Friday, October 3, 2014

GMO NEWS AROUND THE GLOBE 10-3-2014

eNews Park Forest - ‎16 hours ago‎




“California has taken an important step to protect its native salmon and trout stocks. Genetically engineered salmon pose a serious risk to our waterways and our native fish populations,” said Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director of CFS.
Center for Research on Globalization - ‎38 minutes ago‎




The Chinese used to be quite confident that their hay was GMO free, but all that is about to change. Hay exported to the country from the U.S.
Reuters - ‎18 hours ago‎




The unapproved wheat was also found this summer in Montana, growing in a research plot where field trials of the GMO wheat were conducted from 2000 to 2003.
Forex Magnates - ‎2 hours ago‎




Japanese origin FX broker, GMO CLICK Securities (GMO), has been granted authorisation under the homage of Britain's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
RFD-TV - ‎Oct 2, 2014‎




NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) The USDA and Monsanto both say the discovery of a strain of GMO wheat in a research plot appears to be an isolated incident.

Statesman Journal - ‎20 hours ago‎




If Oregonians pass Measure 92 this November, food companies would need to include the words "Genetically Engineered" on the packaging of foods produced with GMO ingredients starting in 2016. Raw food, like apples or potatoes, that aren't usually ...

Newsweek - ‎Oct 2, 2014‎




GMOs are despised for a number of reasons. Some are factually based (increasing pesticide resistance in GMOs does indeed increase pesticide use); others are just phobic (a piece of corn with fish genes in it won't taste like fish).

Care2.com - ‎20 hours ago‎




Monsanto announced this week that it is opening a new facility in Mexico to research and develop new genetically modified versions of corn.
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Thursday, October 2, 2014

GMO ROUND-UP - ITEMS IN THE NEWS

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The Oregonian - OregonLive.com - ‎19 hours ago‎




Scott Bates, co-sponsor of Oregon's Measure 92, the GMO labeling initiative, addressed a pro-labeling rally in Salem recently.

Grist - ‎14 hours ago‎




This election season, there are initiatives on the ballot in Colorado and Oregon to label foods made with the help of genetic engineering, and there are legislative efforts to do the same in dozens of other states.

KUNC - ‎Oct 1, 2014‎




Voters in Colorado will decide whether or not they want the state to require labels on foods containing genetically modified ingredients, or GMOs. The 2014 ballot measure highlights a much larger national conversation about the safety and prevalence of ...
RFD-TV - ‎57 minutes ago‎




NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) The USDA and Monsanto both say the discovery of a strain of GMO wheat in a research plot appears to be an isolated incident.
Mountain Xpress - ‎19 hours ago‎




To that, Seifert offered this: “It is they, the giant multinational corporations, determining what kind of seeds [farmers] will grow, and this started before GMO, it started with hybridization of crops and the conglomeration of seed companies from ...

NewsDay - ‎11 hours ago‎




DESPITE the government's seemingly hard stance on the consumption of genetically modified foods (GMOs), Zimbabweans continue to consume them as the country's agro-based industries are performing way below par, an economist has said.
Vancouver Courier - ‎14 hours ago‎




As a food policy nerd, I'm delighted to see the issue of genetically engineered foods, or GMOs, making its way onto the platforms of both the Vancouver Greens and COPE.
Inside Costa Rica - ‎22 hours ago‎




October 1st, 2014 (La Voz) The majority of farms using genetically modified cotton, corn and soy seeds, also known as GMOs, are located in Guanacaste, in the areas around Cañas, Las Juntas and Liberia, according to a map produced by the State ...

TheDay.com - ‎11 hours ago‎




But they worry that Monsanto is using the nature center to make the company look better on environmental issues than it actually is - which is a hallmark of greenwashing, employed most infamously by British Petroleum after the Deepwater Horizon oil ...
Maui News - ‎8 hours ago‎




Monsanto science education grant applications available. Mon, October 6, 2014. Applications are now being accepted for the Monsanto Hawaii Science Education Fund. This grant program is open to public schools serving students at the intermediate school, ...
MarketWatch - ‎17 hours ago‎




ST. LOUIS, Oct 01, 2014 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Monsanto Company MON, -1.54% announced it will issue the company's financial results for its fiscal 2014 fourth quarter and full year on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014, prior to market open.
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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

PROPOSED 2,4-D GMO PESTICIDE-RESISTANT CROPS - REQUIRE 13 TIMES MORE SPRAYING - LA TIMES: NO!

Weed Killer
Editorial

Escalating the weed wars


contact the reporter

OpinionEditorialsU.S. Department of AgricultureEnvironmental Politics

The way to deal with so-called superweeds isn't by escalating the arms race against them
Monsanto is developing a new generation of herbicide-resistant crops able to withstand a third weed killer.

