took nearly three years to complete, confirms the "addictive" properties of junk food.

"The new study, unlike our preliminary abstract, explains what happens in the brain of these animals when they have easy access to high-calorie, high-fat food," said Kenny. "It presents the most thorough and compelling evidence that drug addiction and obesity are based on the same underlying neurobiological mechanisms. In the study, the animals completely lost control over their eating behavior, the primary hallmark of addiction. They continued to overeat even when they anticipated receiving electric shocks, highlighting just how motivated they were to consume the palatable food."
The scientists fed the rats a diet modeled after the type that contributes to human obesity—easy-to-obtain high-calorie, high-fat foods like sausage, bacon, and cheesecake. Soon after the experiments began, the animals began to bulk up dramatically.

"They always went for the worst types of food," Kenny said, "and as a result, they took in twice the calories as the control rats. When we removed the junk food and tried to put them on a nutritious diet – what we called the 'salad bar option' – they simply refused to eat. The change in their diet preference was so great that they basically starved themselves for two weeks after they were cut off from junk food. It was the animals that showed the "crash" in brain reward circuitries that had the most profound shift in food preference to the palatable, unhealthy diet. These same rats were also those that kept on eating even when they anticipated being shocked."

Lethally Simple
What happens in addiction is lethally simple, Kenny explained. The reward pathways in the brain have been so overstimulated that the system basically turns on itself, adapting to the new reality of addiction, whether its cocaine or cupcakes.

"The body adapts remarkably well to change—and that's the problem," said Kenny. "When the animal overstimulates its brain pleasure centers with highly palatable food, the systems adapt by decreasing their activity. However, now the animal requires constant stimulation from palatable food to avoid entering a persistent state of negative reward".

After showing that obese rats had clear addiction-like food seeking behaviors, Johnson and Kenny next investigated the underlying molecular mechanisms that may explain these changes. They focused on a particular receptor in the brain known to play an important role in vulnerability to drug addiction and obesity – the dopamine D2 receptor. The D2 receptor responds to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is released in the brain by pleasurable experiences like food or sex or drugs like cocaine. In cocaine abuse, for example, the drug alter the flow of dopamine by blocking its retrieval, flooding the brain and overstimulating the receptors, something that eventually leads to physical changes in the way the brain responds to the drug.

The new study shows that the same thing happens in junk food addiction.
"These findings confirm what we and many others have suspected," Kenny said, "that overconsumption of highly pleasurable food triggers addiction-like neuroadaptive responses in brain reward circuitries, driving the development of compulsive eating. Common mechanisms may therefore underlie obesity and drug addiction."

Consistent with common mechanisms explaining addiction and obesity, levels of the D2 dopamine receptors were significantly reduced in the brains of the obese animals, similar to previous reports of what happens in human drug addicts, Kenny noted. Remarkably, when the scientists knocked down the receptor using a specialized virus, the development of addiction-like eating was dramatically accelerated.

"This addiction-like behavior happened almost from the moment we knocked down the dopamine receptors," Kenny noted. "The very next day after we provided access to the palatable food, their brains changed into a state that was consistent with an animal that had been overeating for several weeks. The animals also became compulsive in their eating behaviors almost immediately. These data are, as far as we know, the strongest support for the idea that overeating of palatable food can become habitual in the same manner and through the same mechanisms as consumption of drugs of abuse."

Source: Scripps Research Institute (http://www.scripps.edu/)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/March10/Features/TrackingACentury.htm

Tracking a Century of American Eating

ERS’s food availability data span 100 years, allowing researchers, marketers,
and policymakers to examine historical consumption trends and shifts in food demand.

[caveBEAR]

Study shows compulsive eating shares addictive biochemical mechanism with cocaine, heroin abuse

What happens in addiction is lethally simple, Kenny explained. The reward pathways in the brain have been so overstimulated that the system basically turns on itself, adapting to the new reality of addiction, whether its cocaine or cupcakes.
"The body adapts remarkably well to change—and that's the problem," said Kenny. "When the animal overstimulates its brain pleasure centers with highly palatable food, the systems adapt by decreasing their activity. However, now the animal requires constant stimulation from palatable food to avoid entering a persistent state of negative reward".

I realized a little bit ago that I was gaining a little weight, and the only real sweets I enjoy are sodas, and I gave those up easy.

Does this mean I can safely start doing heroin now?

[.invisible ink.]

The Sugary Brands Doing the Most Kid Chasing http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1931891_1931889,00.html

[.invisible ink.]

I realized a little bit ago that I was gaining a little weight, and the only real sweets I enjoy are sodas, and I gave those up easy.

Does this mean I can safely start doing heroin now?

Yes, yes it does. I've heard heroin is fantastic for your figure!

[caveBEAR]

Yes, yes it does. I've heard heroin is fantastic for your figure!

Uh, they don't call it 'heroin chic' for nothing. Psh. :gay:

[Praetor]

I started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It's good, but a bit too reality-TV.

[.invisible ink.]

I started watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It's good, but a bit too reality-TV.

I feel the same but I can forgive the reality TV aspects for the brilliant message he's sending out. I truly hope people are watching this who otherwise don't really follow the subject and are getting educated.

[.invisible ink.]

This is so totally upsetting. I'm sure you've heard about the bee population problems, apparently they aren't getting any better.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/24/science/AP-US-Food-and-Farm-Disappearing-Bees.html?_r=1

Bees in More Trouble Than Ever After Bad Winter

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 8:07 a.m. ET
MERCED, Calif. (AP) -- The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees (http://www.nytimes.com/info/bees/?inline=nyt-classifier) is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides.

Two federal agencies along with regulators in California and Canada are scrambling to figure out what is behind this relatively recent threat, ordering new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards. Federal courts are even weighing in this month, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/e/environmental_protection_agency/index.html?inline=nyt-org) overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market.

And on Thursday, chemists at a scientific conference in San Francisco will tackle the issue of chemicals and dwindling bees in response to the new study.

Scientists are concerned because of the vital role bees play in our food supply. About one-third of the human diet is from plants that require pollination from honeybees, which means everything from apples to zucchini.

Bees have been declining over decades from various causes. But in 2006 a new concern, ''colony collapse disorder,'' was blamed for large, inexplicable die-offs. The disorder, which causes adult bees to abandon their hives and fly off to die, is likely a combination of many causes, including parasites, viruses, bacteria, poor nutrition and pesticides, experts say.

''It's just gotten so much worse in the past four years,'' said Jeff Pettis, research leader of the Department of Agriculture's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. ''We're just not keeping bees alive that long.''

This year bees seem to be in bigger trouble than normal after a bad winter, according to an informal survey of commercial bee brokers cited in an internal USDA document. One-third of those surveyed had trouble finding enough hives to pollinate California's blossoming nut trees, which grow the bulk of the world's almonds. A more formal survey will be done in April.

''There were a lot of beekeepers scrambling to fill their orders and that implies that mortality was high,'' said Penn State (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/p/pennsylvania_state_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org) University bee researcher Dennis vanEngelsdorp, who worked on the USDA snapshot survey.

Beekeeper Zac Browning shipped his hives from Idaho to California to pollinate the blossoming almond groves. He got a shock when he checked on them, finding hundreds of the hives empty, abandoned by the worker bees.

The losses were extreme, three times higher than the previous year.
''It wasn't one load or two loads, but every load we were pulling out that was dead. It got extremely depressing to see a third of my livestock gone,'' Browning said, standing next to stacks of dead bee colonies in a clearing near Merced, at the center of California's fertile San Joaquin Valley.

Among all the stresses to bee health, it's the pesticides that are attracting scrutiny now. A study published Friday in the scientific journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) One found about three out of five pollen and wax samples from 23 states had at least one systemic pesticide -- a chemical designed to spread throughout all parts of a plant.

EPA officials said they are aware of problems involving pesticides and bees and the agency is ''very seriously concerned.''
The pesticides are not a risk to honey sold to consumers, federal officials say. And the pollen that people eat is probably safe because it is usually from remote areas where pesticides are not used, Pettis said. But the PLOS study found 121 different types of pesticides within 887 wax, pollen, bee and hive samples.

''The pollen is not in good shape,'' said Chris Mullin of Penn State University, lead author.
None of the chemicals themselves were at high enough levels to kill bees, he said, but it was the combination and variety of them that is worrisome.
University of Illinois (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_illinois/index.html?inline=nyt-org) entomologist May Berenbaum called the results ''kind of alarming.''

Despite EPA assurances, environmental groups don't think the EPA is doing enough on pesticides.
Bayer Crop Science started petitioning the agency to approve a new pesticide for sale in 2006. After reviewing the company's studies of its effects on bees, the EPA gave Bayer conditional approval to sell the product two years later, but said it had to carry a label warning that it was ''potentially toxic to honey bee larvae through residues in pollen and nectar.''

The Natural Resources Defense Council (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/natural_resources_defense_council/index.html?inline=nyt-org) sued, saying the agency failed to give the public timely notice for the new pesticide application. In December, a federal judge in New York agreed, banning the pesticide's sale and earlier this month, two more judges upheld the ruling.
''This court decision is obviously very painful for us right now, and for growers who don't have access to that product,'' said Jack Boyne, an entomologist and spokesman for Bayer Crop Science. ''This product quite frankly is not harmful to honeybees.''
Boyne said the pesticide was sold for only about a year and most sales were in California, Arizona and Florida. The product is intended to disrupt the mating patterns of insects that threaten citrus, lettuce and grapes, he said.

Berenbaum's research shows pesticides are not the only problem. She said multiple viruses also are attacking the bees, making it tough to propose a single solution.
''Things are still heading downhill,'' she said.
For Browning, one of the country's largest commercial beekeepers, the latest woes have led to a $1 million loss this year.
''It's just hard to get past this,'' he said, watching as workers cleaned honey from empty wooden hives Monday. ''I'm going to rebuild, but I have plenty of friends who aren't going to make it.''

[.invisible ink.]

Good for you, Oklahoma City.

http://www.denverpost.com/food/ci_14734547

Fat City getting skinny with help from its mayor

By John Henderson
The Denver Post (jhenderson@denverpost.com?subject= The%20Denver%20Post:%20Fat%20City%2 0getting%20skinny%20with%20help%20f rom%20its%20mayor)
Posted: 03/24/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

var requestedWidth = 0;
if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleVie werGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleVie werGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } OKLAHOMA CITY — Ever seen the hit TV show, "The Biggest Loser"? If they did it for cities instead of people, Oklahoma City would be front and center. You'd see a skyline that's more wide than tall with the 52-story Bank of Oklahoma Tower sprouting pudgy arms and eating barbecue brisket.


However, in today's episode, Oklahoma City is looking better. It's feeling better. It's eating better. Believe it or not folks, Oklahoma City — or Fat City as it's known around America — is on a diet.


Lord knows it needed one. The country was starting to talk.


Men's Fitness magazine ranked it the second fattest city in the country. It based that ranking on only 17 percent of the townsfolk eating the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and that they are 28 percent less likely to walk for fitness every day.
How they came up with those stats, I don't know. The magazine listed Miami No. 1. (Um, editors, have you ever seen the women on South Beach? Think they're all tourists?)


But the survey's credibility doesn't matter. Men's Fitness wasn't the only magazine that pureed Oklahoma City. It all got the attention of one key person: Mayor Mick Cornett.


"I had always been very proud of all the positive lists we started showing up on — best city to start a business, best city to get a job," Cornett told me Thursday. "Then the obesity list came out, and it really bothered me."


So on New Year's Eve 2007, he put the city on a diet.


He didn't just suggest everyone eat more grapefruit and broccoli. A former sportscaster, Cornett has a flair for hyperbole. He held a press conference at the Oklahoma City Zoo. He made the announcement in front of the elephant cage.
Think that got people's attention?


"Even if they were just saying, 'Did you hear what the crazy mayor did? He put us all on a diet.' People were talking about obesity," he said.
Local chefs started adding healthy dishes, called "Mayor's Specials," to the usual local fare of barbecue and fried anything. A vegan restaurant opened. Even Taco Bell offered a menu with no sour cream or cheese and put Cornett's life-sized cutout on the ads.
People signed up at thiscityisgoingonadiet.com (http://thiscityisgoingonadiet.com/) and recorded their weight loss.


It has been a little more than two years, and the city has lost a collective 540,000 pounds. After many previous visits here, I wondered if that involved only four locals. No, it's much of the city, and Cornett is pushing his people to hit the million mark.


America's mayors are the truly great leaders in our country, and Cornett's one of the best. His re-election in 2006 came with 87 percent of the vote.


As I've traveled internationally, it's obvious America is the fattest nation on Earth. This is one guy and one city that did something about it.
"If we're a community and it's documented that we don't value our health and I'm a job creator, why am I really going in there and creating jobs without wondering what my health care costs are going to be, what's my absenteeism's going to be, without it working against us?" said Cornett, who's also building hundreds of miles of bike paths and sidewalks.


"So if we could change our image to a city that values its health, that's probably going to help us create jobs."


Cornett isn't just pointing fingers. The 5-foot-9 mayor dieted too. He cut his daily caloric intake from 3,000 calories to 2,000 and lost 40 pounds in 40 weeks, going from 220 pounds to 180.


But healthy fare? In Oklahoma City? Isn't that like discos in Kuwait City?


So I went to Nonna's, one of the city's finer restaurants. It features high-end prep on feel-good food such as chicken pot pie, pot roast and some monstrosity called a stuffed bleu cheese jalapeño bacon burger.


Last week's Mayor's Special was a chicken salad with no-frilled grilled chicken on cabbage topped with baby tomatoes, Parmesan chunks, crispy onions and a Guinness vinaigrette. It was really good, and despite its typical Oklahoma-sized portion, I didn't need a gurney to leave.
"This has worked so well for me," said owner Avis Scaramucci, a very fit, stylish grandmother. "People come in just for the Mayor's Special."
Taking the mayor's initiative to the level of the bizarre is 105 Degrees. Forbes magazine listed it as one of America's best new restaurants. But a vegan restaurant here challenges the imagination. I'm sorry, but I can't see some of the fat locals I see cruising Bricktown in dirty jeans, T-shirts and ball caps eating a Portobello burger.


But since it opened in September, locals have flocked to it. Owner Dara Prentice cites Cornett's push, saying, "It's part of what we're about. We want to help the city have a place that makes it inviting and enticing to try and experience healthful foods, and so far we've been very well received."


Vegan, which uses no animal or dairy products, is an acquired taste. I tried their vegan cheese plate, a contradiction in terms on the level of military intelligence or Fox News. The three little cheese wedges are made from macadamia nuts and cashews and tasted more like puree than anything I'd put on a cracker.


Much better was the cannelloni made with pignoli ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomato marinara and pistachio pesto wrapped in thin slices of cucumber.


It wouldn't go over in Rome, but Rome doesn't need to go on a diet. Oklahoma City did.
Hey, I just looked out my hotel window — the Bank of Oklahoma Tower is holding a carrot!
If You Go

Nonna's, 1 Mickey Mantle Drive, 405-235-4410
105 Degrees, 5820 N. Classen Blvd., Suite 1, 405-842-1050

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Manure Raises New Stink

Giant Gas Bubbles in Indiana Dairy Farm's Waste Pond Frighten Neighbors

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487042665045751422240 96848264.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETop Stories
By LAUREN ETTER (http://online.wsj.com/search/term.html?KEYWORDS=LAUREN+ETTER&bylinesearch=true)

WINCHESTER, Ind.—Like many of his neighbors, farmer Tony Goltstein has to deal with the aftermath of the dairy bubble.
But besides his mounting financial troubles, Mr. Goltstein also must contend with bubbles the size of small houses that have sprouted from the pool of manure at his Union Go Dairy Farm. Some are 20 feet tall, inflated with the gas released by 21 million gallons of decomposing cow manure.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NA-BF150_BUBBLE_D_20100324181334.jpg (http://www.absolutepunk.net/)

Tony Goltstein stands last week by the bubbling lagoon at his farm in Winchester, Ind. Some fear popping the bubbles could result in an explosion.

But he has a plan. It requires a gas mask, a small boat and a Swiss Army knife.
The saga of Mr. Goltstein's bubbles, which are big enough to be seen in satellite photos, began about seven years ago and traces the recent boom and bust of U.S. dairy farmers.
Mr. Goltstein, 43 years old, had moved his wife and their three children from the Netherlands to Winchester, population 4,600, about 90 miles east of Indianapolis. They planned to build a dairy farm with 1,650 cows on 180 acres.

He had installed a black plastic liner to keep the manure from seeping into the ground during the flush days of the dairy business, when prices and demand were growing.

The plastic liner has since detached from the floor of the stinky, open-air pool, and Mr. Goltstein says he can't afford to repair the liner properly. But he says he's game to pop the bubbles before the manure pool overflows and causes an even bigger stink.
His neighbors aren't happy with the plan.

"If that thing back there blows, God help us all for miles," said Allen Hutchison, whose corn and soybean farm is next door. He and other neighbors worry that puncturing the bubbles could cause an explosion of manure and toxic gases.
Not to worry, said Mr. Goltstein as he stood at the edge of the manure pit, puffing on a cigarette and gazing at the bubbles glistening in the sun. "I have no fear popping them."

When the neighboring Hutchison family first learned the Goltsteins were planning a dairy farm right next door, they worried the operation's manure pool would foul the air or groundwater. Mr. Hutchison petitioned state environmental officials to deny the Goltsteins an operating permit.

It's normal in farm country to see vast brown pools filled with manure slurry from dairy cows or hogs. These lagoons, as they're commonly called, are supposed to safely store animal waste until the manure is sprayed on fields as fertilizer. Federal and state laws govern how the pools are maintained.

Some struggling farmers in the recession have neglected lagoon maintenance while others have abandoned their farms altogether, leaving states to clean up the mess.
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/P1-AU431_Bubble_D_20100324195750.jpg (http://www.absolutepunk.net/)

Barbara Sha Cox, who has a farm six miles from the Goltstein farm, recently wrote to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, asking him to support rules that would require farmers to put up money so the state wouldn't be liable if a lagoon spilled manure or was abandoned. A spokeswoman for Mr. Daniels said, "on the rare occasions that there has been a need for a cleanup, the state has the ability and does seek cost recovery and that approach is working."

The Goltsteins agreed to install a plastic liner and received their permit. These liners often are used in landfills, but Mr. Goltstein said his was among the first to be used on an Indiana farm. It cost $150,000.

The first small bubbles began poking up in the fall of 2006. "I thought, 'This doesn't look right,' " he said.

In July 2008, about the time milk prices plummeted amid weak global demand, one of the bubbles ripped open and revealed solid matter inside. A state environmental inspector visited, and the state fined Mr. Goltstein $2,125 for failing to properly maintain the lagoon.
The Goltsteins filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month; their bank began foreclosure proceedings. Mr. Goltstein said repairing or replacing the lagoon liner could cost him more than $200,000—money, he said, he doesn't have.

Indiana's Department of Environmental Management said there was no sign that manure from Mr. Goltstein's lagoon was contaminating the local groundwater.

But Mr. Goltstein said he loses sleep worrying that his lagoon will overflow. Warmer weather appears to have made the bubbles grow, he said, and the pool has been inching higher. To prevent a spill, the Goltsteins have been paying to have manure pumped into tanker trucks and dumped at another farm.

This month, Mr. Goltstein asked state regulators to let him pop the bubbles. He said he and his 19-year-old son would slice them open with a knife from a paddleboat.

Bruce Palin, assistant commissioner for the office of land quality at the state environmental agency, said officials were considering the idea. But, he added, "not knowing how much volume of gas is there and how much pressure is on it, we're concerned with just cutting a hole."

Last year, a hog farmer in Hayfield, Minn., was launched 40 feet into the air in an explosion caused by methane gas from a manure pit on his farm. He sustained burns and singed hair.

Mr. Goltstein's attorney, Glenn D. Bowman, acknowledged that the potential existed for an explosion: "We're aware of that sort of common physics issue," he said.
If and when the bubbles are deflated, state officials said, they will be there to keep watch.
That's little consolation to many of Mr. Goltstein's neighbors.
"If they don't do it right..." Mr. Hutchison said, shaking his head as his voice trailed off.
Mr. Palin, the state official, said, "Obviously you don't want to be smoking a cigarette when you open this thing up."

How Much Manure Does a Dairy Cow Produce?

148 lbs. per day
1,036 lbs. per week
4,440 lbs. per month
54,020 lbs. per year

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With a bit more cash and lots of ingenuity, school lunches could be much better

http://www.grist.org/article/committed-to-better-school-food-lunch/

In a D.C. school, the simple power of a good breakfast

http://www.grist.org/article/committed-to-better-school-food-breakfast/

'Meatless Monday,' Aimed At Delivering Healthier Food For Less, Comes To City Schools

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-09-24/news/0909230124_1_schools-in-maryland-city-schools-school-lunches

[coryatlarge]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/30/beware-of-the-agave-nectar-health-food-fraud.aspx

Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup

excerpt from article:

the whole article is super long but worth a read.
i saw an article on this a few months ago... it sucks because i'd been using it for a while and then found out its worse. the article i read said that the "amber" agave was actually overcooked and burnt... i'll have to find it and link it up on here.

by the way sorry for this quote from a while ago i havent been checking in here lately but i follow the FRESH fanpage and food inc. fanpage on facebook and they have a lot of these articles on there.

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i saw an article on this a few months ago... it sucks because i'd been using it for a while and then found out its worse. the article i read said that the "amber" agave was actually overcooked and burnt... i'll have to find it and link it up on here.

by the way sorry for this quote from a while ago i havent been checking in here lately but i follow the FRESH fanpage and food inc. fanpage on facebook and they have a lot of these articles on there.

yeah, i posted something about agave syrup on here a while back, but figured it was worth posting again. So many people think it's "good for you" and "natural" but it's another scam. Figures.

you caught me, sometimes i'm lazy and just repost some things from the Fresh fanpage, but mostly not. I think a lot of the articles they post (as well as the Organic Consumers Association) are the same things I stumble across on my own as well. You should post some stuff that you find as well.

