permaculture

["Mary Smith" <maryshaeffer@comcast.net>]

If we want to kill GMOs in the US, then two things have to happen; we need
to get a GMO Labeling Bill passed at the Federal level AND we, The People,
need to stop supporting GMOs by using our $s to buy Non GMO foods. Every
dollar spent this way is 2 $s not spent supporting this industry. 

Since we cannot verify that organics are free of GMOs, the only real way to
avoid them is to avoid foods that contain GMOs or their constituents. This
means avoiding processed foods for the most part since most processed foods,
organic or otherwise, contain corn or soy derivatives and, as almost 90% of
US corn and soy crops are GMOs, you can be pretty sure you are consuming
them if you are consuming foods that contain these grains or their
constituents. Cottonseed and canola oil are also culprits and used in most
processed foods (including almost all fast foods). 

So, stop buying processed foods, conventional or organic. Instead, locate
your local food growers and contract with them directly. Join a CSA, do
business with a farm down the road that raises free range egg chickens and
doesn't feed them corn or soy feed. Find a rancher who free ranges his
cattle, pigs and chickens and buy from him directly. He'll know a butcher
that can process the meat for you. By supporting these businesses, we will
encourage more of these types of enterprises. 

Until enough Americans begin to change the way they purchase and consume
food, GMOs and the corporations that profit from them will control our food
system. 

Albert Einstein once said "you can't solve a problem using the same logic
that created it". Looking toward the USDA and FDA to protect us from this
onslaught is insanity. Remember, these are regulatory agencies whose
function is to regulate harm. But harm is still accepted. 

We the people need to stand up and demand no harm be done. And the only way
we have available to us right now is to get our $s behind those enterprises
that take the same stand. The more of these we can support with our $s, the
more of them there will be and the less power these corporations will have
in our lives. 

It's time to change our paradigm. Convenience has bought us very little and
has given us too much of a bad thing. Start eating at home. Cook your own
food sourced from local growers committed to wholesome, healthy, organic
food. 

Be The Change. 

Mary Shaeffer Smith
maryshaeffer@comcast.net
303-919-6314

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:permaculture-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of sals3
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 10:21 AM
To: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
Cc: Organic Gardening Discussion List; permaculture
Subject: [permaculture] I think this means that the customer is being liedto
by the USDA when they say orgainic means no GMOs in organic

to keep this going I would like to say that the customer may be getting GMOs

in food marked Organic and the USDA is lying to them.

I feel the USDA is not doing enough to keep their  word and keep GMOs out of

organic thus giving folks a choice . There is no choice thanks to the USDA 
releasing GMOs.  to me this means there is no way to keep GMO away from 
Organic and the NOP is not helping  us ,they are going along with the big 
lie.  instead of standing up to the USDA and  telling them they by releasing

these new GMOs are really going to hurt the organic name. maybe kill it. 
but noooo they instead are deceiving  the customers and even if the organic 
food is tested and GMO are found they are still called organic.  Is it just 
me.  do any of you have any confidence in the word organic .  do you think 
is you eat organic you can not partake of the lab made DNA engineered food. 
Folks like me that want to be real organic for the customer , so the 
customer can have a confidence in our product .   Thanks USDA for taking 
over organic and killing it off by releasing GMO that take over the natural 
food and turn it into a GMO . How does the organic avoid contact with 
GMOs-that's the part I don't understand.  so even if this guy is right about

GMO make a new pathogen that is harmful to mankind . we have no choice.



THIS IS THE Regulation that the USDA NOP says that is keeping  Organic GMO 
FREE

anyone want to read it because maybe I am missing something.

NOP regulations expressly prohibit the use of GMOs in organic production and

handling, defining it as an "excluded method" (7 CFR 205.105). Excluded 
methods include:

A variety of methods to genetically modify organisms or influence their 
growth and development by means that are not possible under natural 
conditions or processes and are not considered compatible with organic 
production.  Such methods include cell fusion, microencapsulation and 
macroencapsulation, and recombinant DNA technology (including gene deletion,

gene doubling, introducing a foreign gene, and changing the positions of 
genes when achieved by recombinant DNA technology).  Such methods do not 
include the use of traditional breeding, conjugation, fermentation, 
hybridization, in vitro fertilization, or tissue culture. (7 CFR § 
205.2-Terms defined)

Compliance with the organic standards entails that operations have 
verifiable practices in place to avoid contact with GMOs. Since organic 
certification is process-based, presence of detectable GMO residues alone 
does not necessarily constitute a violation of the regulation.

The NOP relies on organic certifiers and producers to determine preventative

practices that would most effectively prevent contact with GMOs on an 
organic operation. The policy memo addresses frequently asked questions and 
will be incorporated in the next update of the NOP Program Handbook, 
scheduled for publication in the spring of 2011

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