Diets other than Robert's Archives

Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.

Friends,

Just a reminder that one can no longer get excellent nutrition without being political. To think, this guy is gonna get re-elected!

Walt

Comments?
Misty L. Trepke
http://www.searching-alternatives.com

ACTION ALERT: Bush Administration moving to allow corporate
takeover of organics!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/sos.cfm#action

Over the past few weeks America's organic standards have once again
come under heavy attack. First the USDA's National Organic Program
(NOP) announced on April 14 that they would no longer monitor or
police "organic" labels on non-agricultural products, literally
opening the door for unscrupulous companies to put bogus organic
labels on products such as fish, body care products, pet foods,
fertilizer, and clothing.

In the case of seafood and body care products, the marketplace is
already starting to become flooded with products bearing the organic
label, even though the production methods (industrial fish farms) or
content ("organic" shampoos with organic claims based upon added
water) in many of these products violate traditional organic
principles. Besides giving the green light to bogus organic labels
the new USDA "scope policy" penalizes genuine organic companies that
have begun sourcing, certifying, and labeling their products as
organic.

Corporate agribusiness and the biotech lobby have apparently decided
that strict organic farming practices and the booming organic market
constitute a threat to their bottom line, and have called on their
friends in the Bush administration USDA to degrade organic standards
and prepare for a restructuring of organic production so as to
facilitate the use of industrial agriculture practices such as
pesticides, antibiotics, non-organic feed, growth hormones and even
genetically engineered animal drugs.
(For more info on corporate agribusiness control of U.S. government,
click here)

USDA's NOP announced on April 28 controversial new
directives/guidance statements on national organic standards
including:

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"Organic" Crops Raised with Pesticides?
The USDA has now stated that as long as the farmer and the organic
certifier don't know the specific ingredients of the pesticides
applied to the "organic" plants, the crops can be sold as "organic".
To make matters worse, it is not required by law for pesticide
companies to list the ingredients on their products (it's considered
proprietary information), so the farmers rarely know what the
specific ingredients are.
(Read full USDA pesticide statement here)

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"Organic" Dairy Cows Injected with Antibiotics and Synthetic
Hormones?
The USDA has announced that individual cows can be treated with any
kind of drug at any time, including synthetic growth hormones, but
milk can only be sold from that cow 12 months after that treatment.
The problem with this directive is that it opens up the door for
split operation factory style dairy farms, whereby organic and non-
organic dairy operations are carried out simultaneously, and
hundreds if not thousands of "organic" dairy cows are kept in
intensive confinement. Not only are industrial sized dairy farms bad
for the environment, but they inevitably give rise to sick cows who
have to be treated with drugs. Of course many of these drugs build
up in the body fat and are released in the milk and meat from these
animals.. If this new directive is allowed to stand, organic milk
could potentially contain residues of drugs and hormones.
(Read full USDA dairy statement here)

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Mercury and PCBs Allowed in "Organic" Beef?
The USDA also stated on April 28 that non-organic fishmeal can be
fed to cattle and the beef can still be sold as "organic". Fishmeal
is used as a protein supplement on conventional cattle ranches, but
it frequently contains mercury, PCBs and other synthetic chemicals.
Mercury and PCBs are "bioacculmulators" meaning they are
concentrated and stored in the "meat" of the animal.
(Read full USDA livestock feed statement here)

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The OCA is working hard to stop the degradation of organic standards
by the USDA and head-off the takeover of the organic market by
corporate agribusiness and biotech interests. We are now launching a
national campaign called SOS--Safeguard Organic Standards, to make
sure that strict organic standards are maintained and that organic
monitoring, certification, and policing extends to the full range of
consumer products, including body care, clothing, pet food,
fertilizer, and other items. But to Safeguard Organic Standards we
need your donations and we need your grassroots volunteer energy.
Join us, and ask your friends, family, and neighbors to do the same.
Please make a tax deductible online donation today!

or mail donation to Organic Consumers Association
6101 Cliff Estate Rd, Little Marais, MN 55614
E-mail:Staff · 218-226-4164

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Sign OCA's Petition and CALL
Anne Veneman - USDA Secretary of Agriculture
Phone: (202-720-3631) Fax:(202-720-2166)

Richard Matthews - National Organic Program
Phone: (202-720-3252) Fax:(202-205-7808)

Re: Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.

Re: Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.

Re: Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.

Re: Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.

Re: Nutrition by politics--not by science. Archive.