[coryatlarge]

yeah, i posted something about agave syrup on here a while back, but figured it was worth posting again. So many people think it's "good for you" and "natural" but it's another scam. Figures.

you caught me, sometimes i'm lazy and just repost some things from the Fresh fanpage, but mostly not. I think a lot of the articles they post (as well as the Organic Consumers Association) are the same things I stumble across on my own as well. You should post some stuff that you find as well.
Yeah it sucks because there's a colorado based agave syrup brand I was buying thinking I was helping support local foods until I learned its made in laboratories.

Haha its all good. I keep caught up on articles on facebook when I don't have time to look for them and I post stuff whenever I get the chance. I just don't usually find stuff you haven't already posted haha.

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http://consumerist.com/2010/04/does-drinking-cola-do-damage-to-your-sperm.html

Does Drinking Cola Do Damage To Your Sperm? (http://consumerist.com/2010/04/does-drinking-cola-do-damage-to-your-sperm.html) By Chris Morran (http://consumerist.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-cp.cgi?__mode=view&blog_id=1&id=1531140) on April 5, 2010 3:03 PM 0 views

http://consumerist.com/spermish.jpg (Yo Spiff (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yospiff/4220794099/))

If the soda tax won't get men to cut back on cola intake, the results of a recent study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology just might. According to researchers, there may be a direct effect between heavy consumption of caffeinated cola and reduced sperm count.
Over the course of four years, researchers in Denmark looked at semen samples from over 2500 young men and compared to the levels of cola and caffeine that the men were consuming each week.
Neither moderate nor low consumption of caffeine and cola showed a correlation to sperm count or semen quality.
Meanwhile, those consuming over 7 liters of cola/week and/or 800mg of caffeine/day demonstrated "reduced sperm concentration and total sperm count, although only significant for cola."
State the researchers on the study:

Therefore, the authors cannot exclude the possibility of a threshold above which cola, and possibly caffeine, negatively affects semen quality. Alternatively, the less healthy lifestyle of these men may explain these findings. Caffeine Intake and Semen Quality in a Population of 2,554 Young Danish Men (http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/kwq007v1?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=sperm&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=date&resourcetype=HWCIT) [AJE]

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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/choosing-sustainable-toxin-free-seafood/

Choosing Safer, Sustainable Seafood

By TARA PARKER-POPE (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/author/tara-parker-pope/) http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/15/health/fish_480a.jpgGianni Cipriano for The New York Times
Shopping for fish these days is tough. Sure it’s good for your heart and brain, but how do you know if it’s low in mercury and other toxins? And once you settle on a healthful fish, is buying it also good for the planet?
Seattle food writer Kim O’Donnel wades through the murky waters of fish consumption over at True/Slant (http://trueslant.com/) with “Sustainable Seafood 411 (http://trueslant.com/kimodonnel/2009/07/15/sustainable-seafood-411-wading-through-the-waters/),” a helpful primer on choosing earth-friendly, safer fish. Here are her suggestions.
Choose:
Low on the food chain seafood like sardines, anchovies, clams, mussels and oysters. These have “shorter life spans, reproduce more readily and as a result are more resilient to fishing pressure.”
Wild salmon from Alaska and smaller albacore tuna from the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, which are both relatively well-managed fisheries.
A variety of fish to reduce your exposure to contaminants common to one particular type.
Eat less:
Big predatory fish like swordfish, tuna, shark and salmon (exceptions noted above). High-on-the-food-chain fish accumulate the most toxins.
Don’t eat:
Yellowfin, bluefin and big eye tuna. They are overfished and nearing extinction.
Imported farmed shrimp. Environmental standards are inconsistent and unregulated.
Farmed salmon. Often sold as Atlantic salmon, you’re buying fish raised in crowded and unhealthful conditions.
Freshwater eel. No more unagi at the sushi bar. It’s almost fished to extinction.
Another great resource is the Monterey Bay Aquarium (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx), which offers helpful pocket cards (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx) and a new iPhone app (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_iPhone.aspx) to help you make better seafood choices. You can even take a test to find out if your favorite sushi dishes (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_sushi_restaurant.aspx) are sustainable. And don’t miss Martha Rose Shulman’s Recipes for Health collection of recipes (http://topics.nytimes.com/health/series/recipes_for_health/seafood/index.html) using safe, sustainable seafood.

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http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/switching-to-grass-fed-beef/

Switching to Grass-Fed Beef

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/03/12/science/11well_cows/11well_cows-blogSpan.jpgCarla Gottgens/Bloomberg A Murray Grey cow calls to a herd of beef cattle on a farm near Kyneton in rural Victoria, Australia.

What’s the nutritional difference between beef from animals raised on grass compared with animals fattened in feedlots?

New research from California State University in Chico breaks it down, reviewing three decades of research comparing the nutritional profiles of grass-fed and grain-fed beef.

Over all, grass-fed beef comes out ahead, according to the report in the latest Nutrition Journal (http://www.nutritionj.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-9-10.pdf). Beef from grass-fed animals has lower levels of unhealthy fats and higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are better for cardiovascular health. Grass-fed beef also has lower levels of dietary cholesterol and offers more vitamins A and E as well as antioxidants. The study found that meat from animals raised entirely on grass also had about twice the levels of conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, isomers, which may have cancer fighting properties and lower the risk of diabetes and other health problems.

While the analysis is favorable to grass-fed beef, it’s not clear whether the nutritional differences in the two types of meat have any meaningful impact on human health. For instance, the levels of healthful omega-3s are still far lower than those found in fatty fish like salmon. And as the study authors note, consumers of grain-fed beef can increase their levels of healthful CLAs by eating slightly fattier cuts.
Grass-fed beef has a distinctly different and “grassy” flavor compared with feed-lot beef and also costs more. A recent comparison in The Village Voice (http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2009/11/battle_of_the_d_18.php) cooked up one-pound grass-fed and grain-fed steaks. The grass-fed meat tasted better, according to the article, but at $26 a pound, also cost about three times more.

Today all cattle are typically raised on grass in the early months of their lives. But in the 1950s, cattle raisers hoping to cut costs and improve efficiency of beef production began to ship the animals to feed lots, where they could be fattened more quickly on inexpensive and high-calorie grains. Grain feeding also increased intramuscular fat in the animals. The result was a marbling effect that made meat more flavorful and tender but also raised fat and cholesterol levels.

Advocates of pasture-raised beef say the reasons to switch go beyond nutrition. The animal is raised in a more humane fashion that is also better for the environment. And 100-percent grass-fed animals typically aren’t given hormones or antibiotics. The Web site EatWild.com has more information about the environmental effects (http://www.eatwild.com/environment.html)of commercial farming and ranching practices and the benefits of pasture-raising.

The New York Times writer Marian Burros explored the taste difference in “There’s More to Like About Grass-Fed Beef.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/dining/30well.html)

Labels on grass-fed beef can be misleading, and some meat carrying a “grass-fed” label was still “finished” on grains at a feed lot. Meats carrying a U.S. Department of Agriculture “process verified shield” adhere to specific standards for grass feeding, although Mother Earth News reports that a label from the American Grassfed Association is better. To learn more about labeling on grass-fed meat read the full Mother Earth article, “The Label Says Grass-Fed, But Is It?” (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/2008-04-01/USDA-Grass-Fed-Label.aspx) or go to the American Grassfed Association Web site. (http://www.americangrassfed.org/)

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125176104
Recent Efforts Have Some Reconsidering Wal-Mart
March 25, 2010
Listen to the Story (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125176 104,%20125176094,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.PLAY_NOW,%20NPR.Player.T ype.STORY,%20%270%27%29)

Talk of the Nation (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5)
[30 min 4 sec]

Add to Playlist (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125176 104,%20125176094,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.ADD_TO_PLAYLIST,%20NPR.P layer.Type.STORY,%20%270%27%29)
Download (http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/totn/2010/03/20100325_totn_03.mp3?dl=1)
Transcript (http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=125176104)

http://media.npr.org/assets/news/2010/03/25/produce.jpg?t=1269549027&s=2Enlarge (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:void%280%29;) Eli Meir Kaplan/Wonderful MachineCorby Kummer says the Wal-Mart produce layout — fruits and vegetables in black bins — is a more European style of display.


Eli Meir Kaplan/Wonderful MachineCorby Kummer says the Wal-Mart produce layout — fruits and vegetables in black bins — is a more European style of display.

March 25, 2010
Wal-Mart often inspires fervent opinions. Critics question its labor practices, and effect on local businesses. Proponents praise its low, low prices and the availability of affordable food and other staples.
Recent studies suggest it might be time for critics to look at Wal-Mart in a more positive light. These days, the world's largest retailer works with local farmers to supply cheaper, more affordable food. And its sheer size allows it to drive positive changes in other areas, from energy to transportation.
Guests:
Corby Kummer, senior editor for The Atlantic. His article, "The Great Grocery Smackdown: Will Wal-Mart, Not Whole Foods, Save The Small Farm And Make America Healthy? (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/the-great-grocery-smackdown/7904/)" appears in the March 2010 issue of the magazine.
Betsy Schiffman, writer at AOL's DailyFinance.com, covering financial markets and technology. Her piece, "Boycotting Wal-Mart? Good Luck With That (http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/boycotting-wal-mart-good-luck-with-that/19406417/)" addresses the effectiveness of calls for boycotts against the company.


(you can read the entire transcript of the podcast if you click the link. It's really good.)

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125389428

Finally, New Yorkers Can Bee All They Can Beeby Margot Adler (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2100166)

April 3, 2010
Listen to the Story (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125389 428,%20125541364,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.PLAY_NOW,%20NPR.Player.T ype.STORY,%20%270%27%29)

All Things Considered (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=2)
[4 min 11 sec]

Add to Playlist (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125389 428,%20125541364,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.ADD_TO_PLAYLIST,%20NPR.P layer.Type.STORY,%20%270%27%29)
Download (http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2010/04/20100403_atc_08.mp3?dl=1)
Transcript (http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=125389428)(c lick on link for transcript or listen to the podcast)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Find-Chickens-Poultry-Hatchery.aspx

This is really cool and worth keeping in case you decide you want backyard chickens of your own.
A Great Way to Find Chickens or Other Poultry

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedImages/misc/Custom_Searches/HatcheriesChicks.jpg

If you've been searching for a particular breed or variety of chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas or geese, the Mother Earth News Hatchery Finder lets you quickly search the online catalogs of nearly 70 mail order hatcheries. Just type in what you're looking for in the search box below, and you'll get a list of links to hatcheries offering what you're looking for. (For breed or variety names with two or more words, put the entire name inside quotation marks for the best search results.)


Is there a hatchery you're not finding in the search results? Use the contact us form to let us know which hatchery you'd like us to add to our search. Select the box for editorial, and be sure to include the hatchery’s Web site in your message.


We also offer a companion Directory of Hatcheries (http://www.motherearthnews.com/directories/Hatchery-Directory.aspx?directory=116150) to help you shop for the birds you want.

(You need to click on the initial link because there is a Google search bar that won't copy to this thread. Bookmark it.)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3079

Growing Farmers

Young Professionals Go Back to the Land
by Jason Mark

Corie Pierce used to be solidly in the ranks of the young, urban professionals. A charismatic 31-year-old with blonde hair and warm blue eyes, Pierce spent most of the last decade as an educational entrepreneur, working at several start-up companies that specialized in after-school care and student coaching. At the height of her career she was managing more than 100 people and earning, with bonuses, close to $90,000 a year. Constant emails, conference calls and power meetings were part of her routine.
http://www.emagazine.com/images/upload/1141231340CU_growers.jpgCorie Pierce left her successful entrepreneurial career to become an apprentice on an organic farm. “The change feels so good,” she says. ©Pierce Family Then she decided she had had enough. Last summer Pierce spent her days harvesting broccoli, mowing orchards and hoeing 300-foot-long salad mix beds under a hot sun. Pierce’s season as a farm worker was part of an apprenticeship in organic farming sponsored by the University of California-Santa Cruz. In exchange for $3,200 in tuition, Pierce got the privilege of living in a tent for six months, sharing a modest kitchen and dining room with 50 people, and performing stoop labor five days a week. “The change feels so good,” says Pierce, who graduated from Vermont’s Middlebury College before joining the corporate world. “It’s easy to get caught up in salaries and 401ks and stock options. It’s easy to be seduced by that, even if you’re fighting it. And if you give it up, people look at you like you’re crazy. This feels like what my mind and body and soul have wanted for so long.”

Pierce is not alone. It appears that a growing number of smart, ambitious people are rejecting the lure of lucrative careers for the promise of a simpler agrarian lifestyle. Many of those in the new crop of young farmers boast the kinds of diplomas—Columbia University, Stanford, Berkeley, Georgetown—typically found in Silicon Valley cubicles, Wall Street suites or Hollywood editing rooms. But instead of pursuing careers in the fast-paced worlds of high tech, finance or media, these members of the so-called “best and the brightest” class are choosing to spend their days weeding carrots and building compost.

The fresh interest in organic agriculture can be seen in the farming-for-credit programs that are sprouting up at universities nationwide. There are more than 40 on-campus farms in the U.S. that offer thousands of students experience in growing and marketing food crops. Most of the programs—including gardens at Cornell, Vassar, Rutgers and Michigan State—have blossomed in just the last 10 years, according to the Rodale Institute.
Lindsey Ketchel, director of agriculture programs at Vermont’s Intervale Center—which provides startup capital and professional training to aspiring farmers—says that she is witnessing an inspiring increase in the number of young people who want to make a career out of organic farming. “I am probably the most optimistic that I have ever been, and a big part of that is working with these young entrepreneurs and hearing their passions,” she says. “A lot of these kids grew up in upper middle-class homes, and they have come to realize that there is more to life than a paycheck and a big home and a nice car.”

Bill Duesing, president of the Connecticut-based Northeast Organic Farming Association, is impressed by the growing number of campus gardens. “I’m definitely encouraged. Students at Yale, Wesleyan and the University of Connecticut have started gardens and farms. Because that’s what they want to do—to learn how to grow food.”

There is, of course, a long tradition of affluent sons and daughters fleeing to the country, a tradition that goes back at least as far as Thoreau, a Harvard-trained intellectual. The birth of the environmental movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s also had a voluntary simplicity component as hippies sought to make themselves into homesteaders. The effort largely failed, as most of the educated young people who went “back to the land” eventually returned to middle-class life. But this isn’t your Baby Boomer’s back-to-the-land movement. Instead of dropping out, today’s agrarian spirits are digging in, pioneering new ways of combining modern technologies and ancient practices in an effort to root the organic ethic firmly in the mainstream.

Ben Holmes, the 47-year-old founder and director of the Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts, says that he sees a real difference between the agrarian spirits of 25 years ago and the aspiring farmers of today. “The people who are coming to us are looking at this as both a life and a business choice—they want to be able to make a living doing this,” says Holmes, whose 180-acre farm trains 12 people every year in the basics of organic farming and marketing. “Most of the people who we’ve had have been successful in other fields—we’ve had a reporter, a chef, a librarian, a lot of people out of high tech.”

If the first organic pioneers were seeking to escape from industrial society, today’s hopeful farmers want to engage with it. Certainly, the growth of the organic food market makes this much more viable. Though still a fraction of the overall food industry, organics are surging in popularity, and sales of organic products are expected to reach $30 billion by 2007, according to the Organic Trade Association.

But that doesn’t mean organic farming is easy. As it always has, farming means hard days, long hours, and meager pay; most farmers struggle to stay above the poverty line, and the average age of the American farmer continues to climb as more people leave the fields. So why would someone with a wealth of opportunities choose such a path?

For Adam Wilson, a 25-year-old who has worked on farms in Washington, California and New Jersey since graduating from Dartmouth, the answer lies in his commitment to progressive social change. “I was really involved in the anti-war movement, and I got really burned out,” says Wilson, who has the relentless energy of a born overachiever. “I felt like actively creating the positive alternative instead of highlighting the negative. Instantly, farming felt more constructive.”

Another young farmer, Aaron Blythe, who most recently worked at Harmony Valley Farm in Wisconsin, feels similarly. “So much activism is about tearing down or fighting against. Industrial farming is not working. Instead of fighting that and trying to change policies—even though that’s important—organic farming is about saying: ‘We’re going to create our own system and show you it’s a better system.’ It’s revolutionary.”

Some more experienced farmers, however, caution that idealism goes only so far. After graduating from Brown University, Jason McKenney, now 35, started Purisima Greens, a four-acre organic farm on California’s Central Coast. Though moderately successful—Purisima sells to the Ritz-Carlton as well as to shoppers at the tony Palo Alto farmer’s market—McKenney is facing the prospect of going out of business because he can’t afford California’s outrageous land prices. “It’s a cruel aspect of our culture that the most rewarding work is often the worst paid,” McKenney says. “It takes incredible passion and commitment. It takes a whole different system of valuation.”

Pierce, for one, says she has that commitment. “This isn’t some ‘experience’ I’m having,” Pierce says of her commitment to farming. “This is my life.”

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/03/sugary_drinks_grow_scarcer_in.html

Sugary Drinks Grow Scarcer In Schools

By Scott Hensley
Your kids will have to look a lot harder to find a sugary soda at school.
A joint project by the makers of drinks, the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association to reduce the calories from beverages in schools is paying off. A report just out (http://www.ameribev.org/files/240_School%20Beverage%20Guidelines% 20Final%20Progress%20Report.pdf) shows the initiative, launched in 2006, has cut total calories from drinks in schools by 88 percent since the first half of the 2004-05 school year.
The shift came about from the implementation of guidelines on drinks (http://www.ameribev.org/nutrition--science/school-beverage-guidelines/the-guidelines/) that emphasized appropriate portions of water, reduced-fat milk and unsweetened juices starting in elementary school. Students at middle schools could get the same stuff in slightly larger portions. For high schoolers, the guidelines allowed a slightly wider variety of beverages, including some with more calories. But it still tamped down on the caloric mix of drinks available.

One of the biggest changes: a 95 percent drop in full-calorie sodas shipped to schools since the guidelines went into effect in 2006.
Even the nutrition advocates at the Center for Science and the Public Interest praised the project's progress (http://www.cspinet.org/new/201003081.html), saying in a statement:
We congratulate the beverage industry for working to remove sugary sodas from schools. Together with stronger state laws and local school wellness policies, the country is making good progress in getting sugary drinks out of schools. Still, CSPI says the job isn't done yet because about one-third of drinks sold in high schools have too many calories.
Separately, researchers said raising taxes on sodas and junk food could aid the nation's battle with obesity. A 20-year study found (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/170/5/420?home) that at 10 percent increase in the price of soda and pizza was associated with a 7 percent drop in consumption. An accompanying editorial in the Archives of Internal Medicine went even further by suggesting that "besides adding surcharges to unhealthful foods, we should also consider the more positive side of the coin, food subsidies" for more nutritious fare.

[.invisible ink.]

I have every intention of doing this. I am so excited about guerrilla gardening it's not even funny.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/healthy-people-healthy-planet/seed-bombs-random-acts-to-re-flower-the-earth.aspx

Seed Bombs: Random Acts to Re-Flower the Earth (http://www.motherearthnews.com/healthy-people-healthy-planet/seed-bombs-random-acts-to-re-flower-the-earth.aspx)

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedImages/Blogs/Healthy_People,_Healthy_Planet/SunflowerWeb.jpg?n=9321

Have you heard of guerrilla gardening (http://www.guerrillagardening.org/), where folks toss flower seeds into vacant lots, or sometimes sneak in at night and plant flowers in unkempt highway medians or strips along city sidewalks? One of their tools is seed bombs (http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ggseedbombs.html) — little clumps of dried mud laced with seeds that can easily be tossed over fences into vacant lots. Top choices for best seeds to sow are tough, native species, which you might think would be hard to come by. Think again — one of the showiest and toughest native plants is actually also one of the cheapest and most widely available — the sunflower seeds, sold for birdfeeders, in pretty much every supermarket and hardware store across the country.
Seems like a great way to celebrate Earth Day (http://www.earthday.org/). No need to pack the sunflower seeds into mud balls — just toss a handful onto bare ground pretty much anywhere that won’t be mowed, and a couple months later you’ll see the showy yellow flower heads of tall, sturdy sunflowers. Birds will love the seeds, and most likely miss a few, leaving them to bloom the following years.

http://www.laguerrillagardening.org/tips&tricks.htm

http://heavypetal.ca/archives/2007/03/how-to-make-seedballs/

Here’s the recipe:
5 parts dry red clay*
3 parts dry organic compost
1 part seed**
1 – 2 parts water
We used a 16oz. plastic cup as a measure, which made enough for approximately 300 seedballs. After mixing together all the dry ingredients, we added enough water to form a mix that held together without crumbling but wasn’t so wet that it wouldn’t roll into balls. Pinching off small bits of the lovely mud, we rolled penny-sized balls and set them in trays. They will sit on my windowsill for three or four days until completely dry.
Ingredient notes:
*Dry red clay: Yes, this is the stuff that potters use. Commonly it comes pre-mixed, which you don’t want. You want the dry powder so it can be easily mixed. I’ve tried using grey clay from a riverbank – it doesn’t work so well. In Greater Vancouver there is something called Red Art Clay which is available at Greenbarn Potters Supply Ltd., 9548 – 192nd Street in Surrey (604-888-3411). Try asking at your local art supply store.
**Seeds: Workshop organizer Al provided crimson clover, white dutch clover and wild flower seeds, while the rest of the participants donated appropriate seeds – I put in California poppy, nasturtium and cilantro. Al also suggested using the edible, perennial and drought-tolerant plants listed at Plants for a Future (http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/top20.php).


http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/army-future-seed-bombs.html
The Army of the Future Will Use Seed Bombs

Beating your daisy cutters into daisies

Depleted Uranium (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/green-glossary-depleted-uranium.html) (DU) is the byproduct of uranium enrichment, a waste product of the nuclear industry, both chemically toxic and radioactive. Thanks to its high density, DU is used by the United States military in armor piercing munitions.
Seed bombs, as described by Jasmin Malik Chua (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/throw-a-seed-bomb.html), are "compressed balls of soil and compost that have been impregnated with wildflower seeds." When jettisoned onto abandoned land like construction sites and abandoned lots, seed bombs become a non-violent of protesting and combating urban sprawl.

