Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Douglas Willhite" <drwillhite@earthlink.net>]

ORGANIC BYTES #108
Health, Justice and Sustainability News Tidbits with an Edge!

5/4/2007

Written and edited by Craig Minowa and Ronnie Cummins

IN THIS ISSUE

• ALERT OF THE WEEK: TELL CONGRESS WE WANT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS ON OUR FOOD
• PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK: PET FOOD CONTAMINATION MOVES INTO USA MEAT SUPPLY
• QUICK FACTS OF THE WEEK: MORE REASONS TO BUY LOCAL
• WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK: COMEDY CENTRAL PARODIES THE RBGH CONTROVERSY
• TIP OF THE WEEK: FIVE TOP METHODS TO REDUCE YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT WHEN SHOPPING
• ALERT: IT'S TIME TO PHASE OUT THE POISONOUS PLASTIC PVC

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ALERT OF THE WEEK: TELL CONGRESS WE WANT COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELS ON OUR FOOD Concerns over long distance food transportation (food miles) and global warming, compounded by recent food poisoning scandals, linked to contaminated pet, poultry, and pig food ingredients from China, have taken away many Americans' appetites for cheap imported foods. Shocked at media reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is inspecting approximately one-percent of all imported food, health-minded consumers are demanding that Congress implement mandatory Country of Origin Labels (COOL) labels on food. Federal farm policy theoretically requires Country of Origin Labeling for food. Reacting to polls indicating that 80% of American consumers want to know where their food is coming from, Congress incorporated COOL into the 2002 Farm Bill. COOL was supposed to go into effect in September 2004. Unfortunately, corporate agribusiness, Wal-Mart, and the supermarket chains bribed an ethically-impaired Congress with millions of dollars to block implementation of COOL labels. As a result, Americans are buying billions of dollars of imported foods without knowing it. In order to promote health and sustainability, and to save North American family farms, we need to restore our right to know where our food is coming from. Tell Congress we want Country of Origin Labels for both conventional and organic food, and we want it now:http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/cool.htm

 

PRODUCT PLUNDER OF THE WEEK: PET FOOD CONTAMINATION MOVES INTO USA MEAT SUPPLY The pet food poisoning scandal that has prompted the largest recall of pet foods in history has spread into the livestock and meat sector. This week, the USDA admitted that the contaminated food ingredients that have killed thousands of pets across the U.S. were also used to feed hogs and chickens that have already been processed and eaten by several million Americans. Over three million chickens and pigs have consumed the tainted food. Although there have been no government studies done on the toxicity of this contamination, the FDA claims the risk is low. It’s important to note that organic animal feed was not contaminated in this latest incident, underlining the obvious point that pet owners and meat eaters should give preference to safer, more nutritious organic products (find organic pet foods here). Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5017.cfm

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QUICK FACTS OF THE WEEK: MORE REASONS TO BUY LOCAL Each year, the average American consumes 260 pounds of imported food. 98.7% of foods imported into the U.S. are NOT inspected by the FDA for safety. Of the scant 1.3% of imported foods the FDA tests, over 200 shipments of grains, fish, vegetables, nuts, spice, oils and other imported foods are detained each month for issues ranging from filth to unsafe food coloring to contamination with pesticides to salmonella. The other 98.7% of untested food is immediately green-lighted for the American diet. The U.S. imports almost twice as much food today as it did just ten years ago, yet the FDA's budget for testing imports has been cut nearly in half since 2000. Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4897.cfm

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WEB VIDEO OF THE WEEK: COMEDY CENTRAL PARODIES THE RBGH CONTROVERSY Comedy Central's Colbert Report takes a hilarious look at the rBGH controversy. Although the synthetic hormone has been banned in most nations, due to its links to endocrine disruption and cancer, it is still widely used in the U.S.. Monsanto recently filed a formal complaint with the FDA demanding that dairies that have banned the use of rBGH should not be able to label their products as "rBGH-free." Learn more at OCA's "Millions Against Monsanto" campaign and watch the short Colbert web video here (Note: Mr. Colbert's humor is irreverent and for adult audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.): http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/

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TIP OF THE WEEK: FIVE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT WHEN SHOPPING This month's issue of E Magazine includes interviews with leading advocates for ecological shopping, including OCA's Environmental Scientist Craig Minowa. Here are five quick tips for becoming a green shopper: Switch to environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. The use of conventional cleaners exposes your family and our environment to some very nasty toxic chemicals. If you buy only one or two organic items, make them milk and meat. Most conventional milk and meat are produced on factory farms that feed their animals massive amounts of pesticide and fossil-fuel intensive conventional corn, at the same time creating massive manure lagoons that contaminate local ground water. Be as conscious about the packaging as you are about the product. The production and disposal of packaging takes a heavy environmental toll. You can eliminate 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year by simply reducing your waste by 10%. While you're at it, bring your own shopping bags. Buy local and regional, or at least USA-grown, whenever possible, to reduce energy and pollution from long transportation. But of course some products are not produced in the US.. For overseas products, look for the organic and Fair Trade label. Buy in bulk. If you regularly buy a certain product, consider buying it in bulk. It usually has less packaging, is more affordable, and requires fewer trips to the store. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_5006.cfm