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The GMO labeling campaign
Last night several of us here in Portland feasted at the monthly NW Veg potluck. Afterwards we heard a stirring presentation on genetically modified foods. It's even worse than I feared---not only are we guinea pigs in a completely uncontrolled experiment (ingesting versions of plant DNA that have never existed before) but we are consuming far more pesticides now that the crops are "Round-Up Ready". Farmers used to spray herbicide carefully around the crop plants in an amount that stayed on the soil and was mostly broken down by sunlight. Now that the crop plants are modified to survive the dousing, the field receives 4 times as much Round-Up, enough to soak into the soil and be taken into the tissues of the plant. Chemicals that may break down on the soil surface do not do so in your body. The genetic modification also involves injecting bacteria into the DNA of the plant. These bacteria take up residence in your gut and keep on living, turning your body into a pesticide factory. I could go on. I'm aroused, and I take heart in seeing the intensity of the concern in the group last night and the energy and commitment of the people who spoke to us.
The key to ending this nightmare is a law requiring that genetically modified foods be labeled. Monsanto and the other corporations behind GMO foods fear that labels will cause consumers to avoid their products so they are doing all they can to defeat the labeling effort. The battleground now is California. If we can get GMO labeling required in California, the rest of the country may follow suit.
from Betsy in California
Hi Eve, I know you live in Oregon but you might be interested in the companies that are pouring money into the campaign to defeat the GMO labeling initiative here in California. Please spread the info around so people know what companies are doing to hide the truth.--- Betsy
http://www.naturalnews.com/036834_Kashi_Larabar_boycott.html
from Marianne in Portland
FYI--- http://grist.org/food/these-companies-dont-want-gmos-labeled-in-california/
from Alison in New Hampshire
Hi Eve - You may already have gotten this… but just in case!
Boycott the Organic and 'Natural' Traitor Brands Whose Parent Companies Oppose Your Right to Know
In recent weeks, several public interest groups, including the Organic Consumers Association, Cornucopia Institute, Mercola.com, and Natural News, have pointed out the gross hypocrisy and greed of large food and beverage corporations selling billions of dollars of organic and natural food, while meanwhile bankrolling the industry opposition to GMO labeling. These organic and “natural” traitor companies and brands include:
Kellogg’s---- Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms
General Mills---- Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar
Dean Foods---- Horizon, Silk, White Wave
Smucker’s----R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic
Coca-Cola ----Honest Tea, Odwalla
Safeway---- "O" Organics
Kraft ----Boca Burgers and Back to Nature
Con-Agra ----Orville Redenbacher’s Organic, Hunt’s Organic, Lightlife
and PepsiCo ----Naked Juice, Tostito’s Organic, Tropicana Organic
All of these companies are profiting from the sale of billions of dollars of their proprietary organic and “natural” food brands while at the same time funneling large sums of money to the Monsanto-led campaign to defeat the November 6th GMO labeling ballot initiative (Proposition 37) in California.
We need to send a clear message to these traitor brands, in the only language they understand: lost profits and lower sales. Today, the Organic Consumers Association and Mercola.com are formally calling for a boycott of 7 organic and “natural” brands.
from Christel in Germany
Continuing the conversation about GMO food, Christel in Germany sent a list of GMO-free brands, so now we know what to look for as well as what to avoid:
Maybe a GMO-free brands list could help customers too?
http://nourishedkitchen.com/gmo-free-food/
And then she sent some thoughts on how to engage with the Monsanto "enemy":
Dear Eve,
I thought a little bit about social/political engagement and being a Buddhist practitioner inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh, His Holiness the Dalai Lama,
Bernie Glassman...and Jesus...
Here is an article I found this morning:
"Not Relying on Signs: Wisdom Lessons on Bodhisattva Values from the
Diamond Sutra"
By Jennifer Manlowe
http://www.virginiareviewofasianstudies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/N...
When anger can be embraced and thereby transformed as Thich Nhat Hanh advices us, what about Monsanto?
Could there be a new way in political and social/environmental engagement by just confronting the "enemy" in a kind way?
These are little thoughts of me
Yours
Christel
from Peggy in Portland
Peggy in Portland sent this article on GMO potatoes coming to Ireland, pointing out that it "really is a worldwide challenge."
http://www.facebook.com/l/sAQHZvkpDAQHEpsxfL8FL0YazLv3QKLP0n6dC2s34nGuAc...