 When crops were first introduced that had been engineered to withstand the herbicide glyphosate — better known by the trade name Roundup — the agricultural industry said it would confer a terrific environmental advantage. Glyphosate is a relatively benign herbicide, after all, and the industry claimed it would be able to use less of it to get rid of weeds, without harming the corn or soy.


At first, farmers did spray less glyphosate. But resistant versions of the weeds soon cropped up. That meant heavier, repeated spraying, which in turn meant more resistant weeds.
No problem, agribusiness said. We'll just make new crops genetically engineered to resist other herbicides.
But that's not a solution. Just as the nation must stop overusing antibiotics if it hopes to slow the emergence of resistant infections, it must do the same with herbicides and genetically modified crops. The way to deal with so-called superweeds isn't by escalating the arms race against them.


A new generation of herbicide-resistant crops is wending its way through the federal approval process. A division of Dow Chemical recently won the approval of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for corn and soy that have been bioengineered to withstand spraying with both glyphosate and 2,4-D, a more toxic weed-killer that some critics say is dangerous to the environment and to people. Why both? About 18 weeds have developed resistance to 2,4-D over the more than 50 years it has been in use. So the idea is to use both herbicides, with each one eradicating the weeds that the other one can't.


But first, the Environmental Protection Agency would have to approve the special blending of the two herbicides developed by Dow. Called Enlist Duo, the mix has been formulated not to drift over large areas as 2,4-D commonly does. It would thus reduce the risk of killing crops miles away. According to USDA estimates, the introduction of the new crops would mean the spraying of five to 13 times as much 2,4-D by the year 2020.
Meanwhile, Monsanto, the developer of Roundup Ready corn, is developing its own new generation of herbicide-resistant crops able to withstand a third weed killer.


The USDA considers only whether the genetically engineered seeds represent a hazard to other crops; the EPA is responsible for overseeing the safety of herbicides used in agriculture. No agency looks at the bigger policy question of whether the nation is embarking on a potentially dangerous path toward creating ever-more-resistant weeds and spraying them and crops with larger and larger doses of stronger herbicides. That question should be answered before the country escalates the war out in the fields.

Source:  http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-gmo-food-20140930-story.html
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Monday, September 29, 2014

ILLEGAL, UNAPPROVED GMO WHEAT FOUND - AGAIN: GLUTEN INTOLERANCE STILL A MYSTERY?

'Failed Policy' That Threatens Farmers: Watchdog

USDA says genetically engineered wheat discovered on Montana farm
by
Andrea Germanos, staff writer
"Coexistence between genetically engineered and non-genetically engineered crops is a failed policy that fundamentally cannot work," stated Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety. (Photo:  luke chan/flickr/cc)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday revealed that it was opening an investigation into the appearance of unapproved genetically engineered wheat in Montana.
It marks the second time the USDA is issuing notice of a discovery of rogue genetically engineered (or GMO) wheat. There is no commercially-approved GMO wheat.
According to a statement issued by the USDA, the discovery of the Roundup-resistant GMO wheat was made in July at Montana State University’s Southern Agricultural Research Center (SARC) in Huntley, Montana. That location was the site of Monsanto-led GMO wheat trials, approved by the USDA, from 2000 to 2003.
The agency stated that the GMO wheat found at the Montana site is different from the rogue GMO wheat spotted in 2013 on an 80-acre Oregon farm which was not the site of trial tests. That discovery sparked international backlash, with Japan and South Korea suspending some imports of U.S. wheat and the European Union calling for more testing of U.S. wheat. It also sparked a class action lawsuit by U.S. wheat farmers against Monsanto, charging that the GMO wheat finding caused them economic damage.
In the same announcement issued Friday, the USDA states that it is ending the investigation into the Oregon GMO wheat discovery, stating that it "appears to be an isolated incident," and that the Oregon wheat is "significantly different" from the Montana wheat.
It states that there is no evidence that there is now GMO wheat in commerce and that it is unclear how the GMO wheat ended up on the Oregon farm.
Watchdog group Center for Food Safety, however, charges that the new discovery poses a threat to farmers and should be a call to stop open-air field trials.
"Once again, USDA and the biotech industry have put farmers and the food supply at risk," Andrew Kimbrell, executive director for Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. "Coexistence between genetically engineered and non-genetically engineered crops is a failed policy that fundamentally cannot work. Genetic contamination is a serious threat to farmers across the country."
"USDA cannot keep treating these as isolated incidents; contamination is the inevitable outcome of GMO crop technology," he added. "USDA should, at a minimum, immediately place a moratorium on open-air field testing of genetically engineered crops."
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
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Sunday, September 28, 2014

TELLPRESIDENT OBAMA: NO AGENT ORANGE 2,4-d CROPS AND NO MORE ROUNDUP CROPS!!!!! BEFORE THE EPA APPROVES THEM!

