[.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.



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.
Siddiqui’s confirmation hearing is set for next week. Please help us reach our goal of 50,000 signatures to make a real impact.


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.



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/po..._agricult.html


2. Another Monsanto man in a key USDA post?, Grist, September 24, 2009
http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09...santo-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-..._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...iqui-croplife/


5. Michelle’s green garden upsets pesticide makers, The First Post, April 23, 2009
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/47131,...sticide-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/di...d089423d2791bf

[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_agric...-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/op...llan.html?_r=2

We Are What We Eat: http://www.ecoliteracy.org/publicati...el-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/far...msubsidies.asp




When Cocaine and Monsanto's Pesticide Collide, the War on Drugs Becomes a Genetically-Modified War on Science
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter...ar_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:

Clarence Thomas

Prior to being the Supreme Court Judge who put GW Bush in office, Clarence Thomas was Monsanto's lawyer.
Anne Veneman

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

Donald Rumsfeld

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

Tommy Thompson

Former US Secretary of Health,Tommy Thompson, received $50,000 in donations from Monsanto during his winning campaign for Wisconsin's governor.
John Ashcroft

The 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/s...&name=Monsanto

Obama Caves to Agribusiness: http://www.organicconsumers.org/arti...icle_19325.cfm

[Machu505]

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

[.invisible ink.]

Originally Posted by Machu505

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.]

Originally Posted by neo506

thanks for this thread

Originally Posted by &IllBeTheReason

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 owns and operates Kraft, 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]

Originally Posted by .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.

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.