Green-spirited seed bombs or mean-spirited, taxpayer-subsidized DU? Take a wild guess which one is illegal. As Kenny Ching at GOOD tells us (http://www.good.is/post/ask-a-lawyer-will-seed-bombing-get-you-busted), seed bombing could get you arrested, sued, or simply beat up.

For those of you scoring at home, DU, explains Helen Caldicott (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/nuclear-technology-helen-caldicott.html), "burns on contact, creating tiny aerosolized particles less than five microns in diameter, small enough to be inhaled." These minute particles can travel "long distances when airborne," Caldicott explains.

Seed bombs? Well, they're used by evil-doers to turn abandoned lots into gardens. Um, can someone explain again what's meant by the term "eco-terrorist"?
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/images/icons/play-button-icon.pngWATCH VIDEO: Focus Earth - The Beginnings of Ecoterrorism (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/focus-earth-2-the-beginning-of-ecoterrorism.html)

4 Steps Toward Creating Your Own Eco-Army

1. Keep on seed bombing...just don't get caught (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/could-seed-bombing-send-you-to-jail.php)
2. Start a community garden (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/organize-a-community-garden.html)
3. Expose the U.S. military as the planet's worst polluter (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/identify-worst-polluter-planet.html)
4. Link the pro-environment and anti-war movements (http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/no-war)

http://guerrillagardening.org (http://guerrillagardening.org/)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/start-a-quick-and-easy-food-garden.aspx (http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/start-a-quick-and-easy-food-garden.aspx)

http://urbangardenproject.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/no-space-for-raised-beds-no-problem-soil-bag-gardening/ (http://urbangardenproject.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/no-space-for-raised-beds-no-problem-soil-bag-gardening/)
No Space for Raised Beds? No Problem! Soil Bag Gardening! (http://urbangardenproject.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/no-space-for-raised-beds-no-problem-soil-bag-gardening/)

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Ben Fairfield
Here is how it’s done:
First you will need your bag of topsoil. Buy the best that you can afford and buy a bag appropriate for what you are planting. A 3 cubic foot back which is the bigger and more square looking brick bag is ideal for crops with deep roots. A 1-1.5 cubic foot back which is the flat bag that most of us are used to buying 1 or 2 of at a time are great for crops that don’t require the extra depth.


Next comes the cutting of the bag! Before any cuts are made flip the bag over so that you are looking at the bottom and poke 5-7 holes in the bottom with a small screwdriver. These will allow excess water to drain through preventing root rot but should hold the soil in. NOW FLIP THE BAG OVER SO THAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE TOP. If you are using this method to plant tomatos or other deep rooted crops cut a simple cross in the middle of the bag (Think of it like you are cutting a pizza into 4 pieces). This will allow you to insert and bury the roots of the plant that you are adding and then fold the 4 plastic tips back over the newly exposed hole. For crops like herbs you can cut a large rectangle out to expose all of the surface for planting rows.
After planting it’s time to mulch the bag! If you are using this method to plant tomatos or other deep rooted plants mulch over the top of your bag. This will protect the roots from frying and will help to hold in moisture.http://urbangardenproject.files.wordpress. com/2009/03/soil-bag-gardening-2.jpg?w=300&h=214
That’s it! Plan to fertilize the bags about once per month or as needed and sit back and relax!


This method is great even if you have a patch of dirt that you would eventually like to use as a garden but that isn’t suitable at the moment. If you have an area that you are trying to amend the soil, dump the bags out at the end of every season and mix the new soil in with the existing. A few seasons of this and you will have worked in a great deal of perfect potting mix into the garden.


Regardless of your reason for using this method, you will fall in love with it and some may never switch back to traditional gardening. While your neighbor is getting bounced all around their garden by their trusty rototiller you can be sitting back in your lawn chair enjoying the show! Be sure to check out Chris McLaughlin’s article on Soil Bag Gardening at VegetableGardner.com by clicking HERE (http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4396/try-soil-bag-planting-for-no-dig-beds).

http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4396/try-soil-bag-planting-for-no-dig-beds (http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/4396/try-soil-bag-planting-for-no-dig-beds)
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8202/how-much-space-do-you-need-for-a-vegetable-garden (http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8202/how-much-space-do-you-need-for-a-vegetable-garden)
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-06-01/No-Dig-Garden-Beds.aspx (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2008-06-01/No-Dig-Garden-Beds.aspx)

How Much Space Do you Need for a Vegetable Garden? Not much!!
http://www.vegetablegardener.com/item/8202/how-much-space-do-you-need-for-a-vegetable-garden

[caveBEAR]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125176104
Recent Efforts Have Some Reconsidering Wal-Mart
March 25, 2010
Listen to the Story (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125176 104,%20125176094,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.PLAY_NOW,%20NPR.Player.T ype.STORY,%20%270%27%29)

Talk of the Nation (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5)
[30 min 4 sec]

Add to Playlist (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:NPR.Player.openPlayer%28125176 104,%20125176094,%20null,%20NPR.Pla yer.Action.ADD_TO_PLAYLIST,%20NPR.P layer.Type.STORY,%20%270%27%29)
Download (http://public.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/totn/2010/03/20100325_totn_03.mp3?dl=1)
Transcript (http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=125176104)

http://media.npr.org/assets/news/2010/03/25/produce.jpg?t=1269549027&s=2Enlarge (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:void%280%29;) Eli Meir Kaplan/Wonderful MachineCorby Kummer says the Wal-Mart produce layout — fruits and vegetables in black bins — is a more European style of display.


Eli Meir Kaplan/Wonderful MachineCorby Kummer says the Wal-Mart produce layout — fruits and vegetables in black bins — is a more European style of display.

March 25, 2010
Wal-Mart often inspires fervent opinions. Critics question its labor practices, and effect on local businesses. Proponents praise its low, low prices and the availability of affordable food and other staples.
Recent studies suggest it might be time for critics to look at Wal-Mart in a more positive light. These days, the world's largest retailer works with local farmers to supply cheaper, more affordable food. And its sheer size allows it to drive positive changes in other areas, from energy to transportation.
Guests:
Corby Kummer, senior editor for The Atlantic. His article, "The Great Grocery Smackdown: Will Wal-Mart, Not Whole Foods, Save The Small Farm And Make America Healthy? (http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/03/the-great-grocery-smackdown/7904/)" appears in the March 2010 issue of the magazine.
Betsy Schiffman, writer at AOL's DailyFinance.com, covering financial markets and technology. Her piece, "Boycotting Wal-Mart? Good Luck With That (http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/boycotting-wal-mart-good-luck-with-that/19406417/)" addresses the effectiveness of calls for boycotts against the company.


(you can read the entire transcript of the podcast if you click the link. It's really good.)

Very good piece!

[coryatlarge]

I have every intention of doing this. I am so excited about guerrilla gardening it's not even funny.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/healthy-people-healthy-planet/seed-bombs-random-acts-to-re-flower-the-earth.aspx

Seed Bombs: Random Acts to Re-Flower the Earth (http://www.motherearthnews.com/healthy-people-healthy-planet/seed-bombs-random-acts-to-re-flower-the-earth.aspx)

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedImages/Blogs/Healthy_People,_Healthy_Planet/SunflowerWeb.jpg?n=9321

Have you heard of guerrilla gardening (http://www.guerrillagardening.org/), where folks toss flower seeds into vacant lots, or sometimes sneak in at night and plant flowers in unkempt highway medians or strips along city sidewalks? One of their tools is seed bombs (http://www.guerrillagardening.org/ggseedbombs.html) — little clumps of dried mud laced with seeds that can easily be tossed over fences into vacant lots. Top choices for best seeds to sow are tough, native species, which you might think would be hard to come by. Think again — one of the showiest and toughest native plants is actually also one of the cheapest and most widely available — the sunflower seeds, sold for birdfeeders, in pretty much every supermarket and hardware store across the country.
Seems like a great way to celebrate Earth Day (http://www.earthday.org/). No need to pack the sunflower seeds into mud balls — just toss a handful onto bare ground pretty much anywhere that won’t be mowed, and a couple months later you’ll see the showy yellow flower heads of tall, sturdy sunflowers. Birds will love the seeds, and most likely miss a few, leaving them to bloom the following years.

http://www.laguerrillagardening.org/tips&tricks.htm

http://heavypetal.ca/archives/2007/03/how-to-make-seedballs/

Here’s the recipe:
5 parts dry red clay*
3 parts dry organic compost
1 part seed**
1 – 2 parts water
We used a 16oz. plastic cup as a measure, which made enough for approximately 300 seedballs. After mixing together all the dry ingredients, we added enough water to form a mix that held together without crumbling but wasn’t so wet that it wouldn’t roll into balls. Pinching off small bits of the lovely mud, we rolled penny-sized balls and set them in trays. They will sit on my windowsill for three or four days until completely dry.
Ingredient notes:
*Dry red clay: Yes, this is the stuff that potters use. Commonly it comes pre-mixed, which you don’t want. You want the dry powder so it can be easily mixed. I’ve tried using grey clay from a riverbank – it doesn’t work so well. In Greater Vancouver there is something called Red Art Clay which is available at Greenbarn Potters Supply Ltd., 9548 – 192nd Street in Surrey (604-888-3411). Try asking at your local art supply store.
**Seeds: Workshop organizer Al provided crimson clover, white dutch clover and wild flower seeds, while the rest of the participants donated appropriate seeds – I put in California poppy, nasturtium and cilantro. Al also suggested using the edible, perennial and drought-tolerant plants listed at Plants for a Future (http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/top20.php).


http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/army-future-seed-bombs.html
The Army of the Future Will Use Seed Bombs

Beating your daisy cutters into daisies

Depleted Uranium (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/green-glossary-depleted-uranium.html) (DU) is the byproduct of uranium enrichment, a waste product of the nuclear industry, both chemically toxic and radioactive. Thanks to its high density, DU is used by the United States military in armor piercing munitions.
Seed bombs, as described by Jasmin Malik Chua (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/throw-a-seed-bomb.html), are "compressed balls of soil and compost that have been impregnated with wildflower seeds." When jettisoned onto abandoned land like construction sites and abandoned lots, seed bombs become a non-violent of protesting and combating urban sprawl.

Green-spirited seed bombs or mean-spirited, taxpayer-subsidized DU? Take a wild guess which one is illegal. As Kenny Ching at GOOD tells us (http://www.good.is/post/ask-a-lawyer-will-seed-bombing-get-you-busted), seed bombing could get you arrested, sued, or simply beat up.

For those of you scoring at home, DU, explains Helen Caldicott (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/nuclear-technology-helen-caldicott.html), "burns on contact, creating tiny aerosolized particles less than five microns in diameter, small enough to be inhaled." These minute particles can travel "long distances when airborne," Caldicott explains.

Seed bombs? Well, they're used by evil-doers to turn abandoned lots into gardens. Um, can someone explain again what's meant by the term "eco-terrorist"?
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/images/icons/play-button-icon.pngWATCH VIDEO: Focus Earth - The Beginnings of Ecoterrorism (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/focus-earth-2-the-beginning-of-ecoterrorism.html)

4 Steps Toward Creating Your Own Eco-Army

1. Keep on seed bombing...just don't get caught (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/could-seed-bombing-send-you-to-jail.php)
2. Start a community garden (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/organize-a-community-garden.html)
3. Expose the U.S. military as the planet's worst polluter (http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/identify-worst-polluter-planet.html)
4. Link the pro-environment and anti-war movements (http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/no-war)

http://guerrillagardening.org (http://guerrillagardening.org/)
i've heard of these before... the ones i heard of were the little clover like plants that have white flowers that produce a huge amount of oxygen or something that guerrilla gardeners use.

[.invisible ink.]

Vertical Farming, the way of the future!

http://americancity.org/images/uploads/verticalfarm3_thumb.jpg
http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/1405/

http://www.urbanfarmhub.org/2010/02/vertical-farming-could-offer-sustainable-food-supply/ (http://www.urbanfarmhub.org/2010/02/vertical-farming-could-offer-sustainable-food-supply/)

http://current.com/news/90213202_urban-life-plus-vertical-farming-equals-cool-design.htm (http://current.com/news/90213202_urban-life-plus-vertical-farming-equals-cool-design.htm)

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609 (http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609)

http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/02/spoiled-organic-and-local-so-2008?page=1

[caveBEAR]

Vertical Farming, the way of the future!

http://americancity.org/images/uploads/verticalfarm3_thumb.jpg
http://americancity.org/buzz/entry/1405/

http://www.urbanfarmhub.org/2010/02/vertical-farming-could-offer-sustainable-food-supply/ (http://www.urbanfarmhub.org/2010/02/vertical-farming-could-offer-sustainable-food-supply/)

http://current.com/news/90213202_urban-life-plus-vertical-farming-equals-cool-design.htm (http://current.com/news/90213202_urban-life-plus-vertical-farming-equals-cool-design.htm)

http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609 (http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/vertical-gardens-50040609)

http://motherjones.com/environment/2009/02/spoiled-organic-and-local-so-2008?page=1

Saw something on TV once about what would likely happen to American cities if a huuuuuuge disaster occurred that left major cities essentially abandoned. They said that people staying in the cities would (if they were smart enough) do this exact thing with abandoned apartment buildings. Seemed like a good idea to me when I saw it, but I couldn't figure out why we weren't doing something like that now.

Here we go, apparently. Maybe they caught the same show. ;-)

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-atrazine-water-20100417,0,2193737.story
'
Growing concern in the water

Alarmed by latest research, the Obama administration is conducting a broad review of toxic weed killer atrazine that could lead to tighter restrictions

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2010-04/53342600.jpg John Kiefner prepares his boom sprayer for cleaning on his Manhattan, Ill., farm. (David Pierini, Chicago Tribune / April 14, 2010)


By Michael Hawthorne Tribune reporter April 18, 2010

Despite growing health concerns about atrazine, an agricultural weedkiller sprayed on farm fields across the Midwest, most drinking water is tested for the chemical only four times a year -- so rarely that worrisome spikes of the chemical likely go undetected.

High levels of the herbicide can linger in tap water during the growing season, according to more frequent tests in some agricultural communities.

Spread heaviest on cornfields, atrazine is one of the most commonly detected contaminants in drinking water. Studies have found that exposure to small amounts of the chemical can turn male frogs into females and might be more harmful to humans than once thought.

Manufacturers say their own research proves the chemical is safe. But alarmed by other studies, the Obama administration is conducting a broad review that could lead to tighter restrictions. It is also mulling changes in laws that require water utilities to test for atrazine just once a quarter or, in some cases, once a year.

"There always have been a lot of questions about atrazine, and we want to make sure the agency's regulatory posture is consistent with the science about possible health effects," said Steve Owens, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/environmental-issues/environmental-cleanup/u.s.-environmental-protection-agency-ORGOV000048.topic)'s assistant administrator for prevention, pesticides and toxic substances.

Even with limited official testing, atrazine in the past four years was detected in the drinking water of 60 Illinois communities where more than a million people live, according to a Tribune analysis of state and federal records.

Under a deal between the EPA and the chief manufacturer of atrazine, about 130 water utilities in 10 states are tested weekly or biweekly. The Tribune analysis showed that during 2008, four downstate towns -- Evansville, Farina, Flora and Mount Olive -- were among nine Midwest communities where the average annual level of atrazine and its breakdown products exceeded the federal safety limit of 3 parts per billion. About half of the 130 saw concentrations that jumped above 3 parts per billion at least once that year.

In Flora, about 240 miles south of Chicago, atrazine levels spiked as high as 30 parts per billion. The findings concern researchers because some studies have shown adverse affects from exposure to concentrations as small as 0.1 parts per billion. The chemical has not been found in Chicago tap water, in part because Lake Michigan dilutes farm runoff.

The more frequent tests are done outside the EPA's official monitoring program and don't count when regulators consider whether communities meet the legal limit for atrazine.

They also don't trigger provisions in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act that require the public to be notified about water contamination. As a result, residents are rarely advised that they can buy inexpensive filters to screen the chemical out of their tap water.

Atrazine can't be sprayed in Europe because it contaminates groundwater, but it remains widely used in the U.S., where the EPA endorsed its continued use as recently as 2006, based on a scientific review from 2003. Federal records show the review was heavily influenced by industry and relied on studies financed by Syngenta (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/syngenta-ag-ORCRP014803.topic), a Swiss-based company that manufactures most of the atrazine sprayed in the U.S.

Before clearing the way for continued use of the chemical, Bush administration officials met privately with Syngenta executives at least 50 times and convened two industry-dominated panels that shaped the agency's decision, according to records obtained by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that advocates a ban on the chemical.

The new review is related to an effort to overhaul the nation's chemical safety laws. Last year the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office criticized the EPA for failing to adequately assess the risks posed by thousands of toxic chemicals. The agency is generally required to prove chemicals are harmful before it can take regulatory action; in Europe, by contrast, the burden is on manufacturers to prove the safety of their products.

Pesticides such as atrazine are studied more rigorously than industrial chemicals, and the weedkiller has been on the market since the late 1950s. But researchers are increasingly identifying atrazine as an endocrine disruptor -- a hormone-like substance that can affect development and the reproductive systems of humans and wildlife.

Syngenta contends that the vast majority of studies show no harmful effects from atrazine at levels found in the environment.

"It's one of the best-studied herbicides on the planet," Tim Pastoor, the company's chief scientist, said in an interview. "When it comes to atrazine, the water is safe."

A key question is whether EPA regulations reflect the latest science. The agency is considering dozens of studies published since its last atrazine review, including about 100 on human health effects.

One study released last year by Indiana University (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/indiana-university-OREDU0000040.topic) researchers found that nine types of birth defects occurred more frequently in babies born to mothers whose last menstrual period occurred between April and July, when levels of atrazine in lakes and streams are highest. Neonatologist Paul Winchester said his work couldn't definitively pin the blame on atrazine -- that would require deliberately exposing pregnant women to the chemical -- but he said the correlation was statistically sound.

Government scientists also have raised concerns. One EPA study found that rats were more vulnerable to cancer later in life when exposed to small, brief doses of atrazine as fetuses.

"There's still a lot more we need to learn about atrazine, but it appears to have effects during critical stages of fetal development," said former EPA researcher Suzanne Fenton, now at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The human research was prompted by studies of wildlife. In January, University of South Florida (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-south-florida-OREDU0000158.topic) researchers analyzed 125 recent studies of atrazine and found that most reported the weedkiller disrupted the fertility and development of fish and amphibians.

Tyrone Hayes, a University of California (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/university-of-california-OREDU0000192.topic)- Berkeley (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/california/alameda-county-%28california%29/berkeley-%28alameda-california%29-PLGEO1001005011621163.topic) scientist, once studied atrazine for a Syngenta-funded research institute but left after a dispute over some of his findings. Hayes' latest study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that male frogs raised in atrazine-tainted water often showed signs of "feminization," with lower testosterone levels and decreased fertility. Some were chemically castrated; others grew female sex organs.

Syngenta says much of the independent research on atrazine is flawed. Company-financed studies, Pastoor said, have found atrazine doesn't harm frogs or humans. He said the EPA, under guidelines developed during the Bush administration, considers one-day exposures of up to 297 parts per billion safe for people.

Removing atrazine from drinking water can be expensive. Last year, 44 water systems in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/iowa-PLGEO100102200000000.topic), Kansas (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/kansas-PLGEO100102300000000.topic), Mississippi (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/mississippi-PLGEO100103000000000.topic) and Ohio (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/ohio-PLGEO100103800000000.topic) filed a federal lawsuit seeking reimbursement from Syngenta and other manufacturers. Flora, population 5,086, recently started pumping water from a $27 million cooperative treatment plant more than 60 miles away rather than draw water from an aging local plant.

Some farm groups say there is enough evidence to vouch for the safety of atrazine. Banning it would raise costs for farmers and cut corn yields, supporters say. Yet that view isn't universal. Several states, including Iowa, Minnesota (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/minnesota-PLGEO100102900000000.topic) and Wisconsin (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/wisconsin-PLGEO100105100000000.topic), prohibit atrazine spraying in some areas prone to groundwater contamination. The Iowa Farmers Union supports tougher limits on atrazine for the same reason.

John Kiefner still uses atrazine on the 500 acres he farms near Manhattan (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/will-county/manhattan-%28will-illinois%29-PLGEO1001005012850000.topic) in southern Will County (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/us/illinois/will-county-PLGEO100100238000000.topic). However, he said he uses much smaller concentrations than he did years ago, relies on no-till practices to curb soil erosion and runoff, and plants grass buffers along drainage ditches to filter chemical residue. "We like to have a full arsenal of weedkillers," Kiefner said. "If (atrazine) stays in the field, it's not going into the water."

A few miles away, Bill Heintz said he stopped using atrazine a decade ago. Alternative chemicals, he said, have worked just as well at controlling weeds on the 100 acres he farms near Peotone.

"Even 10 years ago, it sounded like something to steer away from," he said.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/146439

Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?

By Kiera Butler, Mother Jones Online
Posted on April 13, 2010, Printed on April 19, 2010
http://www.alternet.org/story/146439/


This is about the time of year when I start keeping packages of veggie burgers in the freezer, just in case of an impromptu barbecue. In the past, I haven't had much fake meat brand loyalty: I've found that once I smother my hunk of textured vegetable protein in barbeque sauce, all soy patties are pretty much created equal. But after reading a recent investigation (http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375) by the Cornucopia Institute, I'm going to be a lot more picky: The food and agriculture nonprofit found that most non-organic veggie burgers currently on the market are made with the chemical hexane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane), an EPA-registered air pollutant and neurotoxin.

