Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Don’t approve GMO apples | CREDO Action

Tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Don’t approve GMO apples | CREDO Action

One Genetically Engineered Apple Spoils the Bunch | The Dr. Oz Show

One Genetically Engineered Apple Spoils the Bunch | The Dr. Oz Show

As of right now, only a few items in the produce aisle are genetically engineered (GE) – some squash, papayas and sweet corn. But pretty soon, we could be seeing GE apples in grocery stores. Since 2003, one company has been testing its GE apples in field trials in New York and Washington – the biggest apple-producing states in the country. And now these apples, engineered not to brown when bruised or sliced, are up for regulatory review by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Bacterial and viral DNA are inserted into these GE fruits called “Arctic” apples. They would be available in Golden Delicious and Granny Smith varieties. They are destined for the fresh-cut apple slice processing and food service businesses, with some of the low-grade Arctic apples going into juice. According to the company’s petition, they “see Arctic apples replacing regular apples at the retail level.” The company also expects to see a $120 million return on Arctic apple varieties within the first 10 years of commercialization.

But this new GE apple isn’t even supported by trade organizations such as the US Apple Association or the Northwest Horticulture Council. Both of these organizations sent USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack a letter in March 2011 urging him not to allow the GE apple in the United States due to the potential marketing harm that would occur to apple growers and marketers. The British Columbia Fruit Growers Association is also concerned about the effects that these GE apples will have on the traditional apple market and on consumer confidence in apples at the grocery store. Even the top sliced apple company is concerned about the food safety ramifications of these Arctic apples that will appear to be fresher than they really are.

Some of the concerns raised by these apples include: Nearby organic or traditional apple orchards may be contaminated with pollen from GE apples. The quality of the apples may be masked by its non-browning appearance and mislead consumers into thinking they are fresher than they really are. Commingling of GE apples at the processing level could lead to contamination of non-GE fruit slices or juice Without a label, consumers may unwittingly purchase and consume Arctic apples.

Are all of the risks really worth it for an apple that resists a minor aesthetic flaw? Millions of research dollars have been put into this product so that fast food and processing companies can let sliced apples sit around in plastic bags for longer.

Although the company claims they will label their apples with an Arctic apple sticker and indication of its “non-browning trait benefit,” there is no requirement for them to do so, and since there is no required labeling of GE products, they will not be responsible for telling the public that their product is genetically engineered.

As the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the bunch. And this could be that apple. Which is why we’re asking the USDA not to approve the GE Arctic apple for commercialization in the United States. Here’s our petition if you’d like to join us.

Added to Nutrition, Food Safety on Fri 08/03/2012

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Monsanto’s Patents on Life


For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Politics and Democracy page and our Millions Against Monsanto page.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a seed patent infringement case that pits a small farmer from Indiana, 75-year old Vernon Hugh Bowman, against biotech goliath Monsanto. Reporters from the New York Times to the Sacramento Bee dissected the legal arguments. They speculated on the odds. They opined on the impact a Monsanto loss might have, not only on genetically modified crops, but on medical research and software.

What most of them didn’t report on is the absurdity – and the danger – of allowing companies to patent living organisms in the first place, and then use those patents to attempt to monopolize world seed and food production. 

The case boils down to this. Monsanto sells its patented genetically engineered (GE) "Roundup Ready" soybean seeds to farmers under a contract that prohibits the farmers from saving the next-generation seeds and replanting them. Farmers like Mr. Bowman who buy Monsanto’s GE seeds are required to buy new seeds every year. For years, Mr. Bowman played by Monsanto’s rules. Then in 2007, he bought an unmarked mix of soybeans from a grain elevator and planted them. Some of the soybeans turned out to have been grown from Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready soybean seeds. Monsanto sued Mr. Bowman, won, and the court ordered the farmer to pay the company $84,000. Mr. Bowman appealed, arguing that he unknowingly bought soybeans grown from Monsanto’s seeds, not the seeds themselves, and that therefore the law of "patent exhaustion" applies. 

The press and public have fixated on the sticky legal details of the case, and the classic David vs. Goliath nature of the fight. But win or lose, Mr. Bowman’s predicament is part of a much bigger problem.

The real issue is this: Why have we surrendered control over something so basic to human survival as seeds? Why have we bought into the biotech industry’s program, which pushes a few monoculture commodity crops, when history and science have proven that seed biodiversity is essential for growing crops capable of surviving severe climate conditions, such as drought and floods? 


Monsanto’s Patents on Life

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Andy Bellatti: What You Don't Know About Processed Food


You've heard of pink slime. You know trans fats arecardiovascular atrocities. You're well aware that store-bought orange juice is essentially a scam. But, no matter how great of a processed-food sleuth you are, chances are you've never set food inside a processing plant to see how many of these products are actually made.
Writer Melanie Warner, whose new behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-world-of-processed-foods book,Pandora's Lunchbox, is out this week, spent the past year and a half doing exactly that. In her quest to explore the murky and convoluted world of soybean oil, milk protein concentrates (a key ingredient in processed cheese), and petroleum-based artificial dyes, she spoke to food scientists, uncovered disturbing regulatory loopholes in food law, and learned just how little we know about many of the food products on supermarket shelves.
After reading Pandora's Lunchbox, I sent Melanie some burning questions via email. Here is what she had to say:
The term "processed food" is ubiquitous these days. The food industry has attempted to co-opt it by claiming canned beans, baby carrots, and frozen vegetables are "processed foods." Can you help explain why a Pop-Tart is years away from a "processed food" like hummus?



