Frankenfood

French president promises to keep ban on Monsanto GMO corn despite court ruling

"French President Francois Hollande said Friday that a ban on growing GM corn sold by US giant Monsanto would remain in place, despite a court ruling reversing the suspension. 'The moratorium will be extended,' he said on a visit to the southwestern department of Dordogne. France’s Council of State court ruled Thursday that the French moratorium imposed on growing MON810 corn since March 2012 failed to uphold European Union law. MON810 includes an inserted gene that makes the corn plant exude a natural toxin that is poisonous to insect pests. This offers a potential financial gain for farmers, as they do not have to use chemical pesticides." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFrench president promises to keep ban on Monsanto GMO corn despite court ruling

FDA: ‘Gluten-free’ foods now must legally have less than .002 percent gluten

"The FDA began examining potential regulations more than six years ago when Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, requiring the FDA to develop guidelines for gluten-free labels. The agency proposed gluten-free regulations in 2007 but did not finalize them. The delay came from scientific assessments, interaction with the celiac community and a safety assessment to validate 20 parts per million as a safe cut-off level, Taylor said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFDA: ‘Gluten-free’ foods now must legally have less than .002 percent gluten

The greatest food in human history?

"What is 'the cheapest, most nutritious and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history'? Hint: It has 390 calories. It contains 23g, or half a daily serving, of protein, plus 7% of daily fiber, 20% of daily calcium and so on. Also, you can get it in 14,000 locations in the US and it usually costs $1. Presenting one of the unsung wonders of modern life, the McDonald’s McDouble cheeseburger. The argument above was made by a commenter on the Freakonomics blog run by economics writer Stephen Dubner and professor Steven Leavitt, who co-wrote the million-selling books on the hidden side of everything." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe greatest food in human history?

Canadian officials deny that pooping geese could have spread GMO wheat seeds

"Canadian agricultural officials exchanged a series of emails in late August of 2012 outlining a crisis plan explaining how personnel at the country’s agricultural agency should deal with inquiries about whether experimental Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) wheat could be spread in the feces of Canadian geese. The Ottawa Citizen said Tuesday that it has received heavily redacted copies of the emails, which point toward a concerted effort to squelch the notion that GMO wheat could have escaped its growing area at Agriculture Canada’s Experimental Farm in Ottawa in the digestive tracts of Canadian geese." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanadian officials deny that pooping geese could have spread GMO wheat seeds

Activists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

"RT has been following the story of Amy Meyer, who became the first person the state of Utah tried to prosecute under its new Ag Gag law. She was being pursued for filming a slaughterhouse from a public street. Her case garnered so much attention that it was dismissed, but the ag gag law is still on the books. A new lawsuit looks to change that. [Various parties] have come together to bring a constitutional challenge to the law. They argue that it pits journalists and whistleblowers against the state, encroaches on the public's right to know and hinders independent regulation of these industries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivists file first lawsuit over “Ag Gag” industrial filming law

In Oregon, The GMO Wheat Mystery Deepens

"The USDA is trying to answer two big questions about this wheat. First, where else can it be found? Second, how did it get into this farmer's field? Hundreds of millions of dollars could hang on the answer to the first question. If rogue genes are present in America's wheat harvest, some customers — especially in Japan and Korea — say they won't take it. Every test that comes up negative eases the worries of the wheat industry, but it also makes the source of this GMO wheat a bigger mystery. Investigators are finding no trail that leads from the Oregon farm back to Monsanto's research operation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Oregon, The GMO Wheat Mystery Deepens

Should You Be Able to Buy Food Directly From Farmers? Regulators Don’t Think So

"For the USDA and its sister food regulator, the FDA, there’s a problem: many of the farmers are distributing the food via private contracts like herd shares and leasing arrangements, which fall outside the regulatory system of state and local retail licenses and inspections that govern public food sales. In response, federal and state regulators are seeking legal sanctions against farmers in Maine, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California, among others. These sanctions include injunctions, fines, and even prison sentences." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould You Be Able to Buy Food Directly From Farmers? Regulators Don’t Think So

‘Frustrated’ Monsanto withdraws all EU approval requests for new GMO crops

"The move reflects the frustration felt by many biotech companies towards the EU's approval system for GMOs. Decisions routinely face years of delays, and only three varieties have ever been given the green light for cultivation. While Monsanto's MON810 maize has been approved for cultivation throughout the EU, several countries including France, Germany and most recently Italy have imposed national bans, driven by strong public opposition to the technology. Last year, German biotech producer BASF halted the development of genetically modified crops in Europe and moved all of its European GMO research operations to the United States." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Frustrated’ Monsanto withdraws all EU approval requests for new GMO crops

Farm Bill: Are Republicans the “Stupid Party” or the “Big-Government Party”…or Both?

"It should go without saying that America’s agriculture policy has always been a terrible, stupid, counterproductive exercise in self-dealing cronyism. But when House Republicans severed the traditional connection, arbitrary but politically effective, between farm subsidies and food stamps, it briefly seemed like they were looking for an opportunity to put libertarian populist principle into practice, by separating both outlays in order to trim or reform both separately. But no — instead they were just making it easier for the party’s congressmen to vote for a bloated, awful big government program that benefits mostly-Republican states and interest groups." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFarm Bill: Are Republicans the “Stupid Party” or the “Big-Government Party”…or Both?

Subsidized Food Programs: 100 Million Americans

"You may have heard that 47 million Americans are on food stamps, or as they call it these days, SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. What about subsidized lunches for children? Add 32 million. What about school breakfast programs? What about WIC — Women, Infants, and Children? Don’t forget snacks at day care centers. Then there is the Special Milk Program for schools and a Summer Food Service Program. When schools close, the subsidies still flow. But the small farmer, in whose name the farm subsidy programs exist, disappeared after World War II. Only 2% of Americans live on farms. Then who wins? Agribusiness." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSubsidized Food Programs: 100 Million Americans