In order to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers, manufacturers of soy-based fake meat like to make their products have as little fat as possible. The cheapest way to do this is by submerging soybeans in a bath of hexane to separate the oil from the protein. Says Cornucopia Institute senior researcher Charlotte Vallaeys, "If a non-organic product contains a soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein, you can be pretty sure it was made using soy beans that were made with hexane."

If you've heard about hexane before, it was likely in the context of gasoline—the air pollutant is also a byproduct of gas refining. But in 2007, grain processors were responsible for two-thirds of our national hexane emissions. Hexane is hazardous (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts113.html) in the factory, too: Workers (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/n-hexane/recognition.html) who have been exposed to it have developed both skin and nervous system disorders. Troubling, then, that the FDA does not monitor or regulate hexane residue in foods. More worrisome still: According to the report, "Nearly every major ingredient in conventional soy-based infant formula is hexane extracted."
The Cornucopia Institute found that a number of popular veggie burgers were made with hexane. The list (pdf (http://www.cornucopia.org/soysurvey/OrganicSoyReport/behindthebean_color_final.pdf), page 37, and below) is longer than you might think:
Amy's Kitchen
Boca Burger, conventional
Franklin Farms
Garden Burger
It’s All Good Lightlife
Morningstar Farms
President’s Choice
Taste Above
Trader Joe's
Yves Veggie Cuisine
Hexane-free products:
Boca Burgers "Made with organic soy"
Helen's Kitchen
Morningstar "Made with organic"
Superburgers by Turtle Island
Tofurky
Wildwood
Also worth noting: Products labeled "organic" aren't allowed to contain any hexane-derived ingredients, but that rule doesn't apply to foods that are labeled "made with organic ingredients." For more on soy sourcing, plus a list of popular "made with organic ingredients"-labeled protein bars that are made with hexane, read the Cornucopia Institute's full study, "Behind the Bean (http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375)."
Kiera Butler is an associate editor at Mother Jones. For more of her stories, click here (http://motherjones.com/authors/kiera-butler).

[.invisible ink.]

If you haven't seen it yet, Food Inc. will be broadcast tonight, April 21, at nine pm on PBS. You can check your local listings at: http://to.pbs.org/9ore9V

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-20-michigan-woman-faces-down-meat-industry-wins/

Michigan woman faces down meat industry, wins [VIDEO]

http://www.grist.org/phpThumb/phpThumb.php?src=http://www.grist.org/i/assets/2/henning_425_tom_dusenbery.JPG&w=307Lynn Henning checks a stream for CAFO contamination. When government regulators toe the industry line, citizens have to fight back. Photo: Tom DusenberryIn “Chewing the Scenery,” (http://www.grist.org/tags/Chewing+the+Scenery) we round up interesting food-related video from around the Web.
---------
I write a lot about the meat industry's nearly unbridled power in this country (http://www.grist.org/article/2010-04-20-time-for-the-public-to-reinvest-in-food-system-infrastructure/), which it uses to abuse labor, land, farmers, water, animals, and communities in execution of its business model. Sometimes, citizens fight back--and win. Lynn Henning, a family farmer in rural Michigan, is one such person. She and her husband run a 300-acre corn and soy farm--within 10 miles of no fewer than 12 concentrated-animal feedlot operations (CAFOs). Her effort to document the ill effects of living surrounded by these vast fecal/pharmaceutical mires has caused her and her family plenty of trouble. Her car is often followed--and even run off the road; dead animals appear on her lawn. But her work has resulted in hundreds of citations for the CAFOS that surround her house; and in 2008, based on evidence that Henning dug up, the state of Michigan for the first time ever denied a license for a CAFO. Efforts of citizens like Henning expose our pathetic regulatory structure around meat production--and act as the necessary spur for improving things. I congratulate Lynn on winning the 2010 North America Goldman Environmental Prize (http://www.goldmanprize.org/2010/northamerica)--and congratulate Goldman (http://www.goldmanprize.org/theprize/about) for understanding and highlighting the relavance of this issue.


WvfNEeQq6oo

[.invisible ink.]

I'm seeing this here in the next few months...

n8_dN5YWnyc

shit, apparently it was on PBS last night.

www.dirtthemovie.org

[caveBEAR]

If you haven't seen it yet, Food Inc. will be broadcast tonight, April 21, at nine pm on PBS. You can check your local listings at: http://to.pbs.org/9ore9V

DVR'ing it, thank you!

[.invisible ink.]

DVR'ing it, thank you!

you're very welcome! I was worried I was posting it too late, I'm glad you'll get to see it!

[.invisible ink.]

I got this from National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (NICFA)
http://www.nicfa.com (http://www.nicfa.com/)

FDA Raids Amish Farmer Dan Allgyer
Please take action (see ACTION at end of notice)

Kinzers, PA-At 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday April 20, Amish farmer Dan Allgyer went outside to begin milking his small herd of dairy cows. On the normally quiet Kinzer Road in front of his farm, just a few miles from the Nickel Mines Amish massacre of 2006, several unfamiliar vehicles drove slowly past. Two months prior, on February 4, FDA agents had trespassed on Allgyer's farm, claiming to be conducting an "investigation." Allgyer had suspected they would be back at some point, because many other small dairy farms around the country have been similarly treated by the FDA. Following is Dan's account of Tuesday morning's events:

I became aware of the cars as soon as I walked out on the sidewalk as part of my morning routine around 4:30 a.m. and immediately said to myself something is going on, there is too much traffic on Kinzer Road. I was watching and noticed three cars were cruising down Kinzer Road right behind each other, and immediately thought, hey, that looks like trouble. I watched and pretty soon one car came back and parked on my neighbor's farm, on private property, just as the FDA agents had when they came on my property in February; it was exactly the same place.

A couple minutes later, the other two cars pulled up and joined the first on my neighbor's property, where the occupants appeared to be in conference with one another. Shortly after that, they turned their headlights on and drove in my lane - this would have been at about 5:00.

I stood back in the dark barn to see what they were going to do. They drove past my two Private Property signs, up to where my coolers were, with their headlights shining right on them. They all got out of their vehicles - five men all together - with big bright flashlights they were shining all around. My wife and family were still asleep. When they couldn't find anybody, they prepared to knock on the door of my darkened house. Just before they got to the house I stepped out of the barn and hollered at them, then they came up to me and introduced themselves. Two were from the FDA, agent Joshua C. Schafer who had been there in February and another. They showed me identification, but I was too flustered to ask for their cards. I remember being told that two were deputy U.S. Marshals and one a state trooper. They started asking me questions right away. They handed me a paper and I didn't realize what it was. Agent Joshua C. Schafer told me they were there to do a "routine inspection." At 5:00 in the morning, I wondered to myself? "Do you have a warrant?" I asked, and one of them, a marshal or the state policeman, said, "You've got in your hand buddy." I asked, "What is the warrant about?" Schafer responded, "We have credible evidence that you are involved in interstate commerce."

They wanted me to answer some questions, my name, middle initial, last name, wanted to know how many cows we have on the farm. I answered those questions and some more. Finally, I got over my initial shock and said I would not be answering any more questions. They said O.K., we'll get on with the "inspection."

I went to go talk to my wife. As I walked away, they held a quick excited conversation and I heard one of them say, "I'll take care of him." At that point, apparently, they had designated one of the marshals to stick close to me and dog my footsteps. He followed me as I walked toward the house. I went in the house quickly and told my wife a few words to let her know the situation, then immediately came back out of the house before the marshal had time to follow me in. When I came back out, they were inspecting all the coolers sitting out. They spent about a half hour digging through the packed coolers filled with milk and other food - all private property - taking pictures.

At one point during the cooler inspection the state trooper said to me, "You have a nice farm." I responded, "We're trying to be sustainable, but they don't want to let us."

While they inspected the coolers, I read the warrant. Among other things it said that any search was to be conducted "at reasonable times during ordinary business hours." When I exclaimed, "Ordinary business hours!" and pointed this out to the marshal who was dogging me, he said, "Ordinary business hours for agriculture start at 5:00 a.m." I challenged him that the warrant does not say agriculture hours, it said ordinary hours. He replied, "That's what the government told us."

Then they started looking around, as though in search of something in particular. They went up to one door that had a clear No Trespassing sign on it, specifically including government agents, and they did not go in the room, though they shone their flashlights around in it. Then they asked me, "What is on the other side of the door in that [same] room?" Agent Joshua Schafer asked this. I looked him in the eye and did not answer. When they saw I was not going to answer, the other FDA agent said, "Okay, come on," to agent Schafer, and they went into the room and through the closed door on the opposite side. I had another one of those signs on my walk-in cooler adjacent to my freezer, so they went through that door also. They spent probably another half hour rooting around, like a couple of pigs, in the freezer and cooler area and took many pictures.

When they came out, they asked me where I keep my containers and jugs for milk, and I refused to tell them. I figured they could look for themselves. Then they were walking all over the farm, checking everything out, everything except the house. Agent Joshua Schafer even opened my dumpster and inspected inside it, as though he thought I was hiding something in it. At that point I went and started milking my cows - it was way past milking time.

When I was just about done milking, Schafer and the other agent came in the barn and wanted me to answer some more questions. I told them I would not. The second agent said, "Are you gong to deliver those coolers to Bethesda and Bowie Maryland?" I just looked at him. Then Schafer made a gesture and said, "The stickers with those towns names are on the coolers," as through to say, you might as well tell me.

I replied, "I told you I won't answer any questions." After that they said, "We are done for today. You'll be hearing back from headquarters."

Then they got in their car and left. The state trooper and the marshals had left already.

They came in the dark, shining bright flashlights while my family was asleep, keeping me from milking my cows, from my family, from breakfast with my family and from our morning devotions, and alarming my children enough so that they first question they asked my wife was, "Is Daddy going to jail?"

THE NEXT MORNING Allgyer received an overnight, extremely urgent Letter of Warning from the FDA stating that "Failure to make prompt corrections could result in regulatory action without further notice. Possible actions include seizure and/or injunction."

ACTION: Please call and write the number and address below. Express yourself. Tell them that you support Dan Allgyer. If you drink fresh, unpastuerized milk tell them that. Tell them that more people every day are drinking fresh milk and this is going to increase. It's not going to stop no matter how many farmers they persecute. Tell them the government has no placebetween individuals and the farmers from whom they get their food.

Philadelphia District Office
Serves Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Customhouse
Second and Chestnut Streets, Room 900
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 597-4390 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time)

[.invisible ink.]

The History of Earth Day:

http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html

[wrppdarndyrfngr]

Supreme Court Hearing Its First Case About Genetically Modified Crops [Genetically Modified Foods]

(http://io9.com/5522666/supreme-court-hearing-its-first-case-about-genetically-modified-crops)
The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing arguments on whether a genetically engineered pesticide-resistant alfalfa violates the National Environmental Policy Act. The case pits organic farmers against Monsanto, whose genetically altered alfalfa could spread its genes to neighboring crops, via cross-pollination and prevent them from being able to label them as "organic." This is the first time the Supreme Court will address the issue of GM foods. [New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/22/22greenwire-supreme-court-to-take-first-look-at-genetically-4425.html)]

[mattmatumbo]

I'll be seeing Food, Inc. today, so I'll just start there.

What'd you think? I watched it on PBS and i was disgusted, but i know things aint gunna change in this country.

[caveBEAR]

Finally getting around to watching Food, Inc...now.

[Machu505]

What'd you think? I watched it on PBS and i was disgusted, but i know things aint gunna change in this country.

When I first saw it, I was seriously on the verge of tears.

[caveBEAR]

This is the scariest fucking movie I've ever seen in my life. I feel sick.

EDIT: Now I got to the part about the mistreatment of workers, legal and otherwise. Now I feel pissed, too.

[mattmatumbo]

Yeah, makes me want to see Dirt as well, but for now i'm going to watch Afterschool (2008), finally found a stream.

[.invisible ink.]

What'd you think? I watched it on PBS and i was disgusted, but i know things aint gunna change in this country.

maybe i'm just an eternal optimist (which is funny since i'm really pretty cynical overall) but i think things have gotten to a point where they have to change in relation to the food systems in this country and world, maybe not to the extent that I would like them to or the pace necessary, but I think we are already starting to see some improvements as more light is shed on the subject. We can't bury our heads forever while we destroy not only our planet but our bodies by consuming without concern for the future.

Now that you guys have seen Food Inc. I highly highly recommend that you see The Future of Food and King Corn, and after you've had your fill of depressing food politics movies, then watch Fresh The Movie, it's far more uplifting and inspiring.

Fresh is getting public viewings all over the country right now. I highly urge you to attend a local showing if you have one in your area. http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/d/freshthemovie/event/events-display.sjs#events-theatre

[mattmatumbo]

maybe i'm just an eternal optimist (which is funny since i'm really pretty cynical overall) but i think things have gotten to a point where they have to change in relation to the food systems in this country and world, maybe not to the extent that I would like them to or the pace necessary, but I think we are already starting to see some improvements as more light is shed on the subject. We can't bury our heads forever while we destroy not only our planet but our bodies by consuming without concern for the future.

Now that you guys have seen Food Inc. I highly highly recommend that you see The Future of Food and King Corn, and after you've had your fill of depressing food politics movies, then watch Fresh The Movie, it's far more uplifting and inspiring.

Fresh is getting public viewings all over the country right now. I highly urge you to attend a local showing if you have one in your area. http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/d/freshthemovie/event/events-display.sjs#events-theatre

The reason i'm so cynical is that, i know people like my former neighbors, my family and some friends who, if they watched Food Inc, they'd say "yeah that's not good" and then go buy a double cheese burger from McD's. It's the same with Super Size Me, although some good did come from it, no one stopped eating fast food. I have been changing where i buy food and from whom, for instance i don't buy any meat that isn't free range (it's expensive so i rarely eat meat), and i only buy organic milks and free range eggs. I actually had my brother watch Food Inc, but he was only interested in the economics of the film, i'd like to see him change his habits because he drinks about a gallon of 2$ milk every other day.

Also, i'd love to see Dirt! and the Future of Food and King Corn, i'm going to Tower later to see if they have it, i need to return My Kid Could Paint That.

[caveBEAR]

maybe i'm just an eternal optimist (which is funny since i'm really pretty cynical overall) but i think things have gotten to a point where they have to change in relation to the food systems in this country and world, maybe not to the extent that I would like them to or the pace necessary, but I think we are already starting to see some improvements as more light is shed on the subject. We can't bury our heads forever while we destroy not only our planet but our bodies by consuming without concern for the future.

Now that you guys have seen Food Inc. I highly highly recommend that you see The Future of Food and King Corn, and after you've had your fill of depressing food politics movies, then watch Fresh The Movie, it's far more uplifting and inspiring.

Fresh is getting public viewings all over the country right now. I highly urge you to attend a local showing if you have one in your area. http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/d/freshthemovie/event/events-display.sjs#events-theatre

Fresh isn't playing anywhere within a 300 mile radius of me. :-(

[coryatlarge]

i'm seriously considering just paying the $30 bucks to own fresh since the two closest showings in my state are on the opposite side of where i live.

[.invisible ink.]

The reason i'm so cynical is that, i know people like my former neighbors, my family and some friends who, if they watched Food Inc, they'd say "yeah that's not good" and then go buy a double cheese burger from McD's. It's the same with Super Size Me, although some good did come from it, no one stopped eating fast food. I have been changing where i buy food and from whom, for instance i don't buy any meat that isn't free range (it's expensive so i rarely eat meat), and i only buy organic milks and free range eggs. I actually had my brother watch Food Inc, but he was only interested in the economics of the film, i'd like to see him change his habits because he drinks about a gallon of 2$ milk every other day.

Also, i'd love to see Dirt! and the Future of Food and King Corn, i'm going to Tower later to see if they have it, i need to return My Kid Could Paint That.

But think about yourself - you made the change to make a conscious decision about where/what you consume, why is it unreasonable to think that the more people who are exposed to this information that more and more people will be moved to change their habits just as you and i have done? Sure, not everyone is going to "get it" at the same pace but the more they are exposed to the information, the less unfamiliar it is and the more likely that they will make some changes in the right direction. Is it perfect? No, but it's a start in the right direction to be sure.

The more people who demand products that don't conform to the factory farming standard means that there will be more businesses to supply that demand. Walmart is starting to listen and McDonalds isn't stupid - they want your money so they're going to try and figure out a way to get it, even if it means changing their offerings - probably not completely, but every little bit helps. Sure, it's a long shot but it's one that's not completely out of the question at this point whereas 5 years ago, it probably was.

[mattmatumbo]

i'm seriously considering just paying the $30 bucks to own fresh since the two closest showings in my state are on the opposite side of where i live.

Have a showing why don't ya! I may do one in my home town of King Corn, although many people from Moab, Ut are already completely aware of the problems with food.

[Love As Arson]

Animal, vegetable, movement?

By AMY MULDOON

EVERYWHERE YOU look today the issue of food is cropping up. From best-sellers like Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, the dangerous and sometimes horrifying state of food production has come out of the shadows and now occupies a sort of celebrity position among liberal causes.

Global warming, food crises and riots, E. coli and swine flu in factory farms, the erosion of top soils, obesity and diabetes, pesticides in public water supplies; all these topics have hit the headlines and all trace back to how the industrial, mass production of food for profit is ravaging both the health of humans and the survival of the planet. Terms like “CAFOs” (concentrated animal feeding operations) and “HFCS” (high fructose corn syrup) have entered the public lexicon as villains threatening our lives.

A rash of celebrity cookbooks focusing on sustainability, like Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet, and even a Thanksgiving-themed episode of Martha Stewart Living that exposed factory farming methods have only increased the interest.1 Even Michelle Obama has thrown her two cents in, planting an organic garden at the White House, and opining, “You can begin in your own cupboard by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables.”2 To eat well no longer means just a balanced diet, it has taken on a political and social content. Highlighted in films like Food, Inc. and King Corn, the seemingly distant links between global warming, free trade, and an epidemic of obesity have become much shorter.

The current uproar about nutrition, however, is just the latest crisis brought on by the way capitalism has shaped the food supply chain. While throughout human history “processing” has helped humans stabilize and broaden their food supply, from cooking with fire to salting meats to drying corn, industrial food processing has had more dubious causes and effects. Industrial food processing has gone hand in glove with the rise of capitalism, as mass production processes developed to provide cheap food to concentrated working-class, urban populations that became dependent on the market for their nutritional sustenance. By increasing the shelf life and portability of food, mass industrial food production facilitated everything from the development of retail chains to empires (as military supply lines were no longer dependent on nearby resources).

Processing foods such as grains reduces their nutritional content by removing the volatile proteins, fats, and micronutrients that cause rot and rancidity if not consumed quickly enough. Diets of the lowest social classes during the rise of capitalism—slum dwellers, industrial workers, servants, and slaves—suffered deficiencies such as beriberi, scurvy, and low Vitamin A and D levels (which cause blindness and weak bones, respectively) when they were cut off from traditional food sources and consumed most of their calories from refined grains in bread and alcohol (one of the most efficient ways of processing and transporting grains).

In the early twentieth century, foods were often sold intentionally mislabeled or spoiled, especially meat products. This practice, known as “adulteration” led social reformers like Upton Sinclair and Harvey Washington Wiley to push for legal reform and regulation of the food industry. Fortification with vitamin and mineral supplements in flour, milk, salt, and other common foodstuffs were implemented to keep the working populations on their feet, and to keep consumers purchasing the processed versions.3

The great irony is that as the understanding of both nutrition and soil composition has advanced, the health of the population has not improved. Americans are probably the most health-obsessed people in the world, but to little effect. While beriberi doesn’t haunt our schools, a new health crisis has arisen: on November 18, 2009, the New York Times ran an editorial titled simply “Hunger in the United States.” According to research by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cited on the editorial page, 49 million families suffered “food insecurity” in 2008, an increase over 2007’s total by 13 million. A study published in the November 2009 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine showed that 50 percent of all U.S. children will be on food stamps at some point in their childhood, but a startling 90 percent of Black children will be. Increasing food output quite simply has not cured hunger.

A few pages away the same day, the Times ran a short article titled, “A surging obesity rate.” The article reported a study by Kenneth E. Thorpe, professor of public health at Emory University, who projects that the number of obese adults in the U.S. will reach 108 million, or 43 percent by 2018, if current trends continue (currently 31 percent of adults are obese, and an unbelievable 60 percent of children).

The health effects are nothing short of shocking. Within the U.S., the four diseases that are the most deadly are all linked to diet (or more specifically, the “Western diet” which is high in animal products, refined carbohydrates, sweeteners, salt, and added fats): heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. The costs of treating obesity related illnesses is up to almost $100 million a year, and type 2 diabetes (which used to be an adult-onset condition) has doubled worldwide in ten years.

In response, a number of radical and liberal advocates, including Pollan and Kingsolver, have proposed a variety of solutions. They range from sane to sanctimonious, with the most common response being to opt-out of the industrial food model altogether and take part in “alternative food systems”: locally grown, organic, and sustainable models.