 
 
Tell President Obama to stop the new 2,4-D and Roundup crops. Click here.
As you may know, the USDA made the crazy and  horrific decision to allow Agent Orange crops to be planted. These corn and soy plants produced by Dow Chemical Company are engineered to be sprayed with 2,4-D herbicide, a component of Agent Orange. Exposure to the chemical 2,4-D is linked to an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, thyroid & reproductive problems, Parkinson’s disease and neurological damage.
The EPA has yet to approve crops that are tolerant to both Roundup and 2,4-D, known as “Enlist Duo,” and Dr. Oz had the brilliant idea of using Obama's petition site to get his attention in this last ditch attempt effort to protect the population. In an unprecedented move, he announced on TV that he is starting this petition and urged Americans to sign asking Obama to block this approval.
To-date, there are 48,487 signatures already and when it reaches 100,000, Obama is forced to replay. Let's make it a million!
We should be outraged at this decision made by the USDA and should block these crops. Furthermore, this petition appropriately puts the President in the center of the controversy, as it is his FDA, USDA and EPA agencies that are allowing this very dangerous precedent. Ultimately he is in charge. Let’s' demand that he do the right thing.
Irrespective of how you feel about Dr. Oz's positions in other areas, this is could prove to be the brilliant stroke needed to protect us all. I hope you will sign along with me.
Safe Eating Begins with Informed Eating,
Jeffrey Smith and the small but mighty IRT team!
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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

DR OZ WARNING ON NEWLY APPROVED DEADLY "ENLIST DUO" GMO 2,4-D AGENT ORANGE "FOOD" CROP SERIES

Dr Oz: Risky new GMO pesticide Enlist Duo; alcoholism after weight loss surgery

September 22, 2014
Dr. Mehmet Oz discussed a dangerous new GMO pesticide and warned against alcoholism among people who get gastric bypass weight loss surgery on the Sept. 22 episode of the Dr. Oz Show.

Dr. Oz said the Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge of approving Enlist Duo, a new pesticide that has been linked to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer.

The Department of Agriculture recently approved Dow Chemical's "Enlist" corn and soybean seeds for commercial cultivation.

Dow's Enlist seeds are GMOs (genetically modified organisms), which are genetically engineered seeds that have been bred to be more resistant to insects and cheaper to produce.
There have been no studies tracking the long-term health risks of consuming GMOs, and some research has linked them to cancer, birth defects, accelerated aging, infertility and resistance to antibiotics.

In conjunction with its Enlist GMO corn and soybean seeds, Dow Chemical has produced Enlist Duo, a new pesticide that is stronger than the previous generation. It became necessary because weeds quickly adapted to the previous generation of pesticides, necessitating a stronger version.

The only problem is that pesticides have been linked to developmental delays and ADHD in children, as well as to birth defects, miscarriage, metabolic distress and cancer.

Boy Reversed Autism Six Weeks After Adopting Organic Diet
Dr. Oz said about 75 percent of our current food supply contains GMOs that are sprayed with 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides every year. But Dow and other chemical companies would like to spray an additional 70 to 170 million pounds of pesticides on crops.

That would exponentially compound the chemical exposure consumers get from their fruits and vegetables (which people eat because they think it's good for their health).

Dr. Oz's guest was Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America, who was shocked to discover that both GMOs and non-GMOs are being treated with pesticides. Honeycutt said her family switched to organic foods and immediately improved their health.

Amazingly, Zen said she reversed her son’s autism symptoms just six weeks after switching to an organic diet. Honeycutt was alarmed after lab tests revealed her son's urine contained eight times the level of the pesticide Glyphosate compared to Europeans who do not consume GMOs or pesticide-sprayed foods.

Dr. Oz and Moms Across America encouraged viewers to sign a Take Action petition to pressure the White House to stop the EPA from approving the Enlist Duo pesticide. Only 100,000 signatures is needed to get a reply.

Study: Alcoholism Doubled In Gastric Bypass Patients
On a separate segment, Dr. Oz discussed the alarming epidemic of alcoholism among people who get gastric bypass weight loss surgery. Dr. Oz's guest was Susan Jones, who's now five years sober after becoming an alcoholic shortly after getting gastric bypass.

Jones said her drinking quickly spiraled out of control shortly after her bariatric procedure. Susan went to rehab to treat her alcoholism and discovered that three other rehab patients had also gotten gastric bypass surgery before becoming alcoholics.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that gastric bypass could double a patient's risk of developing alcohol addiction compared with patients who get less drastic weight loss surgeries. Doctors said this is because gastric bypass increases the rate of alcohol absorption, making it more addictive.

