[cgfc-discuss] [Biodemocracy]Organic Bytes #23

Mon Nov 24 12:46:08 CST 2003

ORGANIC BYTES #23
Organic & Food News Tidbits with an Edge
Issue #23 11/24/2003 By Organic Consumers Association

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs - ask yourself what makes you
come alive,  and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people
who have come  alive." -- Harold Thurman Whitman

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WHAT BUSH WANTS, BUSH GETS
The Bush Administration and biotech industry won a significant GE battle
this week. After a five year moratorium on genetically engineered (GE)
foods, the European Union has caved in to pressure from the US and has
now conceded that it will lift the ban and approve GE sweetcorn. This
resignation of food safety standards falls on the heels of New Zealand's
cancellation of a two year moratorium on GE crop trials, which happened
just two weeks ago. http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/corn111803.cfm

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FLYING SCARECROWS
It's becoming increasingly common in California for vineyards to
practice innovative and ecological methods of controlling pests. One
such problem is that of birds who descend on the crops when the grapes
are fully ripe, gobbling up as much as 10% of the profits. In the past,
vineyards have tried everything from poison to shotguns, but an age-old
solution has been rediscovered: falcons. Dan Connors, the manager of
Robert Mondavi's Cuesta Ridge vineyards, says the object isn't to kill
the invading birds, but just to scare them off. Trained falconers bring
the birds out in the morning and set the falcons free. "The falcon
climbs to about 1,500 feet.-. The falcon then dives. As soon as the
birds see the falcon, they're out of there," said Connors. A single
falcon can cover 500 acres and scare off thousands of birds.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/falcons110203.cfm

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YOU'RE BEING WATCHED
According to a recent Chicago Sun Times investigative feature, Wal-Mart
and Procter and Gamble (P&G) have been found to be concealing high tech
tracking devices in their consumer products and hiding cameras in store
displays. The tracking devices, known as Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID), can be as small as a grain of sand, and, so far, they have been
detected in P&Gs Lipfinity products at Wal-Mart, as well as in Gillette
razors and Benetton clothes. The electromagnetic tracking devices can be
read through clothes and walls. P&G admits this was just a trial-run of
tracking devices it would ultimately like to use in all
products---serving as "the barcode of the future," and "strictly for
marketing research." Katherine Albrecht, the Director of Consumers
Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering, said, "This trial is
a perfect illustration of how easy it is to set up a secret RFID
infrastructure and use it to spy on people." In addition to the "spy
chips", hidden cameras were also discovered in store displays, allowing
P&G to watch shoppers from hundreds of miles away. Wal-Mart does not
deny having prior knowledge of the hidden cameras and tracking devices,
given the fact that their employees set up those very same displays.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/rfid111303.cfm

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BRONNER'S DONATING 10% OF WEB SALES TO OCA
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has committed to donating 10% of all web sales
in November and December to the Organic Consumers Association. Bronner's
recently won Co-op America's prestigious 2003 Green Business Award for
leadership in advancing the Green business movement. The 50 year old
natural soap and body care product company was selected from 2,200 Green
businesses for its dedication to the environment, social rights, and the
community.  
Click here to shop:
http://www.drbronner.com/store/merchant.mvc?Action=LOGO&Screen=SFNT

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THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF JUST ONE MAD COW
A single case of Mad Cow Disease, which surfaced only six months ago,
has cost Canada's meat industry over $2.5 billion (US). Mad Cow Disease
has been linked to the potentially fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob brain wasting
disease in humans, and only seems to surface in densely overpopulated
cattle feedlots. During a Mad Cow Disease epidemic in the UK, over 100
people contracted and died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which nearly
brought the British beef industry to its knees. As a result, discoveries
of new cases of the disease now mandate the implementation of highly
expensive quarantine procedures, including limiting exports, in order to
halt the spread. Canada's multi-billion dollar losses include downsizing
of herds, quarantine costs, relocation of farms neighboring the sector
of the Mad Cow case, and export impacts.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/canada111603.cfm