The damaging and dangerous aspects of our food supply have arisen out of its complete subordination to the dictates of the free market. Maximization of yield, and therefore profits, has trumped all other considerations in growing, and “adding value” is the name of the game in processing. When applied to food, capitalism’s insanity, which in all industries tends toward concentration and overproduction, has had truly perverse effects. Plenty has produced waste, not health; soil science has poisoned us instead of fed us; and technology has intensified, not alleviated, poverty.4

Economies of scale

To unravel the contradictions of the food industry, it must be seen on a global scale. Feeding billions of humans is a mass-production industry. Products that are farmed all over the world are harvested, shipped, and processed to serve millions of people in distant markets. Even mundane products like apple juice may be made from apples from China, Mexico, and Canada. But food production, like any other industry, is not really about feeding people; it is about what commodities generate the largest profit margins for a handful of enormous conglomerates who process and distribute products. As Raj Patel writes in Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World’s Food Supply:

The process of shipping, processing and trucking food across distances demands a great deal of capital—you need to be rich to play the game. It is also a game that has economies of scale. This means the bigger a company is, and the more transport and logistics it does, the cheaper it is for that company to be in the business. There are, after all, no mom-and-pop international food distribution companies. The small fish have been devoured by the Leviathans of distribution and supply. And when the number of companies controlling the gateways from farmers to consumers is small, this gives them market power both over the people who grow food and the people who eat it.5

While there are still millions of local producers of the raw materials of food (grains, fruits, young animals, etc.), the vast majority work under direct contract to larger conglomerates who mill, ship, or process their output, or have only one buyer with whom to deal at harvest time. Patel chronicles how a kilo of coffee grown by farmers in Uganda costs 14 cents; by the time it reaches a Nestlé processing plant, it has risen to $1.64. But this is where the real magic happens: when it emerges from the plant, it will be an astounding $26.40 a kilo. Nestlé, one of the largest food conglomerates on the planet, not surprisingly sold $107 billion in food and beverages in 2008.6

Between the more than 2 million food “proprietors” in the U.S., (which includes both family farms and corporate farms) and the 300 million consumers, there are 7,563 wholesale purchasers, 27,915 food manufactures, and 35,650 retail wholesalers. This hourglass shape provides for large profits for those sitting in the middle: in 2004 retailers made $3.5 trillion, food processors $1.25 trillion, and the agrochemical industry $31 billion.7

This cinching at the waist of the food production chain intensified during the 1980s and 1990s as consolidation and concentration across the industry escalated. The most famous example of the utter dominance of the few with a chokehold on grocery sales is Wal-Mart, with an astounding 44 percent of U.S. grocery sales—up from 19 percent in 2005. Wal-Mart does not deal with local producers, but with suppliers who can fill orders for thousands of stores nationwide. The handful of other major grocery chains—familiar names like Kroger’s, Albertson’s, and Safeway—also deal exclusively with distributors that supply food by the hundreds of tons. The decisions with the most impact on what will make it onto your dinner plate happen long before you get to the store.

A retail chain like Wal-Mart can and does dictate the terms of sales to producers, including price, driving the cost to retailers down, even while they increase prices.

In 1980, the Supreme Court case Diamond v. Chakrabarty opened the door to a type of privatization never before heard of: the Court ruled that genetic strains, not just an individual of a species, could be privately owned and patented. For the first time, seed varieties could be wholly owned and patented by companies. This led to a frenzy of acquisitions and mergers, and seed companies, which previously were small, catalog-driven outfits, seemed overnight to become monsters of industry. Matt Dillon, executive director of the Organic Seed Alliance commented: “No other natural resource (marine, timber, minerals) has ever shifted from public to private hands with such rapidity, such intensity of concentration, and so little oversight.”8

Currently ten companies control 50 percent of the world seed supply. This concentration took a worrisome step forward in 2005, when Seminis, the largest North American seed company, was acquired by chemical producer and agricultural uber-villain Monsanto. Monsanto is famous for producing plants that do not reproduce (their infamous “terminator seeds”), thereby locking in growers to an annual cycle of buying more Monsanto product.9 Monsanto’s aggressive stand on patenting is well recorded: they have sued 125 growers or growers’ cooperatives for crimes of saving seeds, or for allowing cross pollination with nearby plants of the same species—even accidentally. When Monsanto acquired Seminis, 2,500 of 8,000 unique seed types were eliminated. These genetic types are now no longer available to anyone, anywhere. The diversity of what reaches the supermarket shelf or the dinner plate is calculated on spreadsheets of profit and loss for some of the largest corporations in existence (Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the world). The world’s biodiversity is declining as a result.10

War: It’s what’s for dinner

Human mastery of agriculture allowed human society to take a qualitative step forward over 10,000 years ago. Technological improvements from the wooden plow through crop dusters have played a significant role in getting more food per acre. However, capitalism, which seeks to maximize profit at any cost, has led to explosive growth of output through scientific manipulation of both the soil and organisms harvested. This tendency was propelled forward following the Second World War with dubious results.

The yield of crops grown in unadulterated soil is constrained by the amount of nitrogen concentrated in it. Nitrogen—the partner of carbon in all life on Earth—in its freely available atmospheric form is useless to plants;11 nitrogen must be “fixed” by the bacteria that live on the roots of a certain class of plants (legumes) in order to be utilized. When in 1909 German chemist Fritz Haber discovered how to synthesize “fixed” nitrogen, for the first time the fertility of the soil was delinked from any naturally occurring limits.12 While this technology was available for many years, the turning point for crop yields came after the war, when arms manufacturers found themselves loaded down with literally tons of ammonium nitrate, the basic compound in explosives.

Starting in 1947, the very same material that would have been raining down on German or Japanese cities was rained down on American farms. Corn has been the greatest beneficiary of this shift. Corn is both one of the most adaptable species when it comes to fitting into new capitalist farming methods, but also the most demanding. It is the greatest consumer of nitrogen, and prior to the ammonium nitrate free ride, could only be planted two out of every five years on any plot of land, and usually was rotated with leguminous plants.

Dependence on synthetic fertilizers has also created a situation where 20 percent of U.S. fossil fuel consumption is related to food production. As Pollan writes in Omnivore’s Dilemma:

Liberated from the old biological constraints, the farm could now be managed on industrial principles, as a factory transforming inputs of raw material—chemical fertilizer—into outputs of corn. Since the farm no longer needs to generate and conserve its own fertility by maintaining a diversity of species, synthetic fertilizer opens the way to monoculture, allowing a farmer to bring the factory’s economies of scale and mechanical efficiency to nature…. Fixing nitrogen allowed the food chain to turn from the logic of biology and embrace the logic of industry. Instead of eating exclusively from the sun, humanity now began to sip petroleum.13

The environmental impact of introducing large amounts of nitrogen into ecosystems creates new problems. Specifically, the runoff of nitrogen into local water supplies creates a condition known as hypoxia, which is a depletion of dissolved oxygen in a body of water. Without adequate oxygen, no aquatic life can survive. The largest hypoxic site in the world is a dead zone, now the size of Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico, where runoff from the Mississippi River empties.

Nixon’s neoliberal diet

The drop in the price of commodity crops and the resulting proliferation of processed foods came about as a synthesis of political and technological changes. The major changes in American farm policy came during the Nixon administration with the appointment as secretary of agriculture Earl Butz,14 who reversed a New Deal era policy that stabilized grain production and prices. Because of a rapid inflation in food prices, Nixon faced angry consumers—mostly housewives—protesting at stores demanding relief. Butz’s solution was to maximize production and let the prices fall to wherever they may.

Food prices had been stabilized for almost forty years by the New Deal policy of government loans to farmers. The loans were given out to keep grain off the market, thereby allowing farmers to wait for prices to rebound, without gambling the farm. If prices didn’t rebound, farmers who were unable to repay the loan gave up their surplus grain to the government, which placed it in the eloquently named Ever-Normal Granary. The government could use the grain to lower the price during a spike, or to alleviate hunger. Imperfect, but the price of food was relatively stable as were the fortunes of family farmers.

Butz replaced this policy with subsidies to farmers when prices fell, thereby making up the shortfall for the farmer but without keeping the grain off the market. Prices fell precipitously, and overproduction of grain was allowed to run rampant, leading to a number of new contradictions.

The drop in prices drove many owners of smaller farms off the land as they lost their farms to unpaid debts; this led to a consolidation in production, which ran parallel to the consolidation in processing and retail. The number of acres that are under cultivation has largely leveled off since the 1950s, but the number of farms has fallen from a high in the late 1930s of 7 million to around 2 million today. The average size of a farm in the same period more than doubled, to a high today of more than 500 acres. The 2002 Census of Agriculture estimates that 34,100 of the largest farms account for 50 percent of the sales of farm products, and the 143,500 largest farms account for 75 percent of sales.

The subsidy policy is notoriously biased: the majority of farms that receive subsidies have a net worth of more than $2 million and an average yearly income of $200,000. The average annual household income for a farm is $84,000. In short, the government encourages overproduction by basing subsides on the quantity of excess produced, so the largest farms get the biggest payouts, and lower-income farms get the short end of the stick. The libertarian Heritage Foundation reported, “Ten percent of subsidy recipients collect three-fourths of the money—about $91,000 a year per farm. Those in the ‘bottom 80 percent’ receive less than $3,000 a year.”15 The total cost of the farm subsidies is a whopping $25 billion, which breaks down to each taxpaying household paying $322 per household per year.

With grain prices in a long-term decline, the logic of the free market has forced growers to attempt to increase output at any cost. Like any capitalist, when the price per unit declines, the farmer must increase sales to recoup the investment. Shortfalls in profit lead farmers deeper into debt, especially those who are sucked into the more chemically and technologically intense practices of laying down more and more fertilizer and pesticide/herbicides.

The failure of individual farms due to debt doesn’t alleviate the overproduction and price pressures. Iowa corn grower George Naylor, who Michael Pollan profiles in his chapter on corn in Omnivore’s Dilemma, explains: “You can fire me, but you can’t fire my land, because some other farmer who needs more cash flow or thinks he’s more efficient will come in and farm it. Even if I go out of business this land will keep producing corn.”16

Quantity at any cost

With yield trumping all else, the logic of intensifying productivity through chemical and mechanical means creates growing markets for more “inputs” that make the farm resemble a factory more and more. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) writes about planting cash crops in large concentrations, a practice known as “monoculture” farming:

Monoculture results in economies of scale that can reduce production costs and as a result the prices of commodities in the marketplace. From this primary feature, others, such as the reliance on pesticides, necessarily flow. Farms that grow one or two crops inevitably invite pests and usually require heavy doses of insecticides and herbicides to control them. Planting the same crops year after year can deplete the soil, increasing the need for fertilizers. At the same time, the large acreages under cultivation provide large markets for pesticides, fertilizer, and farm vehicles (such as combines and harvesters).17

Large-scale production creates its own problems, but luckily there is no problem that capitalism cannot solve through selling a new “input.” In the case of animal rearing, as grazing has been replaced by confinement, the natural diet of ruminants has been replaced with corn (which makes the cows pack on pounds faster than eating grass. The average corn-fed steer is slaughtered for meat at eighteen months, compared to four years for a grass-fed mature cattle), which ruminants can’t digest without their stomachs becoming highly acidic. Not only does this give the cows painful ulcers, it also creates the perfect environment for E. coli. Rather than feed them digestible food, they are forced to ingest large quantities of antibiotics, which contributes to the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In addition, the high corn diet causes their flatulence and excrement to be dense in nitrous oxide and methane, which are 296 and 23 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, respectively. But other dietary supplements are being tested to reduce this effect, creating yet another market for “inputs,” instead of simply letting cows and pigs live like cows and pigs.

With fertility reduced to a chemical checklist (in addition to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are major components of synthetic fertilizers), the plants grown in them have actually declined in nutritional value. USDA figures

show a decline in the nutrient content of the forty-three crops it has tracked since the 1950s. In one recent analysis, vitamin C declined by 20 percent, iron by 15 percent, riboflavin by 38 per cent, calcium by 16 percent.… To put this in concrete terms, you now have to eat three apples to get the same amount of iron you would have gotten from a single 1940 apple.18

This is bad news for anyone eating an apple—they have to consume triple the calories to get the same dose of iron—but great news to anyone selling apples, or iron supplements.

Not surprisingly, the nutritional value of beef raised on corn is different from that of grass-fed cattle. Cows raised on grass have half the fat of those raised on corn, and the composition of the fats is more beneficial: lower saturated fats and higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, omega-3 acids from beef fed on grass is comparable to levels found in fish, whereas corn-fed beef has 15–50 percent of the omega-3s.

Facilitating cheaper, faster output and distribution trumps all other considerations in breeding and promoting species. Traits such as a grain’s ability to withstand mechanical harvesting, or an apple skin’s reaction to heavy waxes that allow long distance shipping are promoted above concentrations of nutrients. This is especially true of output: for a species like wheat, which has seen its yield triple in 130 years, new cultivars simply do not have the nutritional punch of their older cousins: modern wheat has 28 percent less iron than its forebears. Part of the equation is that plants that are bred for a life of chemical pesticides and pumped up soils simply don’t struggle to survive the way plants do in their natural environment. In turn, they do not produce the micronutrients known as “antioxidants” in the same quantities as organics,19 lessening their contribution to our own immune system.

Crops and animals that have been successfully shoved into the industrial assembly line are proliferating, while the rest are becoming extinct. As the UCS reported:

At the beginning of the 1990s, only six varieties of corn accounted for 46 percent of the crop, nine varieties of wheat made up half of the wheat crop, and two types of peas made up 96 percent of the pea crop. Reflecting the global success of fast food, more than half the world’s potato acreage is now planted with one variety of potato: the Russet Burbank favored by McDonalds.20

Similarly, half of all dairy cows are Holsteins, despite the inverse relationship of their milk yields to their milk’s nutritional value.

Part of the “success” of particular varieties is their usefulness in the production of highly processed foods. Since the 1970s, with the explosion of output and the growth of politically powerful, highly concentrated interests in the food industry, capitalism has had to accommodate the presence of massive new production in a relatively inelastic market. The constant high production of cash crops has lead to an excess 700 calories per person in the U.S.—the riddle for the food industry is how to get those extra calories into the mouths of consumers. As Pollan writes:

Try as we might, each of us can eat only about fifteen hundred pounds of food a year. Unlike many other products—CDs say, or shoes—there’s a natural limit to how much food we can each consume without exploding. What this means for the food industry is its natural rate of growth is somewhere around 1 percent per year—1 percent being the annual growth rate of the American population. The problem is that Wall Street won’t tolerate such an anemic rate of growth.21

Instead of using “overproduction” of food to feed underfed or starving people in the U.S. and other parts of the world, new uses for staple crops were found. In order to get more calories into food, and more profits into bank accounts, Corporate America turned to processing whole foods into what Michael Pollan calls “edible food-like substances.” It seems unbelievably simple and perverse, but industrial agriculture’s solution to an overabundance of calories was simply to reduce overproduced foods into their component parts, rearrange them, insert them into foods already eaten, or create new products dependent on high levels of processing. The secret? They largely share the same ingredients: sugars, starches, and oils derived from the Big Three of industrial food: wheat, soy, and corn. Soy is in two-thirds of the processed foods on the market, not in its nutritious whole form, but as a thickener, filler, or oil, providing calories but no nutritional benefit.

The high subsidies on corn as a crop are spread throughout the entire food system, as corn has wormed its way into more and more products, suppressing the cost of raw materials to producers. Corn is fed to pigs, cows, and chickens, and somewhat incredibly, to farm-raised salmon. Corn is a dirt-cheap raw material that when processed can be turned into a myriad of products. Talking about breakfast cereals, Pollan describes them in Omnivore’s Dilemma as:

the prototypical processed food: take four cents’ worth of commodity corn (or some other equally cheap grain) transformed into four dollars’ worth of processed food…by taking several of the output streams issuing from a wet mill (corn meal, corn starch, corn sweetener, as well as a handful of tinier chemical fractions) and then assembling them in an attractively novel form.22

In part, this accounts for the low cost of food in the U.S. compared to other industrial countries; even with the spike in food prices in 2007, U.S. consumers spent on average 9.8 percent of their income on food.23 Europeans on the other hand spend approximately 17 percent of their income on food—almost double. Processing is central to this decline as economies of scale are brought to bear in cranking out low-quality “convenience” foods. Thus the price of soda has declined since 1978 by .67 percent, and the price of fresh fruit has risen by 1.46 percent. Soda is currently cheaper than bottled water.

Processed foods don’t exist because there is a demand for them, they exist because they are a way of transforming the cheapest raw materials into exponentially more expensive retail items—generating enormous profits, but only for the processors. Whole unprocessed foods, like eggs, send $.40 back to the producer, but corn sweeteners send $.04 back to the farmer who harvested the crop. The other $.96 goes into the pocket of the processors, distributors, and retailers. This accounts for the introduction every year of 15,000 to 20,000 new food products—at the same time that the biodiversity of the foods we eat is declining. Novelty-shaped chicken nuggets are not a result of consumer demand, but pressure on food producers to elevate profit margins through increased market share and processing as a means of adding value. For those familiar with Marxist economics, the implications are clear: opportunities to extract surplus labor—and thus profit—are magnified by increasing the degree of processing. Cheapening the commodities that are a necessary part of the reproduction of labor cheapens wages, and therefore increases the amount of labor that is unpaid. Unpaid labor equals higher profits. As C. Robert Taylor testified at the Senate Agricultural Committee in 1999, “Since 1984, the real price of a market basket of food has increased 2.8 percent, while the farm value of that food has fallen by 35.7 percent.”24

The most (in)famous of the processed food additives invented in the last half century is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Unheard of thirty years ago, it now appears in everything from yogurt to lunchmeat. Our consumption of sweeteners has increased since 1985 from 128 to 158 pounds per year and HFCS accounts for 64 pounds on average.

The use of corn as a sweetener is again both an economic and political reality, not one driven by nutrition. Corn has been nurtured as an American crop as it suits the climate and soil conditions in a way other crops do not: sugar, for example. Domestic sugar is a peripheral crop, and a highly protected one, making imported sugar an expensive ingredient for commercial producers. Processors benefited tremendously from the switch, starting in 1969, to corn-based sweeteners. Three companies control the market in HFCS processing: Archer-Daniels Midland (ADM), Cargill, and Staley25 (a subsidy of British Tate and Lyle). Congress changed sugar quotas in 1982, driving up the demand for domestically produced HFCS from 1.7 to 5.5 million metric tons. According to John Barnes, writing for The New Republic, ADM’s production accounted for 80 percent of the increase.26 It is not surprising to find that the main force lobbying for the change was none other than ADM. According to Tom Philpott, founder of Maverick Farms and contributor to online site Bitter Greens Journal, ADM buys 12 percent of the U.S. corn output, and produces 42 percent of HFCS.27

How to make cheap food and influence people

Readers of this journal will not be surprised to find that powerful corporate interests are dictating policy, yet the food industry has largely escaped the vilification reserved for the oil lobby or defense contractors. Food policy is as destructive a force in the lives of millions (and looking abroad, billions) of people as the use of fossil fuels or military intervention.

While the New York Times declared “Archer-Daniels does not have a lobbyist in Washington; it does not need one,”28 perhaps most notorious in the world of industrial food lobbying is Dwayne Andreas, former CEO of ADM from 1971 to 1997. He ran the company during a pivotal time for industrial food—including the 1982 sugar quota legislation. According to the right-wing Cato institute, ADM is

the most prominent recipient of corporate welfare in recent U.S. history. ADM and its chairman Dwayne Andreas have lavishly fertilized both political parties with millions of dollars in handouts and in return have reaped billion-dollar windfalls from taxpayers and consumers. Thanks to federal protection of the domestic sugar industry, ethanol subsidies, subsidized grain exports, and various other programs, ADM has cost the American economy billions of dollars since 1980 and has indirectly cost Americans tens of billions of dollars in higher prices and higher taxes over that same period. At least 43 percent of ADM’s annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government. Moreover, every $1 of profits earned by ADM’s corn sweetener operation costs consumers $10, and every $1 of profits earned by its ethanol operation costs taxpayers $30.29

Andreas was a model of political giving, donating large sums to the likes of President Richard Nixon, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Not to seem one-sided, Andreas also showered the Democratic Party with money, becoming the third largest contributors to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential bid.30 Robert Strauss, board member of ADM and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee confessed, “Dwayne Andreas just owns me.”31 The level of control corporate food producers exert in Washington led Andreas to tell an interviewer for Mother Jones, “There isn’t one grain of anything in the world that is sold in a free market. Not one! The only place you see a free market is in the speeches of politicians.”32 ADM is the Goldman Sachs of Big Agra.

Similar to other high-powered industries, political appointments await those who are bored with life at the top of the corporate pyramid. In 2005, Charles Conner was appointed deputy secretary of the United Stated Department of Agriculture after a four-year stint as the president of the Corn Refiners Association (CRA). The CRA consists of a mere seven participants, including industrial giants like ADM and Cargill.

Under the Obama administration, the appointment of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack as Secretary of the USDA has raised an outcry from environmental and organic farming advocates. Vilsack is known for his close relationship with Monsanto, having been voted their biotech “Governor of the Year,” and working while in the Iowa State Senate to loosen the regulations on farming of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs, which Monsanto dominates in production and sales). During his tenure, the CAFO pig population exploded in Iowa, driving family pork farms out of business. Ronnie Cummins, executive director of the Organic Consumers Association argued, “Obama’s choice for Secretary of Agriculture points to the continuation of agribusiness as usual, the failed policies of chemical- and energy-intensive, genetically engineered industrial agriculture.”33

Perhaps more disturbing was the appointment of Michael Taylor as the czar of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Taylor has cycled through the revolving door of Monsanto’s top-level positions and FDA appointments, moving from Monsato’s legal counsel to the FDA, back to Monsanto as a vice president, then to return back to the FDA. He is known in his earlier tenure at the FDA for the suppression of concerns of FDA scientists over the affects of GMO on human health34 as well as the FDA’s refusal to allow milk processors to label milk containing Monsanto’s bovine growth hormones (rBGH). Taylor wrote the paper for the FDA demanding that if producers labeled milk as containing rBGH, they must note that there is no proven difference between the two, which is an outright lie as the FDA’s own studies, Monsanto’s scientists, and Canadian health experts have all shown.35

Opting out and eating in

The growing outrage over our degraded food supply and the mainstream dissemination of information about its workings have inspired thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, to seek alternatives. Sales of organic foods have risen to $16.7 billion, according to the Organic Trade Association. The proliferation of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)—local coops that connect consumers to local, usually organic farmers within 100 miles—in cities around the country have become a lifeline to small farmers. Similarly, greenmarkets, once the sole provenance of upper-class, urban shoppers have multiplied across neighborhoods, often as a community’s response to poor food choices and worsening health. There are now 3,500 across the U.S., and more springing up every year. According to School to Farm, a non-profit that promotes the use of local produce in school lunches, 8,943 schools are serving locally grown produce in forty-two states.36

Even the USDA provides vouchers to shop at farms stands or farmers markets through its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The positive impacts for the individuals who are able to access these outlets of fresh nutritious foods can’t be underestimated, nor should the reduction in chemical inputs be dismissed. But organic sales currently account for only 3 percent of the food consumed in the U.S.; local food netted a mere $4 billion (compared to almost $17 billion for organics). However, the scale of the problem dwarfs these efforts. Individual efforts to eat right may help some (mostly middle-class) consumers to live a healthier lifestyle, but consumer choice does little more than redirect some of the profit stream—it does not challenge the economic basis on which the food industry is built.