Psychiatrist and addiction specialist Dr. Reef Karim explained that the effects of alcohol are almost instant for gastric bypass patients. He added that some patients may be replacing their food addiction with alcohol addiction. “We’re seeing a possible transfer of that addiction from food to alcohol,” said Karim.
Dr. Oz said the best way to prevent alcohol addiction is for bariatric surgeons to inform their patients of the risk of altered alcohol metabolism before their surgeries. Meanwhile, patients should be mindful of their alcohol consumption after their surgeries.

Source:  http://www.examiner.com/article/dr-oz-talks-new-gmo-pesticide-and-gastric-bypass-weight-loss-surgery
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Saturday, September 20, 2014

GORGE YOURSELF: CORPORATE-SHILLS NEWS REGURITATION DIET

Published on
Saturday, September 20, 2014
by
Common Dreams

The Corporations in Your Diet

by
Sasha Breger Bush
"Scholars and activists—like Raj Patel, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Walden Bello, Alice Waters and Vandana Shiva—have illustrated the growing power of large corporations in the global food system and the negative consequences this dynamic has for our health, wallets, environment and political system." (Image: captcreate)
“Native advertising” has recently emerged as an important financing strategy for news publications in print and online. Recognizing that traditional Internet and print advertising is no longer very effective in motivating consumer demand, and that media fortunes depend on advertising revenues, the media and corporate advertisers have joined forces to combine journalism with advertising in the context of a single news story. What appears to be a traditional piece of news is actually an article sponsored by a corporate entity, designed to increase interest in that corporation’s products or services.  John Oliver’s funny and arresting coverage of this issue is definitely worth watching. Among the most noteworthy recent examples of native advertising are The Atlantic’s coverage of scientology (an article on scientology sponsored by the Church of Scientology) and The New York Times’ coverage of the plight of women in prison (an article sponsored by the Netflix show Orange is the New Black).

In addition to its appalling implications for democratic debate and freedom of information, native advertising has huge implications for our health and wellbeing. How we eat, what we consider to be nutritious, and the food products we buy at the grocery store are influenced by the merger of advertising and news reports on health and nutrition. Scholars and activists—like Raj Patel, Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Walden Bello, Alice Waters and Vandana Shiva—have illustrated the growing power of large corporations in the global food system and the negative consequences this dynamic has for our health, wallets, environment and political system. Against this backdrop, native advertising shows how corporate power extends into our most intimate and personal decisions and behaviors.

Take for instance this recent article from the Huffington Post, sponsored by the Whole Grain Council. The article notes that September is “Whole Grains Month”, a time to celebrate “amaranth, barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa, rye, sorghum, spelt, teff, triticale and other whole grain wonders”. The article details the extensive nutritional benefits of a diet full of whole grains: “Really, though, everyone wins with whole grains. They're complex carbs for good energy, and offer a host of vitamins, minerals and nutrients refined wheat products lose in processing.” The author notes that she “loves the Whole Grains Council and the traditional nourishing whole foods of the world they advocate.*” Note the asterisk  at the end of this sentence—it appears in the original and refers to the following statement at the end of the article: “I  was not compensated for this post but as one of the Whole Grains Council's Make the Switch bloggers, I received a few whole grain goodies to sample, for which I say thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.”

What the article doesn’t mention is that the Whole Grains Council—which misleadingly calls to mind some beneficent organization of moms and grandmas intent on ensuring that you eat well—is actually a trade association of the various corporations that dominate national and international trade and processing of cereal grains. Its founding membership includes multinational giants Frito Lay, General Mills, Hain Celestial Group, and Snyder’s of Hanover. While whole grains may indeed have a role to play in fostering good nutrition (this is a much debated issue despite all the hype), what is certain is that these companies reap large financial benefits from convincing us that whole grains are good for our health.

Elsewhere in the food system, Andrew Kimbrell—executive director of the Center for Food Safety—reports that the forum to which he was invited to discuss genetically modified foods was actually wholly sponsored by Monsanto, having been engineered to look “authoritative” and “journalistic”. Meanwhile, on Web MD, a conversation with a pharmacist about weight loss is sponsored by Walmart Pharmacy, where one could presumably purchase all of the wonderful weight loss cures (from diet pills to acai berry supplements) recommended by the pharmacist.

Big companies that don’t care about your well-being make lots of money propagating nutritional and dietary advice that tries to get you to purchase their products. In this context, native advertising is hugely problematic because it purposefully conceals the corporate interests that lie behind media reporting on diet and nutrition, preventing consumers from making independent and educated decisions about their health and well-being.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Sasha Breger Bush is an Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Colorado Denver. Her first book, Derivatives and Development, was published in 2012 by Palgrave Macmillan. Sasha can be reached at sasha.breger@ucdenver.edu .
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