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3 SENTENCES ABOUT THE ORGANIC BEEF MOO-VEMENT 
The organic beef market is exploding. Ignited by consumer concerns over
Mad Cow Disease, meat irradiation, antibiotics and synthetic hormones,
the beef industry is currently witnessing a massive market shift towards
organic meat. Texas ranchers are responding to the nationwide increased
demand for organic beef, converting vast acreages of conventional
ranches into organic production. This has launched the state from #12
most organic acreage in the US to #2 (Colorado is #1, with nearly
600,000 organic acres in production).
http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/texas111603.cfm

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MORE GOOD NEWS
Wisconsin is also currently demonstrating how to raise cattle
sustainably, healthily and profitably. Recent statistics show the state
now produces 22% of the nation's organic milk and ranks second in the US
for acres of organic hay and silage. While conventional dairy farmers
have been struggling with heavily fluctuating dairy prices, organic
dairy farmers have been enjoying the quick growth of the organic dairy
market. As an example of this blossoming sect of the economy, Organic
Valley, a Wisconsin based co-op of  organic  farmers, watched their
sales grow by more than 1,200 percent between 1995 and 2002.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/wisc111603.cfm

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QUICK RELATED RESOURCES
--Search OCA's online database of rBGH-free dairy, Farmers Markets, CSAs
and organic food http://www.organicconsumers.org/purelink.html
--For an entertaining and educational Flash video about factory farming
check out: http://www.themeatrix.com

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VATICAN TO TAKE STANCE ON GE FOODS
The Vatican has invited 67 scientists and plant experts to Rome to speak
about the benefits and drawbacks of genetically engineered food crops.
Upon closure of this exclusive conference, the Vatican is expected to
take a formal stance on the issue, which ultimately represents the
viewpoint of the Catholic Church. On that level, the outcome of the
conference, organized by the pro-biotech Cardinal Renato Martino, could
have massive political ramifications. Many priests who oppose biotech
have already shared their concerns over the fact that the majority of
experts consulting the Vatican on the topic are pro-biotech. The final
decision is likely to be heavily influenced by the biotech claim that GE
seed global proliferation could ease world hunger. 
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/vatican111303.cfm

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CAN GE FOODS EASE WORLD HUNGER?
In the New York Times, Dr. Charles Benbrook says, "The first generation
of genetically modified food crops - corn and soybean seeds - were
created to make pest management simpler on America's large, mechanized
farms. The technologies would be far less effective on African farms,
which are small and diversified and rely largely on human labor." Adding
to that sentiment, a recent Reuters article points out that GE crops
need nearly ideal growing conditions, something the arid and
drought-ridden climes of Africa simply cannot provide- not to mention
the fact that impoverished African farmers can't even afford GE seeds,
which typically cost 35% more than traditional seeds. 
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/africa111103.cfm
http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/071403_ge_africa.cfm

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CLONED YUMMY NUMMIES - IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER
The FDA has vowed it will release a foods risk assessment of food
products from cloned animals within the next six weeks. The assessment
will be developed from the input of the FDA's Veterinary Medicine
Advisory Committee and will then be made available for public comment.
FDA committee scientists are complaining that there is far too little
data available to make a judgment either way. The cost of cloning is
such that only a small handful of large companies are able to afford it.
These same companies say much of their research data is proprietary.
Complicating matters, there are very few comprehensive public sector
studies focused on food safety, relating to cloned animal byproducts.
"Most of the data presented this week was based on the result of one
company's work," said pathobiologist Jack Sherman, speaking about the
committee's most recent meeting. "There's no evidence yet to base a
go/no-go decision." Stay tuned.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/clonedmeat111303.cfm

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TAKE ACTION
If any of the issues above spark your desire to take action, please
visit OCA's Action Center for instant faxes, petitions, volunteering and
donation opportunities. http://www.organicconsumers.org/action.htm

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FOR MANY MORE FOOD ISSUE DAILY HEADLINES: 
http://www.organicconsumers.org/log.html

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