Capitalism’s ability to survive depends not on its rigidity, but its adaptability. The same dynamics that have driven industrial food production down such a corrosive path are at work within the organic food market. As Mark Bittman points out in a March 2009 New York Times editorial, the standards set by the USDA for “certified organics” inevitably

fall short of the lofty dreams of early organic farmers and consumers who gave the word “organic” its allure—of returning natural nutrients and substance to the soil in the same proportion used by the growing process (there is no requirement that this be done); of raising animals humanely in accordance with nature (animals must be given access to the outdoors, but for how long and under what conditions is not spelled out); and of producing the most nutritious food possible (the evidence is mixed on whether organic food is more nutritious) in the most ecologically conscious way.37

In response to the growth in popularity of organic products, capitalism has moved to absorb independent brands or produce their own. One of the pioneers of the organic movement, Cascadia Farms, was bought by General Mills. FritoLay (owned by PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest consumers of HFCS) is developing organic Cheetos. McDonalds now sells Newman’s Own Organic Coffee. Organic is simply becoming a brand accessible to any company with the wherewithal to get in on a new market. Organics sales grew on average between 17 percent and 21 percent between 1997 and 2005; significant decreases in sales however hit the sector in 2007 and 2008, and falling incomes due to the Great Recession caused families to be more frugal with their grocery budget. Given that organics can cost up to twice what industrial products do, they are the first to get cut by all but the most committed shoppers. With unemployment over 10 percent, organics and local produce could lose much of its appeal for all but the most ideologically committed and those with disposable income.

The irony of course is that organic products are now widely available because organic producers have adapted industrial methods of farming, processing, packaging, and distribution. Companies like Earthbound, the largest producer of organic lettuces, is a national brand, growing monocultures, employing underpaid immigrant workers, utilizing single-use plastic packaging, and shipping product as far as 3,000 miles to market. Organics have expanded exponentially in the realm of processed and prepared foods, including such nutritious offerings as imitation Oreos, ice cream sandwiches, and frozen burritos. Organic agriculture’s success has become reliant on economies of scale to extract maximum profit and integrating into the market just like Big Agra.

Much of the liberal hand-wringing centers around the failure of consumers to choose the available better alternatives of organic, local, or even whole foods. The condescension toward people who don’t opt out, particularly parents, can hit outrageous levels. A particularly egregious example of this was The New York Times Magazine’s annual food issue which featured “Naked Chef” Jamie Oliver taking on “one of America’s unhealthiest towns” in an attempt to change the eating habits of the five counties in the Huntington, West Virginia, metropolitan area, where obesity is at 50 percent for adults. Oliver says of giving children donuts every day, “It’s harsh to say, but these parents, when they’ve been to the doctor and keep feeding their kids inappropriate food, that is child abuse. Same as a cigarette burn or a bruise.” Apparently this opinion was popular among The New York Times Magazine’s well-heeled audience, as a November 24 article on an organic chicken farmer Alexis Koefoed cited her voicing the opinion that she’d “like to see the day when people realize that cheap food is a lie, and values have shifted enough so that those who pay $8 for a six-pack of beer or thousands for a plasma TV won’t ‘gripe about paying $8 for a dozen eggs.’”

The notion that working people and poor people (the city of Huntington has 19 percent of its population living below the poverty line) have screwed up priorities and therefore are to blame for bad health and eating habits is the worst blame-the-victim logic. It is particularly galling to hear a celebrity chef like Oliver, whose personal worth is approximately $65 million, complain about lazy parents who won’t cut fruit for their family and instead buy it pre-cut (later in the article we find his former model wife is a stay-at-home mom, who we can assume cuts her own fruit or has a servant on hand to do so). And let’s be totally honest, when would-be food reformers lecture on the necessity to spend more time in the kitchen, the de facto targets of this are working-class women—Jamie Oliver was not in Greenwich, Connecticut, or Orange County making this point. Women today spend on average twenty-four hours a week on housework in addition to working outside the home. It would be wonderful to live in a world where men spontaneously starting producing wholesome, home-cooked meals for the family every night, but this is not the world we live in. And given that the vast majority of single-parent homes are headed by women, and that the majority of sub-poverty line households are headed by women, this argument is either just a goad to middle-class, two-parent homes or simply fails to think through the logic of applying it to those who suffer the most due to industrialized food.

Oddly, in the same New York Times Magazine issue a few short pages away, an article by Douglas McGray dispels the myth that poor and working people don’t like or want fresh produce. Titled “California’s food banks go locavore,” the article documents the struggles of food banks who have been hit with simultaneous rises in demand and decreases in donations (due to the vertical integration and consolidation of food manufacturing there are less expired and damaged goods given to pantries). A few crafty advocates sought out the agricultural “excess” that laid rotting Grapes of Wrath-like in California’s fields. The result has been literally tens of millions of pounds of fresh produce given directly to needy food bank patrons. McGray writes:

When the vegetable in a big haul is a little out of the ordinary—say, artichoke or eggplant—the food banks even send along recipes to encourage customers to make use of it. “These efforts have dispelled the myth that low-income people don’t eat fresh produce because they’re too dumb or whatever,” says Joel Berg, director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. “Pantries will say their customers love, love this stuff.”

A food bank patron who recently had her hours as a janitor cut in half told McGray,

“Since my hours went down, I look at the Safeway ads and get whatever is cheapest…. You don’t get very good food.” …She will eat better this week; and maybe next week. But nutrition will remain a luxury—especially on her salary; prices for fresh produce, she notes, remain high. Still, she said, placing her groceries in the car with care, “I’d rather do fresh than frozen.”38

Where fresh, wholesome food is available and affordable (or free), people gravitate toward it. A number of community gardens and CSAs have made fresh, often organic, produce a part of the diet of working-class and poor communities.39

A fascinating Harris Poll on perceptions and buying patterns of organic products showed that “very large majorities of the public believe that organic food is safer for the environment (79 percent) and healthier (76 percent)” but also that “almost everyone (95 percent of the public, including 88 percent of frequent organic food buyers) believes organic food is more expensive.”40 The same poll showed that the result of this dual perception—better for the environment but more expensive—results in 31 percent of the population buying organic. Only 29 percent of those polled thought it is “a waste of money as it is no better for you than conventional foods,” which indicates that more people would buy it were it more affordable and available. And contrary to Jamie Oliver’s anti-parent outbursts, parents are more likely to buy organic products for their children than for themselves when pinching pennies.41

The problem with an analysis that starts and ends with what people pick up off the shelf at the supermarket is that it ignores the process that brought the food there, which is deeply shaped by political and economic concerns that care nothing for the consumer or environment, but also ignores the forces that shape the decision of the consumer, which are equally shaped by political, economic, and social realities. The average working person is working a month more per year than we did in the 1950s, and reaches the supermarket exhausted, often frustrated, and with little in the way of extra money to spend on local or organic goods, if they are even available. Over 20 percent of meals eaten in the U.S. are eaten in a car, which is not because people just won’t leave their luxury automobiles for dinner. Foods that offer convenience and comfort often trump those offering nutritional benefits because of the stresses of busy schedules and economic pressures—and the cheapness of processed industrial foods seals the deal. The more industrialized the food supply has become, the more homogenized the food supply has become, and the more price has become the sole determinant in choosing our meals.

It must be noted that the food industry outspends the federal government when it comes to influencing food choices. The Consumer Union (publisher of Consumer Reports) released a report entitled “Out of balance” in 2005 showing that the “food, beverage, candy, and restaurant advertising expenditures weigh in at $11.26 billion in 2004, versus $9.55 million to promote healthful eating.”42 They found the advertising budget for Snickers candy bars alone outweighed the entire federal budget for promoting healthy eating, and fast food restaurants outspent the federal effort by 240 times.

This says nothing of the content of the advertising, which goes to no end to manipulate consumers. This includes such perverse activities as hiring child psychologists to analyze the patterns of nagging in children and what is most effective in breaking down the resistance of parents.43 Advertising preys on the alienation that people experience under capitalism: robbed of our ability to meaningfully direct our own work, we are offered commodities to define our identities in the market place.

Patel comments:

Choice is the word we’re left with to describe our plucking one box rather than another off the shelves, and it’s the word we’re taught to use. If we’re asked why we use the word “choice” to describe this, we might respond “no one pointed a gun to our head, no one coerced us” as if this were the opposite of choice. But the opposite of choice isn’t coercion. It’s instinct. And our instincts have been so thoroughly captured by forces beyond our control that they are suspect to the core.”44

As the great pioneer of public relations and modern advertising Edward L. Bernays observed, “somebody interested in leading the crowd needs to appeal not to logic but to unconscious motivation.”45 Food producers have mastered this by tapping into biologically shaped reactions to certain foods that evolved over tens of thousands of years of living in scarcity. Sugars and fats are the densest sources of calories in nature, and historically, the scarcest. We have an in-built positive reaction to them—anything dense in either or both is more physiologically satisfying that other food sources. In nature, this is a logical response to scarcity. In capitalist over-abundance, it is a disaster. Packing foods with cheap processed inputs like hydrogenated soybean oil or HFCS hooks into our survival mechanisms and seems to satisfy natural appetites, but are actually very dangerous substances that the body cannot adequately metabolize.

Secondly, we have a phenomenally hypocritical government that issues FDA directives to “eat more brightly colored fruits and veggies” and then turns around and subsidizes processed foods and animal products by paying corn and soy producers to harvest more than humans could ever consume. While Jamie Oliver’s snide commentary is unhelpful at best, he at least attempts to address a crisis that the government wrings its hands over and then intensifies. Oliver in fact embarrassed the British government into funding better school lunch programs through a campaign in a similarly unhealthy and poor town in the UK.

The U.S. government has been forced to make small allowances (like including in the last Farm Bill permission for local governments to utilize locally grown produce in schools) but institutionally it is tied hand and foot to industrial food. As the board of directors of American capitalist interest, the U.S. government protects the profitability of U.S. businesses regardless of the cost to the U.S. taxpayer, whether monetary or nutritional. The political economy of food reveals this clearly. As Karl Marx wrote in the Communist Manifesto, “The bourgeoisie has at last, since the establishment of Modern Industry and of the world market, conquered for itself, in the modern representative State, exclusive political sway. The executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie.”46

The benefits of cheap food do not accrue to the consumer, they accrue to the producer. Stepping back, the period in which a cheap food policy took effect has been the longest sustained attack on working-class living standards in U.S. history. Incomes have stagnated for households in the bottom 80 percent of the population, and declined for the lowest earners. Overall household income would have declined, if it weren’t for larger numbers of women moving into the workforce and people working two or more jobs. The role of cheap food must be seen in this context.

Not only has the food industry itself reaped the profits of massive subsidies, the entire ruling clique of U.S. businesses has shared the wealth as lowering food prices has contributed to the cheapening of labor in the United States. Food as a proportion of income has actually fallen by half since the ’50s, due to the policy of overproduction and subsidization of industry starting in the ’70s. Since 1980, wages stopped keeping up with inflation, a gap that was filled by most families with credit, which makes the berating of consumers by liberals that they should just get used to $8 eggs or accept a doubling of their food budget absurd without talking about raising wages. The “extra” income that used to go to food purchases wasn’t then freed up for plasma TVs or gold teeth or whatever other condescending stereotypes are thrown at working people: it went to exploding health care costs, increased housing costs, growing education bills, and rising retail prices.

As Tom Philpott argues on Grist.com:

The ability to buy plenty of tasty calories on a low-wage salary actually lies at the heart of our economic system. For thirty years, our system has maintained corporate profits through a steady attack on wages. One of the major reasons workers have accepted stagnant wages is that food prices as a percentage of income have fallen steadily since the 1970s, a trend which went into reverse only last year. (The other is the ready availability of cheap consumer goods made by even lower-paid workers in China.) Given that reality, it makes little sense to talk about transforming the food system and revaluing food without transforming the economic system and revaluing labor.47

The fundamental problem with our food is that it is subject to the logic of commodity production under capitalism. Shifting your position within the market as a consumer is not a challenge, it is an adaptation. As long as food is a commodity, hunger and malnutrition will be part of our society because the market does not operate on demand, but on “effective demand,” which means it is not who is hungry that matters but who can afford to buy. In a country where in 2008, 15 percent of the population was “food insecure” part of the year, and 5.7 percent experienced “very low food security” (meaning they regularly missed meals because of lack of money),48 preaching consumer solutions is nonsense. This does not even begin to touch the enormous number of families who are not “food insecure” because they can buy eggs for less than $2 a dozen. As Philpott points out, a much larger social transformation must occur for the majority of people to experience quality, sustainable food.

Expecting a New York Times editorial to overcome the real institutional obstacles to changing people’s diets is the worst kind of utopianism and elitism. Seeing the problem as one of individual choice divides the world into enlightened shoppers who “get it” and the ignorant, unwashed masses who can’t seem to save themselves.

Another diet is possible

The state of the food industry is a reflection of the overall weakness of the working class in defending its living standards over the last several decades as corporations have run amok. The parallel between declining living standards for workers and the degradation of the food supply and environment is clearest in the arena of food production itself. Once a heavily unionized industry, factory farming and meatpacking are now nearly unregulated, international, and unorganized sectors. Packers like Smithfield, the largest in the world, have been implicated in everything from the swine flu outbreak49 to some of the highest rates of on-the-job injuries of any occupation. Much to the chagrin of Smithfield, a fifteen-year union drive by the United Food and Commercial Workers at the Tar Heel, North Carolina, plant, which slaughters 32,000 hogs a day, was ultimately successful in December of 2008.50

More sweeping reforms that tackle the irrationality of the food industry will take mass mobilizations just like the creation of the Ever-Normal Granary and the rest of the New Deal. The most successful efforts to resist corporate domination and degradation exist in developing countries: mass movements of peasants and agricultural workers in India, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and other countries have faced off against their own governments and mega-corporations like Monsanto and Bechtel. They have combined mass protests, direct action, and implementing sustainable farming methods to preserve their land, livelihoods, and traditions.

Within the struggle for sustainable agriculture, activists must take on the argument that the only way to feed the planet is through chemically intense, genetically modified, and industrial means. The facts simply do not support this assertion. In an exhaustive and fascinating article, “Can ecological agriculture feed nine million people?,”51 Professor Jules Pretty attacks the notion that industrial agriculture and factory farming are the only way to feed the Earth’s population. While monoculture farming can generate enormous yields of a single crop (for sale on the market, often for export), sustainable methods that focus on greater intensity of land use—by inter-planting crops in the same field, by rotating animals and crops through the year, by rotating crops that don’t support the same pests—decreases chemical fertilizer use, pesticide use, and generates a greater output per acre. Pretty calls this “sustainable intensification.” He argues:

What has become increasingly clear is that many modern specialized farming systems are wasteful, as farmers with more complex, integrated systems have found they can cut down many purchased inputs without losing out on profitability or even yields. Some of these cuts in use are substantial; others are relatively small. By adopting better targeting and precision methods, there is less wastage and so more benefit to the environment. Farmers can then make greater cuts in input use, once they substitute some regenerative technologies for external inputs, such as legumes for inorganic fertilizers, or better habitats for predators of pests for pesticides. Finally, farmers can replace some or all external inputs entirely over time, once they have developed a new type of farming characterized by new goals and technologies.

One of the striking things about sustainable intensification is that it takes a far greater amount of hands-on work, which is exactly what has been eliminated in industrial farming. When it comes to measuring per acre yield sustainable farming can hold its own against Big Agra, but when it comes to per person productivity, Big Agra wins hands down. But it is worth asking: who benefits from the elimination of human labor in the production of food? With the hollowing out of farming communities both nationally and internationally as more technologically intense methods are used, it has definitely not been the people who traditionally farmed the land. The obvious benefactors have been those that sell the implements that have made human labor a decreasing share of the picture. As Pretty makes clear, the goal is not to eliminate all technological advances, but to rationally and intelligently apply all the available information to each specific ecosystem and community. This is not an argument to go backwards, or to romanticize eleventh-century farming methods, but to intelligently consider which inputs—including human labor—best suit each farming situation to achieve the greatest use with the least damage.

This is no quick fix. To completely replace the existing system is perhaps a multi-generational process. Plenty of reforms can happen in the present to alleviate the greatest damage done to people and the environment due to industrial food, if the pressure is there to compel institutions to accommodate our demands. Among them: shifting subsidies from commodity corn and soy to funding sustainable agriculture; funding transportation networks to ship food based on fuel-efficient methods—trains not trucks or planes; “eminent domain” enacted against luxury suburban developments to create more sustainable farms near urban centers; creating standards for nutrition in public institutions such as schools and prisons including organic and local produce; banning GMO products; etc.

As the crisis deepens and the environmental impacts increase—soil erosion, desertification, hypoxia, etc—the urgency is growing for such action. Ultimately, however, the production of food as a commodity must be overturned and a system based on meeting human’s nutritional needs in accordance with the body’s natural requirements as well as nature’s limits must be instituted. Even if sustainable, organic methods completely replaced toxic industrial methods, a free market in food still operates under the pressure for profit. Those who can afford to eat may not suffer from the rampant health problems fueling the current crisis, but the market cannot and will not provide for those who cannot afford to buy.

“Arise, ye prisoners of starvation”

Human beings currently exist in conflict and out of sync with nature because capitalism sees nature as a means to an end: profit. Humans, however, are a part of the natural world, not its masters or antagonists.

Karl Marx, writing at a time when Europe was undergoing its own agriculture crisis due to land over-use, described the relationship of humans and nature as one of “metabolism,” which describes the organic exchange of materials between an organism and its environment. Important to note, it is not a one-way street of consumption, but a cycle through which life is sustained and the environment enriched. But capitalism opened up a “metabolic rift” between humans and nature, by separating large concentrations of people into cities, remote from sources of sustenance, and unable to return their waste to the land in a productive manner. Degradation of the land and the filth and pollution of the cities were two sides of the same coin for Marx, and both results of an irrational approach to agriculture that conformed to the needs of capitalism. Marx did not live to see the acres-wide lagoons of pig and cattle feces that dot the Midwest today, or the invention of synthetic fertilizer that has poisoned water supplies, but he saw the breakdown of the metabolic cycle between humans and their food sources as dangerous to all involved.

As he wrote in volume 3 of Capital, “The moral of the tale is that the capitalist system runs counter to a rational agriculture, or that a rational agriculture is incompatible with the capitalist system (even if the latter promotes technical developments in agriculture) and needs either small farmers working for themselves or the control of the associated producers.”53 Rational agriculture, in which humans are able to sustain themselves and to heal the metabolic rift, is not possible without overthrowing the current system that prizes production for profit above all else. Food is a human right; it must cease to be a commodity controlled by profit-hungry interests.

Democratic planning is the only solution to feed the billions of humans on the Earth in an ecologically sustainable way. The science and craft of sustainable farming already exists in pockets under capitalism; how to implement sustainable models for concentrated populations will be a challenge for those who will build a new society. What to grow, how, where; how to prioritize land use; irrigation; transportation; storage and processing; the uses of animals; all these facets of agriculture will have to be debated and decided by producers who are not driven by Wall Street numbers and market share. The vision of human beings’ relationship to the Earth will not be of abuser or owner, but of a steward of the natural world, able to use the collective intelligence of generations to not just consume, but live harmoniously and heal capitalism’s epic damage to the environment.

As Marx wrote:

From the standpoint of a higher socio-economic formation, the private property of particular individuals in the earth will appear just as absurd as the private property of one man in other men. Even an entire society, a nation, or all simultaneously existing societies taken together, are not owners of the earth. They are simply its possessors, it beneficiaries, and have to bequeath it in as improved state to succeeding generations as boni patres familias [good heads of the household].5

[.invisible ink.]

Animal, vegetable, movement?

By AMY MULDOON
*snip*

Fantastic article which really sums up everything pretty concisely. If anyone is interested, a lot of the articles referenced within this article have actually been posted throughout this thread (i.e., the Foodbanks go locavore article, and a couple of others).

Thanks for posting this.

[coryatlarge]

Have a showing why don't ya! I may do one in my home town of King Corn, although many people from Moab, Ut are already completely aware of the problems with food.
well i would but i doubt i could get 10 people to show up. my community is completely against any sort of food change because most of them are owners of feed lots or fields of corn. i held a showing of food inc. at my school and the only people who showed up were the ag. students to argue that today's farming methods are fine.

[mattmatumbo]

well i would but i doubt i could get 10 people to show up. my community is completely against any sort of food change because most of them are owners of feed lots or fields of corn. i held a showing of food inc. at my school and the only people who showed up were the ag. students to argue that today's farming methods are fine.

Damn, that's what i love about Moab, everyone hates the current state of things haha. It's actually kind of annoying because if you don't know what they're talking about, you're a retarded mormon to them.

