Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

I forwarded a message yesterday to say that the given information seems to 
be grosly inacurate and that USDA as not approved Neotame at all in any 
agricultural system. Organic or otherwise.
But my message promply bounced. Does Snopes have something to say about 
this?
john

Farm Wars
USDA Certified Organic's Dirty Little Secret: Neotame
By Barbara H. Peterson
http://farmwars.info/?p=4897


Just when we thought that buying "Organic" was safe, we run headlong into 
the deliberate poisoning of our organic food supply by the FDA in collusion 
with none other than the folks who brought us Aspartame. NutraSweet, a 
former Monsanto asset, has developed a new and improved version of this 
neurotoxin called Neotame.

   Neotame has similar structure to aspartame - except that, from it's 
structure, appears to be even more toxic than aspartame. This potential 
increase in toxicity will make up for the fact that less will be used in 
diet drinks. Like aspartame, some of the concerns include gradual neurotoxic 
and immunotoxic damage from the combination of the formaldehyde metabolite 
(which is toxic at extremely low doses) and the excitotoxic amino acid. 
(Holisticmed.com)

But surely, this product would be labeled! NOT SO!!! For this little gem, no 
labeling required. And it is even included in USDA Certified Organic food.

   The food labeling requirements required for aspartame have now been 
dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. 
Neotame has been ruled acceptable, and without being included on the list of 
ingredients, for:

       * USDA Certified Organic food items.
       * Certified Kosher products with the official letter k inside the 
circle on labels. (Janet Hull)

Let me make this perfectly clear. Neotame does not have to be included in 
ANY list of ingredients! So, if you buy processed food, whether USDA 
Certified Organic or not, that food most likely will contain Neotame because 
it is cost-effective, and since no one knows it is there, there is no public 
backlash similar to what is happening with Aspartame. A win/win situation!

But that's not all. Just love chowing down on that delicious steak? Well, 
that cow most likely will have been fed with feed containing...you guessed 
it...Neotame! A product called "Sweetos," which is actually composed of 
Neotame, is being substituted for molasses in animal feed.

   "Sweetos is an economical substitute for molasses. Sweetos guarantees 
the masking of unpleasant tastes and odor and improves the palatability of 
feed. This product will be economical for farmers and manufacturers of 
cattle feed. It can also be used in mineral mixture," said Craig Petray, 
CEO, The NutraSweet Company, a division of Searle, which is a part of 
Monsanto. (Bungalow Bill)

Why would we feed animals food that is so distasteful that we would have to 
mask the unpleasantness with an artificial sweetener? Most animals will not 
eat spoiled, rancid feed. They know by the smell that it is not good. Enter 
Sweetos (Neotame). Just cover up the unpleasant tastes and odors, and you 
can feed them anything you want to, courtesy of the oh, so considerate folks 
at Monsanto and company.

But of course, Monsanto is no longer associated with NutraSweet. In the 
time-honored tradition of covering its assets, Monsanto has a proven track 
record of spinning off controversial portions of its company that generate 
too much scrutiny, such as it did with the Solutia solution.

   Says the Farm Industry News, "Monsanto, which has long resided in the 
crosshairs of public scorn and scrutiny, appears to have dodged at least one 
bullet by spinning off its industrial chemical business into a separate 
entity called Solutia a couple of years ago. Solutia has since been hammered 
by lawsuits regarding PCB contamination from what were once called Monsanto 
chemical plants in Alabama and other states" (Source Watch)

So what is the solution to this problem? Buy local organic food, know your 
local farmer, and don't buy processed foods whether they are labeled 
"Organic" or not. This requires a drastic change in lifestyle that most will 
not want to make. For those who choose to ride the wheel of chance by 
succumbing to this genocidal adulteration of our food supply by those who 
stand to profit from our sickness and early demise, my only comment is..it 
is your choice. But for those of us who have decided to fight this battle 
one bite at a time by hitting these sociopaths in the pocketbook where it 
hurts..viva la revolucion!

(C) 2010 Barbara H. Peterson

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