Andy Bellatti: What You Don't Know About Processed Food

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Genetic Rouleted

Food Dialogues

Pesticides, Fertilizer & Herbicides

USFRA’s Point of View

  • USFRA's View on Pesticides, Fertilizers & Herbicides

    Insects, weeds and plant diseases are serious threats that can devastate crops. Throughout history, farmers have found ways to manage these threats or see their livelihood – and a lot of food – destroyed.
    Each year farmers face tough management decisions, especially when it comes to the best route to raise a good crop while managing environmental impact and costs. They face this reality from the time the seed goes into the soil through harvest. USFRA supports farmers who employ many different methods for crop protection – from conventional to organic – to enhance yields and avoid crop losses. In addition, USFRA’s Industry Partners include companies that produce some of these products.
    Farmers closely monitor pests, weeds and plant diseases by walking fields, digging into the soil and looking at the plant’s overall health. Insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and seed treatments are all tools to help manage these challenges and provide healthy choices. Furthermore, all farmers want to protect their land and keep their soil healthy because, without good soil, their businesses would be in jeopardy. Precise management of these tools – based on science, education and a commitment to the environment – is essential to a healthy farm.
    Proper use of these tools should not be underestimated. For example, if U.S. farmers did not use pesticides supplies of corn, wheat, and soybeans would decrease 73 percent, trigger price instability, slow U.S. food aid programs to poor countries, and increase worldwide hunger. During the 2012 drought, without proper pesticide use, the insect population would swell, like during the Dust Bowl, and destroy even more crops.
    http://ipm.ncsu.edu/safety/factsheets/pestuse.pdf
    A key component to raising good crops is available nutrients in the soil, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, lime (calcium) and potassium, and farmers closely monitor soil health. Through extensive research, farmers have a better understanding of how to best replenish soil nutrients and increase yields, even now to micronutrients like zinc and manganese. Additionally, there has been extensive university research regarding timing of fertilizer applications for optimum plant uptake and reduced leaching. http://plantsci.missouri.edu/nutrientmanagement/nitrogen/practices.htm
    Farmers use fertilizers to grow high-yielding crops and to take care of the soil, rather than stripping the land of its natural resources. Often man-made fertilizers or manure applications are used to increase nitrogen fertility in the soil, which is a key component for growing corn. To avoid over-applying and efficiently using their resources, nutrient levels are tested.
    Farmers use all components – herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers – with respect to the environment. They carefully follow labels and consider weather patterns that may impact the efficacy or leaching of an application. Further, farmers are incentivized to properly manage these tools because of the cost. Most strive to reduce the “inputs” they use to be more profitable. According to a University of Illinois Extension ag economist, to raise a corn crop in 2011, the average cost per acre was estimated at $832/acre. That number includes land costs, labor, crop protection, fertilizer and seed.
    Due to genetic advancements developed within the plant – like biotech traits – many of these tools are used more efficiently. In many cases, crop protection and fertility applications are used so precisely that application amounts are often reduced. Because of Bt developments in corn, a study assessing the global economic and environmental impacts of biotech crops for the first nine years (1996-2004) of adoption showed that the technology has reduced pesticide spraying by 172 million kg and has reduced environmental footprints associated with pesticide use by 14% http://www.isaaa.org/resources/publications/pocketk/4/default.asp

    Additionally, because of conventional breeding and overall plant health, many crops can withstand plant diseases better than crops in the past. Other innovations, like Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in tractors and spray machines, have greatly increased precision by applying only where needed rather than widespread field applications. Most farmers involved have learned ways to reduce nitrogen use by 50 lbs. per acre or more by using this technology.
    http://www.nitrogennews.com/factsheet-farm-solutions/
    Wholly or partially funded by one or more Checkoff programs.
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Questions & Answers

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How can today's food system meet the growing global demand to produce more food using fewer resources? Learn more and join the conversation. http://www.foodintegrity.org

The Great Debate: Science, Technology and Food

What technologies are farmers and ranchers using to produce food while protecting the environment? Is more research the answer to biotechnology in agriculture? Moderator Michael Specter joined by panelists Daniel M. Dooley, Dr. Bob Goldberg, Eric Holst, Neil Moseley, Tim Nilsen, Katie Pratt, Karen Ross, Richard Smith and Stuart Woolf discussed these questions.

The Atlantic's Third Annual Food Summit Discussion

On May 24, Chris Novak, CEO of the National Pork Board, will speak on behalf of USFRA at The Third Annual Food Summit hosted by The Atlantic in Washington, D.C. Chris Novak will join a wide range of voices for a panel discussion called "Feeding a World at Nine Billion—Sustainably." The panel discussion is part of a broader event that will address food production, consumption, and regulation issues in the food and agriculture sectors.

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Technological advancements aren't only used to boost a farmer's bottomline. Rather, it's part of an over-arching goal each farmer has, which is sustainability and working towards a healthier environment.

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Food Dialogues

Farmyard CSA Phoenix - Buy Fruits and Vegetables from an Organic Farm in Arizona

Farmyard sells organically produced vegetables, herbs, fruits, and fresh eggs grown using organic practices at urban micro-farms located in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Subscriptions are offered in 10-week lots and members receive a weekly basket for those 10 weeks.

Details About Farmyard Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program

Farmyard Website: www.myfarmyard.com

Farmyard Phone: 602-954-1440

Pick up or delivery? Delivery only. Areas within 5 driving miles of 44th Street & Indian School in central Phoenix are free, outside that area there's a delivery charge.

How do you pay? In advance

Farmyard CSA Phoenix - Buy Fruits and Vegetables from an Organic Farm in Arizona