[coryatlarge]

Damn, that's what i love about Moab, everyone hates the current state of things haha. It's actually kind of annoying because if you don't know what they're talking about, you're a retarded mormon to them.
yeah unfortunately i'm the minority out here but denver, boulder, and fort collins which arent too far away have a lot of cool people that support better farming methods. i'm going to school in fort collins next fall so hopfully i'll be able to help with some showings of movies and stuff like that down there.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.grist.org/article/another-reason-to-stay-away-from-soda-high-phosphate-levels

Not aging fast enough? Drink a soda! by Tom Laskawy (http://www.grist.org/member/11561)
26 Apr 2010 12:00 PM


American as apple pie. But how bad for us is soda?Hoo boy. The American Beverage Association isn't going to like this news one bit. Food companies now add significant amounts of phosphates to soda and other processed foods. And now researchers have found evidence that phosphates may accelerate aging (via Science Daily (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100426151636.htm)): High phosphate levels may also increase the prevalence and severity of age-related complications, such as chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification, and can also induce severe muscle and skin atrophy.
"Humans need a healthy diet and keeping the balance of phosphate in the diet may be important for a healthy life and longevity," said M. Shawkat Razzaque, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. "Avoid phosphate toxicity and enjoy a healthy life."
"Soda is the caffeine delivery vehicle of choice for millions of people worldwide, but comes with phosphorous as a passenger" said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal. "This research suggests that our phosphorous balance influences the aging process, so don't tip it."
This has nothing to do with sweeteners, food coloring or any other previously established badness associated with soda and processed food -- it's a "new and improved" risk.
And what, pray tell, are these phosphates doing there in the first place? According to other scientists (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229080851.htm), food companies starting adding them at high levels only in the last 20 years: ...[W]hile a moderate level of phosphate plays an essential role in living organisms, the rapidly increasing use of phosphates as a food additive has resulted in significantly higher levels in average daily diets. Phosphates are added to many food products to increase water retention and improve food texture.
"In the 1990s, phosphorous-containing food additives contributed an estimated 470 mg per day to the average daily adult diet," he said. "However, phosphates are currently being added much more frequently to a large number of processed foods, including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products. As a result, depending on individual food choices, phosphorous intake could be increased by as much as 1000 mg per day."
"Increase water retention and improve food texture"?! That's worth shaving years off our lives for sure! We're all lab rats now.

[.invisible ink.]

Romaine Lettuce Recall Details: E. Coli Linked To 23 States' Romaine Supply (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/lettuce-recall-e-coli-pos_n_566956.html)


WASHINGTON — Lettuce sold to retailers in 23 states and the District of Columbia has been recalled because of a possible link to 19 cases of E. coli.
Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, announced on Thursday a recall of romaine lettuce after illnesses were reported in Michigan, Ohio and New York. The Food and Drug Administration said the illnesses included 12 people who have been hospitalized and three with potentially life-threatening symptoms.

The New York state Public Health Laboratory in Albany discovered the contamination in a bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce on Wednesday, according to the FDA.

That bag of lettuce came from a processing facility that was also linked to the illnesses, the FDA said. The agency would not release the name of that facility or its location but said an investigation was under way.

E. coli infection can cause mild diarrhea or more severe complications, including kidney damage. The three patients with life-threatening symptoms were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can cause bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

Freshway Foods said the lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, in-store salad bars and delis in Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The affected lettuce has a "best if used by" date of May 12 or earlier. The recall also affects "grab and go" salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.

[.invisible ink.]

I just saw Dirt The Movie. It was a pretty good film about the importance of the soil and how it's really the building block of life and needs to be respected and preserved. It's not as impressive as Fresh or Food Inc. or King Corn or anything but if you get a chance to see it, it's not a bad thing to watch. It definitely is inspiring me to get out into my garden and do all the things I've been putting off lately. Also, if you haven't started a compost pile, I would definitely recommend starting one, it just makes sense.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.counterpunch.org/frank05192010.html


Going to Bat for GE Foods

Elena Kagan and Monsanto

By JOSHUA FRANK
Alfalfa is the fourth largest crop grown in the United States and Monsanto wants to control it. On April 27, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could well write the future of alfalfa production in our country.

Fortunately, for those who are concerned about the potential environmental and health impacts of genetically engineered (GE) crops, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan is not yet residing on the bench.

For the past four years, the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a Washington DC-based consumer protection group, and others have litigated against Monsanto and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the company's Roundup Ready alfalfa. The coalition has focused their fight against Monsanto's GE alfalfa, based on concerns that the plants could negatively impact biodiversity as well as other non-GE food crops.

In 2007, a California US District Court ruled in a landmark case that the USDA had illegally approved Monsanto's GE alfalfa without carrying out a proper and full Environmental Impact Statement. The plaintiffs argued that GE alfalfa could contaminate nearby crops with its genetically manipulated pollen. Geertson Seed Farm, with the help of CFS, claimed that the farm's non-GE crops could be damaged beyond repair by Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa.

Monsanto's well-paid legal team appealed the court's decision, but, in June 2009, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the previous ruling and placed a nationwide ban on Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa.

"USDA should start over and truly evaluate the contamination of non-GM alfalfa and the potential affects on seed growers, organic and natural meat producers, dairy producers, and conventional and organic honey producers," said farmer and anti-GE advocate Todd Leake shortly after the ruling.

Monsanto, however, didn't back down and appealed the Ninth Circuit's decision to the US Supreme Court. In stepped Elena Kagan, whose role as solicitor general is to look out for the welfare of American citizens in all matters that come before the high court.

Unfortunately, Kagan opted to ditch her duty and instead side with Monsanto. In March 2010, a month before the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case, the solicitor general's office released a legal brief despite the fact that the US government was not a defendant in the case. Monsanto appealed the lower court’s decision so the USDA was not party to the suit. The Solicitor General’s office produced an amicus brief during the petitioning stage of the appeal at the behest of the Supreme Court.

As Kagan's office argued, "The judgment of the court of appeals should be reversed, and the case should be remanded with instructions to vacate the permanent injunction entered by the district court."

Despite numerous examples of cross-pollination of GE crops, Monsanto argued during the April 27 court proceedings that this was highly unlikely to occur. CFS and other plaintiffs are concerned that a federal law could be affected by the Supreme Court's ruling. Courts in Oregon and California have already argued in previous cases that GE seeds must also be studied as to the potential impact on other conventional and organic crops.

Surprisingly, it seems that Kagan does not support a thorough study of GE seeds and their potential impact on environmental and human health. In doing so, Kagan has sided with conservative justices on the court who appeared skeptical that the lower courts had made the right decision in banning GE alfalfa.

During the Supreme Court hearings, Chief Justice John Roberts questioned whether the Ninth Circuit had the authority to issue a ban on GE alfalfa. Roberts contented that the court ought to have instead remanded the issue back to the USDA. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia took his defense of Monsanto even further, stating, "This isn't the contamination of the New York City water supply," he said. "This isn't the end of the world, it really isn't."

Apparently Scalia and Roberts aren't up on the latest scientific analysis that Monsanto's GE crops have, in fact, bred new voracious super-weeds, which have forced farmers to "spray fields with more toxic herbicides, pull weeds by hand, and return to more labor-intensive methods like regular plowing."

"Bowing to pressure from Monsanto and the other biotech companies, our federal agencies approved [GE] corn and cotton without requiring any mandatory testing for environmental impacts," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for the CFS recently wrote. "And the expected happened: a few years later, independent university researchers - again not the government - discovered that this [GE] pesticide was potentially fatal to Monarch butterflies and other pollinators ... Without mandatory government testing, we're clueless about the universe of keystone pollinators and other species that are being decimated as the [GE] plants continue to proliferate in our fields."

The Supreme Court's decision on Monsanto's alfalfa ban will likely come early this summer. Justice Stephen Breyer recused himself from the case because his brother Charles Breyer oversaw the lower court's decision against the company. Unsurprisingly, Justice Clarence Thomas, who once worked in the legal department for Monsanto, did not recuse himself from the matter.

While Elena Kagan has no experience on the bench and has provided the public with little to no information about where she stands on some of the most important issues of the day, the fact that she came to bat for Monsanto two months ago, at a time when the company is reeling from negative press, may shed some light on how she could rule in future GE cases if she's confirmed as the next Supreme Court justice.

Joshua Frank is co-editor of Dissident Voice and author of Left Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567513107/counterpunchmaga) (Common Courage Press, 2005), and along with Jeffrey St. Clair, the editor of Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904859844/counterpunchmaga), published by AK Press.

A version of this piece first appeared in Truthout.org.

[.invisible ink.]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/5/17/867193/-Haitian-Farmers-Commit-to-Burning-Monsanto-Hybrid-Seeds

Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds

by Bev Bell (http://bev-bell.dailykos.com/)

Mon May 17, 2010 at 09:41:28 AM PDT

“A new earthquake” is what peasant farmer leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) called the news that Monsanto will be donating 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds, some of them treated with highly toxic pesticides. The MPP has committed to burning Monsanto’s seeds, and has called for a march to protest the corporation’s presence in Haiti on June 4, for World Environment Day.

In an open letter sent of May 14, Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, the Executive Director of MPP and the spokesperson for the National Peasant Movement of the Congress of Papay (MPNKP), called the entry of Monsanto seeds into Haiti “a very strong attack on small agriculture, on farmers, on biodiversity, on Creole seeds…, and on what is left our environment in Haiti.”[1] Haitian social movements have been vocal in their opposition to agribusiness imports of seeds and food, which undermines local production with local seed stocks. They have expressed special concern about the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

For now, without a law regulating the use of GMOs in Haiti, the Ministry of Agriculture rejected Monsanto’s offer of Roundup Ready GMO seeds. In an email exchange, a Monsanto representative assured the Ministry of Agriculture that the seeds being donated are not GMO.

Elizabeth Vancil, Monsanto’s Director of Development Initiatives, called the news that the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture approved the donation “a fabulous Easter gift” in an April email.[2] Monsanto is known for aggressively pushing seeds, especially GMO seeds, in both the global North and South, including through highly restrictive technology agreements with farmers who are not always made fully aware of what they are signing. According to interviews by this writer with representatives of Mexican small farmer organizations, they then find themselves forced to buy Monsanto seeds each year, under conditions they find onerous and at costs they sometimes cannot afford.

The hybrid corn seeds Monsanto has donated to Haiti are treated with the fungicide Maxim XO, and the calypso tomato seeds are treated with thiram.[3] Thiram belongs to a highly toxic class of chemicals called ethylene bisdithiocarbamates (EBDCs). Results of tests of EBDCs on mice and rats caused concern to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which then ordered a special review. The EPA determined that EBDC-treated plants are so dangerous to agricultural workers that they must wear special protective clothing when handling them. Pesticides containing thiram must contain a special warning label, the EPA ruled. The EPA also barred marketing of the chemicals for many home garden products, because it assumes that most gardeners do not have adequately protective clothing.[4] Monsanto’s passing mention of thiram to Ministry of Agriculture officials in an email contained no explanation of the dangers, nor any offer of special clothing or training for those who will be farming with the toxic seeds.

Haitian social movements’ concern is not just about the dangers of the chemicals and the possibility of future GMO imports. They claim that the future of Haiti depends on local production with local food for local consumption, in what is called food sovereignty. Monsanto’s arrival in Haiti, they say, is a further threat to this.

“People in the U.S. need to help us produce, not give us food and seeds. They’re ruining our chance to support ourselves,” said farmer Jonas Deronzil of a peasant cooperative in the rural region of Verrettes.[5]

Monsanto’s history has long drawn ire from environmentalists, health advocates, and small farmers, going back to its production of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. Exposure to Agent Orange has caused cancer in an untold number of U.S. Veterans, and the Vietnamese government claims that 400,000 Vietnamese people were killed or disabled by Agent Orange, and 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a result of their exposure.[6]

Monsanto’s former motto, “Without chemicals, life itself would be impossible,” has been replaced by “Imagine.” Its web site home page claims it “help[s] farmers around the world produce more while conserving more. We help farmers grow yield sustainably so they can be successful, produce healthier foods… while also reducing agriculture's impact on our environment.”[7] The corporations’ record does not support the claims.

Together with Syngenta, Dupont and Bayer, Monsanto controls more than half of the world’s seeds.[8] The company holds almost 650 seed patents, most of them for cotton, corn and soy, and almost 30% of the share of all biotech research and development. Monsanto came to own such a vast supply by buying major seed companies to stifle competition, patenting genetic modifications to plant varieties, and suing small farmers. Monsanto is also one of the leading manufacturers of GMOs.

As of 2007, Monsanto had filed 112 lawsuits against U.S. farmers for alleged technology contract violations or GMO patents, involving 372 farmers and 49 small agricultural businesses in 27 different states. From these, Monsanto has won more than $21.5 million in judgments. The multinational appears to investigate 500 farmers a year, in estimates based on Monsanto’s own documents and media reports.[9]
“Farmers have been sued after their field was contaminated by pollen or seed from someone else’s genetically engineered crop [or] when genetically engineered seed from a previous year’s crop has sprouted, or ‘volunteered,’ in fields planted with non-genetically engineered varieties the following year,” said Andrew Kimbrell and Joseph Mendelson of the Center for Food Safety.[10]

In Colombia, Monsanto has received upwards of $25 million from the U.S. government for providing Roundup Ultra in the anti-drug fumigation efforts of Plan Colombia. Roundup Ultra is a highly concentrated version of Monsanto's glyphosate herbicide, with additional ingredients to increase its lethality. Colombian communities and human rights organizations have charged that the herbicide has destroyed food crops, water sources and protected areas, and has led to increased incidents of birth defects and cancers.

Vía Campesina, the world’s largest confederation of farmers with member organizations in more than sixty countries, has called Monsanto one of the “principal enemies of peasant sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty for all peoples.”[11] They claim that as Monsanto and other multinationals control an ever larger share of land and agriculture, they force small farmers out of their land and jobs. They also claim that the agribusiness giants contribute to climate change and other environmental disasters, an outgrowth of industrial agriculture.[12]

The Vía Campesina coalition launched a global campaign against Monsanto last October 16, on International World Food Day, with protests, land occupations, and hunger strikes in more than twenty countries. They carried out a second global day of action against Monsanto on April 17 of this year, in honor of Earth Day.

Non-governmental organizations in the U.S. are challenging Monsanto’s practices, too. The Organic Consumers Association has spearheaded the campaign “Millions Against Monsanto,” calling on the company to stop intimidating small family farmers, stop marketing untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods to consumers, and stop using billions of dollars of U.S. taypayers' money to subsidize GMO crops.[13]

The Center for Food Safety has led a four-year legal challenge to Monsanto that has just made it to the U.S. Supreme Court. After successful litigation against Monsanto and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for illegal promotion of Roundup Ready Alfalfa, the court heard the Center for Food Safety’s case on April 27. A decision on this first-ever Supreme Court case about GMOs is now pending.[14]
“Fighting hybrid and GMO seeds is critical to save our diversity and our agriculture,” Jean-Baptiste said in an interview in February. “We have the potential to make our lands produce enough to feed the whole population and even to export certain products. The policy we need for this to happen is food sovereignty, where the county has a right to define it own agricultural policies, to grow first for the family and then for local market, to grow healthy food in a way which respects the environment and Mother Earth.”

[.invisible ink.]

Monsanto Plant Shut Down by Activists in Europe
Blockade of Monsanto in the Netherlands
GM Watch, May 17, 2010
Straight to the Source (http://gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12217) tU7NFz7VEvE&

Since 6 o'clock this morning, 50 persons of the action group 'Roundup Monsanto' are blocking both gates of the Monsanto seed company near Rotterdam. 'Roundup Monsanto' wants Monsanto to back out of the seed market, and demands an end to patents on seeds and living organisms. Monsanto and other agro-chemical multinationals are lobbying the Dutch government and the EU for legislative changes that would make it easier for large companies to take control of the seed market and food production.[1]

The blockade is taking place at the former De Ruiter Seeds, acquired by Monsanto in 2008, where research laboratories, offices, greenhouses, and a central storage for seeds and seedlings are to be found.

The chemical company Monsanto has 23% of the worldwide market of commercial seeds in its hands. In the last 5 years, the company has bought up three large internationally active seed companies in the Netherlands: De Ruiter Seeds, Western Seeds, and Seminis. As a result, Monsanto now dominates the world market for vegetable seeds and seedlings. In addition, Monsanto is the market leader in genetically engineered soy, corn, sugar beets, and cotton, and has a large market share in pesticide sales. "Farmers and vegetable growers are becoming increasingly dependent on these big seed companies and patented seeds will make the situation even worse," says Flip Vonk, an organic farm employee present at the action.

Monsanto is a chemical company which has grown large due to the production of pesticides, Agent Orange, and PCBs. [2] After countless scandals revolving around these chemical substances, the company found a new market strategy: development and sales of genetically manipulated crops. These crops are cultivated in enormous monocultures, with excessive use of fertiliser and pesticides. Monsanto represents a destructive model of chemical agriculture.

The current system of agriculture, based on mass import and export, is completely dependent on the consumption of fossil fuels. Chemical agriculture is responsible for a quarter to a third of the release of all the greenhouse gases. Over 80% of the cultivated GMOs are pesticide resistent, the remaining 20% produce insecticide inside the plant. This form of food production is extremely harmful to people, nature, and the climate. Genetic engineering will not contribute any solution to climate change.

Genetic engineering is often presented as a solution to the global food question. But in spite of 15 years of cultivation of genetically manipulated crops, 2009 witnessed a record amount of starvation. GM crops have not increased yields. "The food problem requires completely different solutions. We need to drastically change course, away from large-scale chemical agriculture, towards local food production in harmony with nature, without pesticides and without genetically manipulated crops. A world without Monsanto is a good step in that direction," according to Miranda de Boer from 'Roundup Monsanto'.

The two most important access doors to the Monsanto terrain have been closed off. The action group put up banners with the message "Imagine, monopoly of food, poisonous agriculture, The World according to ... Monsanto", adbusting the company's logo. It has also adjusted the giant cucumber and tomato on the lawn to Monsanto's manipulated reality. Employees and customers are greeted with coffee, tea, and background information on arrival.

>>> Read the Full Article (http://gmwatch.org/latest-listing/1-news-items/12217)

[.invisible ink.]

Pre-cut lettuce is suspected cause of food poisoning outbreak
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 18, 2010; HE01

It's convenient and popular, a healthy option for harried shoppers. But bagged lettuce suspected of causing a multi-state outbreak of E. coli illness raises new questions about whether pre-cut produce is riskier than whole vegetables.

The outbreak, which involves romaine lettuce cut up and distributed in bags to 23 states and the District, is the latest in a string of recent food poisoning cases involving pre-shredded leafy greens.

Twenty-three people in four states have been sickened since March 1, with another seven probable cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the confirmed cases, a dozen people were hospitalized and three developed a life-threatening type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.

The romaine in question was not sold directly to consumers in the produce section but was used by food service companies and supermarkets in salad bars and "grab and go" meals. Several of the victims were students at colleges in Michigan, Ohio and New York who apparently ate the infected lettuce in dining halls.

It is difficult to judge whether pre-cut produce has been linked to more outbreaks than whole vegetables because state and federal health officials don't always specify whether the leafy greens associated with an outbreak were bagged or whole. But several multi-state outbreaks involving pre-cut produce in the last five years have raised concerns, most notably the 2006 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with Dole bagged spinach that sickened 238 people and caused five deaths.

James Gorny, senior adviser for produce safety at the Food and Drug Administration, said bagged greens represent a disproportionate number of recalls, chiefly because they're easier to identify than whole produce. "When you buy a whole head of lettuce, you have no idea what the brand name is, or who the grower is," Gorny said. "So tracing it back is that much harder."
But, he said, pre-cut produce is not inherently riskier than whole vegetables.

Others disagree.

"I've been avoiding bagged lettuce for years," said Michael Doyle, a nationally known microbiologist who directs the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia. "I've been concerned about this for some time."

Most processors of fresh-cut produce remove the outer leaves and core the heads of lettuce in the field, where cutting utensils can come into contact with soil and spread contamination from the dirt to the crop, Doyle said. In farming areas, especially in a region near cattle farms, it is not unusual to find E. coli in the soil.

In a study published last year in the Journal of Food Protection, Doyle and several colleagues contaminated coring devices with soil that contained E. coli O157:H7 -- the most common E. coli strain associated with human illness -- and showed how the bacteria spread from the coring equipment to heads of lettuce. Washing the cored lettuce with a chlorine spray, a standard step, did not kill enough of the bacteria, the researchers found.

"In a processing plant, you'd have to have walls and clean floors," Doyle said. "But here, they're starting it right out in the dirt. It's a very hazardous practice."

Once the bacteria attach to a lettuce leaf, "it's very difficult to remove them," said Robert Gravani, a microbiologist at Cornell University. "We certainly want to increase our consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, but we really have to address some of these issues."

Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said cross-contamination is another danger. "The process of harvesting lettuce, chopping it or tearing it, washing and putting it in a bag is a process similar to mixing ground beef," she said. "You're taking lettuce that could be grown in different areas and batching it together. So if you've got one infected field, you're mixing it with lettuce that would otherwise be uninfected, and now the whole batch is contaminated."

Fresh-cut produce began in the food service industry in the 1980s and then migrated to retail shelves to meet growing consumer demand for a fast, healthful product that required no more preparation than slicing open the bag. According to Nielson Co. ratings, pre-cut salad mix was the top-selling fruit or vegetable between January 2009 and January 2010, outselling heads of lettuce by more than 2 to 1.

"As long as it's treated with respect and handled properly, consumers should feel as confident in the safety of fresh-cut leafy greens as they do in whole-head forms," said Julia Stewart of the Produce Marketing Association.

The current outbreak is drawing special attention because the romaine lettuce was contaminated with E. coli O145, a strain that is primarily found in cattle and wildlife feces and has never before been linked to a food-borne illness, according to the CDC.

Patricia M. Griffin, chief of CDC's Enteric Diseases Epidemiology branch, said it is likely that E. coli O145 has caused previous food poisonings but has gone undetected because only about 5 percent of clinical laboratories are able to detect it. "The fact that we found it now doesn't mean it wasn't there before," she said. "The ability to look for the organism in ill people and in outbreaks and food has been increasing. We're gradually finding more of these organisms."

The FDA, which has repeatedly urged growers to improve produce safety, is crafting what will be the first federal regulations for growing, harvesting and processing fresh produce, Gorny said. The proposed rules are scheduled to be published next year, he said.
In addition, a bill pending in Congress would give the FDA broad new authority to regulate the safety of produce and other foods.

"The FDA needs much more authority to set standards on the farm, and that's contained in the legislation that's been passed by the House and is currently being considered in the Senate, Smith DeWaal said. "The FDA needs to do a much better job at inspecting plants that process and bag lettuce, and it needs to provide better guidance to lettuce producers so they know how to avoid these problems."

[.invisible ink.]

http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/05/gulf-shrimp-farmed-oil-spill

Post Spill, Is Wild Shrimp Still Better Than Farmed?

By Kiera Butler (http://motherjones.com/authors/kiera-butler) | Mon May. 10, 2010 2:30 AM PDT

A few months back, Cactus (http://www.cactustaqueria.com/) [1], one of my favorite local burrito places, announced that from now on, it would begin serving sustainably caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. I was impressed that this scrappy little taqueria had resisted the temptation of ridiculously cheap imported shrimp (http://www.slate.com/id/2134219) [2]: 90 percent of all shrimp consumed in the US comes from notoriously ecologically disastrous (http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4395) [3] farms in Asia. (Red Lobster (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2010/05/05/red-lobster-faring-just-fine-in-the-post-spill-world.aspx) [4] Festival of Shrimp, I'm looking at you.) But last week I noticed a new sign up: Cactus' shrimp supplier was reassuring customers that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico hadn't affected the shrimp, that so far they were perfectly safe to eat. I was skeptical: Oil is nasty stuff (http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/water/experts-warn-of-gulf-oil-spills-toxicity/1093346) [5]. Which got me wondering: For the time being, wouldn't it be safer to stay away from Gulf shrimp, at least until the spill is under control?

Not yet, says Micahel Massimi, a scientist at Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. "So far, we’re looking at fairly significant fishing closures but still plenty of coastal estuary and good shrimping to the west of the spill." Right now, only 23 percent of the Gulf shrimping waters are closed because of the spill. That could change with winds or currents, but the Louisiana Department of Fish and Wildlife (LDFW) has announced (http://emergency.louisiana.gov/Releases/05062010-lwlfSeason.html) [6] the spring shrimp season will officially start today in most open areas, and at the end of the month in others. (It's too early to say yet how the oil spill will affect the second shrimp season, which typically lasts from August through December.)

But oil moves, and so do shrimp. So is there any chance that oil-contaminated shrimp could make it to your local fishmonger (or my taqueria)? It's extremely unlikely, since all US seafood is subject to fairly rigorous inspections (http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/27/fish.oil.safe/index.html) [7] by food scientists before it can be sold. Martin Reed is the founder of the online sustainable seafood supplier I Love Blue Sea (http://www.ilovebluesea.com/) [8]. "Most people who eat shrimp—they don't know it's coming from a farm abroad where they pump them full of antibiotics," says Reed. "I'd be much more worried about that than eating anything out of the Gulf." (More on imported farmed shrimp below.)

So for now wild Gulf shrimp is still the better choice, but it doesn't come cheap: It's already more expensive than farmed shrimp, and the spill will only drive the price up, likely by about 20 percent says Lance Nacio (http://www.annamarieseafood.com/) [9], a third generation Gulf coast shrimper. Aside from closures, another major reason for the price spike is a shortage of labor: Many Gulf fishermen and shrimpers have been hired by a BP subcontractor (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iSt3jYOe6-mudSCrYUBDCz5O-NeAD9FEAJ7O0) [10] to help clean up the spill. "But the biggest thing now is actually stopping the leak," says Nacio. "Until they stop it, who knows how much we'll have to deal with."

A quick guide to some of the varieties of shrimp you might encounter on a menu:

Imported farmed shrimp: The cheapest and most abundant shrimp on the market. It's also the most environmentally destructive, says Megan Westmeyer, who runs a sustainable seafood program (http://scaquarium.org/SSI/default.html) [11] at the South Carolina Aquarium. Most imported shrimp comes from South and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh mostly), where shrimp farms have replaced the mangrove that once served as a natural barrier between the coastline and the ocean. Shrimp farms are also notoriously dirty: Waste from the farms is often pumped into the ocean, and pesticides and antibiotics are both in heavy use. Sometimes these substances leave the farm with the shrimp. "Very often inspectors find chemicals that are banned for human consumption by FDA on imported shrimp," says Westmeyer.

Wild shrimp: In general, domestic wild shrimp, which accounts for about 10 percent of all shrimp consumed in the US (of that, about 75 percent comes from the Gulf), is considered signifcantly more sustainable than farmed shrimp. Still, it's not perfect: One of the major criticisms of wild shrimping in the US is its high rate of bycatch—other species (like sea turtles and large fish) end up dying in the nets along with the shrimp. Two simple net innovations have dramatically reduced bycatch in recent years: The Turtle Exclusion Device (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/teds.htm) [12] (TEDs), a kind of trap door in the net that allows turtles to swim out, is about 97 percent effective, says Westmeyer. Bycatch Reduction Devices (http://www.seagrantfish.lsu.edu/management/TEDs&BRDs/brds.htm) [13] (BRDs), which allow small fish to swim out through a small hole at the top of a net, are about 20-30 percent effective. The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board is currently working with scientists at Louisiana State University to develop a sustainable shrimp certification program, which "will certainly include a close look at bycatch," says LSU fishery researcher Mark Schexnayder.

Domestic farmed shrimp: Only a very tiny amount of US shrimp comes from domestic farms, though freshwater prawns grown in "closed loop" systems get the Monterey Bay Aquarium's stamp of approval (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=20) [14], and some sustainable farms in Central America seem promising (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/dining/11shrimp.html) [15] as well. Thankfully, environmental regulations in the US prevent people from setting up cheap farms like those abroad, so sustainable shrimp farming is still very expensive. Researchers at South Carolina's Waddell Mariculture Center (http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/mrri/waddell/) [16] are experimenting with environmentally friendly and economically viable shrimp farming models.

Trap-caught shrimp: Larger Pacific shrimp species (most commonly spot prawns (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?fid=190) [17]) are sometimes caught in traps, which pick up significantly less bycatch than nets. Trapping is hard work, though, and these shrimp simply aren't as abundant as the varieties in the Gulf, so they're harder to find and more expensive.

More questions about shrimp and sustainability? Check out this shrimp guide (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=20) [14], courtesy of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program. Wondering whether Gulf oysters are still safe to eat? Read this. (http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/05/oil-spill-oysters-BP-louisiana) [18]

Source URL: http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/05/gulf-shrimp-farmed-oil-spill

(http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/05/oil-spill-oysters-BP-louisiana)

[kdefrisc]

Hey guys,

So I was telling invisibleink earlier that I'm working on my senior project which is about sustainable agriculture, eating locally and seasonally. I did my lit review last quarter, and this quarter I spent making an informational and community based website about my research.

Here's the link to my site: http://web.me.com/kdefrisc/Sustainable_Bytes/Home.html

I would love some feedback if you guys wanted to check it out, maybe write something in the forum I made? Its free and easy and I would love some knowlegable comments in there for when I turn this in!!

Thanks guys :-)

[.invisible ink.]

Hey guys,

So I was telling invisibleink earlier that I'm working on my senior project which is about sustainable agriculture, eating locally and seasonally. I did my lit review last quarter, and this quarter I spent making an informational and community based website about my research.

Here's the link to my site: http://web.me.com/kdefrisc/Sustainable_Bytes/Home.html

I would love some feedback if you guys wanted to check it out, maybe write something in the forum I made? Its free and easy and I would love some knowlegable comments in there for when I turn this in!!

Thanks guys :-)

The site looks really good! i hope it takes off. :)

[.invisible ink.]

Yes!! I'm so stoked to hear Joel Salatin speak for the 2nd time!!! I can't wait.

Joel Salatin will be speaking June 30 at Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro. Free.
His public talk ("Local Food to the Rescue") will be at 7 PM. He will likely be around for another talk (time TBA), tour of their garden at 5:30 and refreshments at 6:30.

[caveBEAR]

Yes!! I'm so stoked to hear Joel Salatin speak for the 2nd time!!! I can't wait.

Joel Salatin will be speaking June 30 at Central Carolina Community College in Pittsboro. Free.
His public talk ("Local Food to the Rescue") will be at 7 PM. He will likely be around for another talk (time TBA), tour of their garden at 5:30 and refreshments at 6:30.


Random question, and I may have already asked it, so please forgive me...

These new 'Throwback' and 'Heritage' sodas that Pepsi is putting out with the real sugar as opposed to HFCS, are they just as bad? Or is the real sugar the way to go if you are going to be a fatass and have sodas? Because I'm a fatass and I love sodas.

I got into an argument today with someone claiming they were 'no different at all' from regular sodas, and I figured of all people, you would know.

Thanks!

(Sorry for using you as a food Wikipedia...you just seem to know waaaaaay more than anyone else around here on the subject)

[.invisible ink.]

Random question, and I may have already asked it, so please forgive me...

These new 'Throwback' and 'Heritage' sodas that Pepsi is putting out with the real sugar as opposed to HFCS, are they just as bad? Or is the real sugar the way to go if you are going to be a fatass and have sodas? Because I'm a fatass and I love sodas.

I got into an argument today with someone claiming they were 'no different at all' from regular sodas, and I figured of all people, you would know.

Thanks!

(Sorry for using you as a food Wikipedia...you just seem to know waaaaaay more than anyone else around here on the subject)

In the big picture, sugar is sugar is sugar and it's all bad for you but if you look a bit closer at HFCS and the recent studies that have come out, you'll see that there is the distinct possibility that HFCS is actually worse for you than table sugar due to how it metabolizes in the liver and causes liver damage. There is nothing "natural" about how HFCS is produced. I personally would suggest staying away from both sucrose ("sugar") and HFCS but if you can't stay away from having the occassional soda, I'd probably go with the one containing real sugar just in case. Just remember, soda isn't just bad for you because of the sugar it contains. There is also evidence that drinking a lot of soda can lead to osteoporosis because of the phosphoric acid contained within it. Also, caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption as well.

If I were you, I'd probably get myself off of the soda in the long run. It's completely empty calories that cause more harm than good. Having a soda once in a while as a treat isn't that bad but to drink it daily is really not something that I would suggest for good health.

I hope that helps and didn't come off too preachy. :)

[.invisible ink.]

This is an interesting blog post in response to the below article: http://markbittman.com/why-whole-foods-shoppers-are-thin-and-alberts#more

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37280972/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/%3EPricey%20grocery%20stores%20attr act%20skinniest%20shoppers%3C/a%3E%20at%20MSNBC%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%3Cb%3ERelated:%3C/b%3E%20%3Ca%20href=
Pricey grocery stores attract skinniest shoppers

Obese customers far more common at low-cost markets; poverty a factor

Only 4 percent of shoppers at high-end Whole Foods Markets were obese, compared with nearly 40 percent of shoppers at Albertsons, a low-price food chain, Seattle researchers said.

By JoNel Aleccia
Health writer
msnbc.com

The percentage of food shoppers who are obese is almost 10 times higher at low-cost grocery stores compared with upscale markets, a small new study shows.
Researchers say the striking findings underscore poverty as a key factor in America’s growing girth.

In the Seattle area, a region with an average obesity rate of about 20 percent, only about 4 percent of shoppers who filled their carts at Whole Foods Market stores were obese, compared with nearly 40 percent of shoppers at lower-priced Albertsons stores.

That’s likely because people willing to pay $6 for a pound of radicchio are more able to afford healthy diets than people stocking up on $1.88 packs of pizza rolls to feed their kids, the study’s lead author suggested.
“If people wanted a diet to be cheap, they went to one supermarket,” said Adam Drewnowski, a University of Washington epidemiology professor who studies obesity and social class. “If they wanted their diet to be healthy, they went to another supermarket and spent more."
The findings held true for the three highest-priced grocery stores in the Seattle region, including Whole Foods, where an average market basket of food cost between $370 and $420, and obesity rates went no higher than about 12 percent.
By contrast, at the area’s three lowest-priced stores, including Albertsons, the same basket of food cost between $225 and $280, and obesity rates went no lower than about 22 percent.

“Deep down, obesity is really an economic issue,” Drewnowski said.

His research team studied 2,001 shoppers in the Seattle area between December 2008 and March 2009, tracking their choice of supermarkets and comparing it with their education, income and obesity rates. They measured obesity by asking consumers to report their height and weight, then calculating body mass index. People with a BMI higher than 30 were identified as obese.
Drewnowski was quick to note that the study focused only on Seattle, which has an obesity rate much lower than the U.S. average of about 34 percent. He doesn’t claim that the same rates would bear out in other cities.

Wealthy shoppers usually thinner
But, he said, it’s likely that similar patterns might be found elsewhere: Wealthier people who shopped at higher-end stores would be thinner, while poorer people who shopped at cheaper stores would be fatter.
It’s not a matter of availability, Drewnowski said. All of the stores in his study stocked a wide range of nutritious food, including plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Instead, he contends it’s because healthy, low-calorie foods cost more money and take more effort to prepare than processed, high-calorie foods. In a separate study two years ago, Drewnowski estimated that a calorie-dense diet cost $3.52 a day compared with $36.32 a day for a low-calorie diet.

“If you have $3 to feed yourself, your choices gravitate toward foods which give you the most calories per dollar,” he has said.
And the shoppers Drewnowski polled went out of their way to choose stores largely based on price or quality. Only about 15 percent of consumers regularly patronized the stores closest to their homes.

Whole Foods officials said they knew their shoppers were healthy, but that the low 4 percent obesity rate was surprising. Libba Letton, a spokeswoman, said the study confirmed their stores’ commitment to helping people achieve diets that support optimum health.
Albertsons officials declined to comment directly on the reported obesity rates at their stores, instead noting in a statement that they promote healthy choices, particularly through their “better-for-you food finder,” a program that tags shelves to identify foods that meet certain dietary needs.

Access to good foods isn't everything
Drewnowski’s study was paid for by a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. It raises sharp questions about an upcoming government effort, called the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, to spend $400 million starting next year to bring supermarkets to low-income areas. Some researchers have suggested that simply making nutritious foods available in so-called “food deserts” is the key.

But Drewnowski’s findings show that it might not be so simple, said Gary D. Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

“We can’t assume that access is sufficient,” Foster said. “Access alone probably won’t do it.”The wide disparity in obesity rates at different stores may be striking, but it isn’t surprising, said Nancy E. Adler, director of the University of California at San Francisco Center for Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment.

“The Albertsons rate is more the population norm,” she said. “The 4 percent is more outside the range.”
Still, the first-ever study of shoppers and the stores they choose is a stark illustration of an obesity divide fueled by poverty, Foster noted.
“What it says is your social economic status is clearly associated with how overweight you are,” he said.

[.invisible ink.]

This is a slightly creepy but interesting article about how scientists are working to create a more realistic fake chicken product:

Monday, Jun. 14, 2010
Tastes Like Chicken: The Quest for Fake Meat

By John Cloud

The desire to eat meat has posed an ethical question ever since humans achieved reliable crop production: Do we really need to kill animals to live? Today, the hunger for meat is also contributing to the climate-change catastrophe. The gases from all those chickens and pigs and cows, and from the manure lagoons that big farms create, are playing a part in global warming. So the idea of fake meat has never been more alluring. What if you could cut into a juicy chicken breast that wasn't chicken at all but rather some indistinguishable imitation made harmlessly from plant life?

This spring, scientists at the University of Missouri announced that after more than a decade of research, they had created the first soy product that not only can be flavored to taste like chicken but also breaks apart in your mouth the way chicken does: not too soft, not too hard, but with that ineffable chew of real flesh. When you pull apart the Missouri invention, it disjoins the way chicken does, with a few random strands of "meat" hanging loosely. (Watch TIME's video "Turning Powder Into Poultry.") (http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,89629092001_1993980,00.html )

The vegetarian world is buzzing about the breakthrough in Missouri. "Along with ham, chicken has always been the holy grail," says Seth Tibbott, 59, the creator of Tofurky and the dean of soy-meat inventors. Tibbott's Oregon-based Turtle Island Foods has become famous for its surprisingly full-flavored fake turkey. But Tibbott says efforts to create a credible fake chicken have foundered because of chicken's unique lean texture and its delicate flavor. ("Turkey has a gamier flavor," he says, "and it's easier to match stronger flavors.") [/URL]

Like his competitors, Tibbott is now investigating whether to buy the Missouri product. A meat analogue that not only looks like chicken but also works in your mouth like chicken has great market potential. According to the Soyfoods Association of North America, a Washington-based trade group, annual sales of soy products totaled $4.1 billion in 2008, up from $300 million in 1992. But $4.1 billion is, to use a food metaphor, just peanuts. Americans spend something like half a trillion dollars on real meat every year. A meaty-tasting alternative that could capture even a tenth of this market would make someone very rich. The University of Missouri team may finally have cracked the code.

For several years, Fu-Hung Hsieh — a biological-engineering professor who, at his previous job at Quaker, figured out how to use glycerin to soften the raisins in the company's granola — had wondered how to solve the fake-chicken problem. The answer was certainly going to be a combination of soy, wheat gluten, oil and water — the building blocks of most fake meats, including Tofurky. But in what combination? And how would you get it to transform from a congealed goo into a believable simulacrum of chicken? Hsieh, a slight man who was born in Taiwan and educated at Syracuse, worked on the problem in a concrete-floored lab with an unlikely partner, Harold Huff, a tall and gruff native Missourian who runs the mechanical parts of Hsieh's lab.

What has confounded fake-meat producers for years is the texture problem. Before an animal is killed, its flesh essentially marinates, for all the years that the animal lives, in the rich biological stew that we call blood: a fecund bath of oxygen, hormones, sugars and plasma. Vegan foods like tofu, tempeh (fermented soy) and seitan (wheat gluten) don't have the benefit of sloshing around in something so complex as blood before they go onto your plate. So how do you create fleshy, muscley texture without blood?
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It's at once harder and easier than it sounds. First, you take a dry mixture of soy-protein powder and wheat flour, add water and dump it into an industrial extruder, which is essentially a gigantic food processor. (You have to climb a ladder to get to the hole at the top.) At first, the mixture looks like cake batter. But as it's run through the gears of the extruder and heated to precisely 346°F (175°C), the batter firms up and forms complex striations. It took Hsieh and Huff many years to get the temperature right, and it also took years to discover how to cool the soy cake very quickly, before it could melt.

All this processing raises a question: Will vegans and other gastronomic purists buy a product that is vegetarian but highly processed? Also, what does it taste like?

On the day I visited their lab, Hsieh and Huff had arrived early along with some of the university's culinary students. The scientists and the students worked together to create three dishes: a barbecue sandwich, a tarragon "chicken" salad and a fajita. The seasoning in all three dishes was unbalanced, and none were very good. But the way the meat broke across my teeth felt exactly how boneless chicken breast does. It was slightly fibrous but not fatty. The soy wasn't mashed together as in a veggie burger; rather, it was more idiosyncratic, uneven, al dente — in other words, meatlike.

Public-health types have long yearned for a credible soy meat because soy is a great source of protein that has significantly less fat and cholesterol than animal meat. But while Missouri's fake chicken has the right consistency, it still has to be flavored — and heavily salted — to taste like meat. That's why the next green-food frontier is real meat grown in vitro — actual flesh that is sliced away not from a living animal but a petri dish and which offers all the taste with none of the livestock slaughtering.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has offered a $1 million prize to anyone who can bring in vitro chicken meat to market by 2012. As with so much of what PETA does, it is largely a publicity stunt: according to Jason Matheny, a vegetarian who runs a venture-capital firm called New Harvest, in vitro meat is "at least five or 10 years away." Meantime, Tibbott and other soy proponents, including the University of Missouri scientists, believe they can bridge the gap by offering realistic fake meats. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll order a chicken fajita at Chili's that is made with soy. You almost certainly won't notice the difference, but the planet will.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65N5I320100624

Nine in 10 Americans eat too much salt: CDC

Thu, Jun 24 2010
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Nine out of 10 Americans eat too much salt with most of them getting more than twice the recommended amount, according to a survey by U.S. government researchers.

They said an estimated 77 percent of dietary sodium comes from processed foods and restaurant foods.

"Sodium has become so pervasive in our food supply that it's difficult for the vast majority of Americans to stay within recommended limits," said Janelle Peralez Gunn, public health analyst with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study of salt consumption.
"Public health professionals, together with food manufacturers, retailers and healthcare providers, must take action now to help support people's efforts to reduce their sodium consumption," Peralez Gunn said in a statement.

The study said most Americans consume 3,466 milligrams of sodium a day, more than twice the recommended limit. Much of the excess sodium comes from foods like pizza, cookies and meats, it said.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. Proposed new guidelines for 2010 would lower that to 1,500 mg.

Eating too much salt can raise blood pressure, which can cause kidney failure and strokes. The Institute of Medicine in February declared high blood pressure a "neglected disease" that costs the U.S. health system $73 billion a year.

According to the CDC survey, grain-based foods account for the biggest proportion of salt in the American diet, providing 36.9 percent of the total average intake of 3,466 milligrams.

That is followed by foods containing meat, chicken and fish, which account for 27.9 percent.

Together, these two categories account for nearly two-thirds of the daily salt intake in the American diet, the team said.

The survey, published in the CDC's weekly report on death and disease, is the latest from government researchers looking at sodium intake in the U.S. diet.

In April, the Institute of Medicine called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the amount of salt added to foods to help Americans cut salt.

The FDA has not decided whether to force food companies to cut the salt but many have taken the hint and begun cutting the salt from their foods voluntarily.