Organic Bytes: Monsanto, Boca's GE Burgers, Sewage Sludge

 

Subscribe | Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage Monsanto, Boca's GE Burgers, Sewage Sludge #266, March 3, 2011 In this issue: Quote and Action of the Week: BOCA Burgers Admits It Uses Genetically Engineered Ingredients Alert of the Week: Stop Toxic Sludge Dumping on Farmland! Millions Against Monsanto: Mobilizing at Green Festivals Poll of the Week: 96% of Americans Want GE Foods Labeled Video of the Week: The Story of Citizens United v. FEC Remember to Take Action... Little Bytes A NOTE TO ORGANIC BYTES SUBSCRIBERS! Over the next few weeks we will be transitioning to a new service to send Organic Bytes, so please add the address RONNIECUMMINS [AT] ORGANICCONSUMERS.ORG to your spam filter white lists! Thanks! Quote and Action of the Week BOCA Burgers Admits It Uses Genetically Engineered Ingredients "It's a fact that much of the high-quality soy grown in the U.S. has been genetically engineered, so the traditional BOCA line of soy-based products may contain ingredients derived from these crops." - BOCA's Frequently Asked Questions BOCA Burgers is a popular so-called "natural" brand of veggie burgers owned by Kraft Foods. Companies like Kraft work hand-in-hand with Monsanto to lace common foods with GM (Genetically Modified) ingredients, with absolutely no labeling nor safety-testing required, and in many cases market these products as "natural." Kraft, North America's largest food company, has perfected the art of turning genetically engineered crops and animals raised in factory farms on GMO feed and injected with Monsanto's (now Elanco's) rBGH into "food." While Kraft/BOCA claims to offer what they describe as "non-GMO" versions of its soy foods, these products are neither certified organic (organic prohibits GMOs) nor monitored by the Non-GMO Project, so it's impossible to verify BOCA's non-GMO claims. Likewise, Back to Nature, another so-called "natural" Kraft brand, claims that some of the corn and soy ingredients in their non-organic foods are "non-genetically engineered," but these claims are not verifiable either. Tell Kraft you'll be boycotting BOCA Burgers, Back to Nature products, or any Kraft products that aren't certified as organic. Take Action PLEASE DONATE Millions Against Monsanto Fundraising Appeal A quarter of a million people have already signed up as participants and supporters in our Millions Against Monsanto Truth-in-Labeling Campaign. But we need money to print leaflets, to buy hundreds of copies of the video "The World According to Monsanto," to print up T-shirts and bumper stickers, and to pay our campaign staff. As you know, GMOs, Factory Farms, and deceptively labeled consumer products pose a mortal threat to public health, climate stability, and all living things. As we speak, organic crops are being contaminated with Monsanto's GMOs. We need your financial contributions to educate and mobilize consumers, to protect and maintain strict organic standards, and to pressure the entire food industry, including natural food stores and co-ops, to adopt Truth-in-Labeling practices. Please Donate Alert OF THE WEEK Stop Toxic Sludge Dumping on Farmland and Pastures! Toxic sewage sludge used to be dumped into the oceans, killing fish and marine life. After public pressure put an end to ocean-dumping, toxic sludge began to be spread on farmland, touted as natural "fertilizer." In 1998 the sludge industry tried to get the USDA to allow toxic sewage sludge to be used as a fertilizer on organic farms, but the OCA's Save Organic Standards campaign and an aroused organic community stopped this insidious effort. Today millions of pounds of sludge are dumped on Monsanto's crops, including cotton, corn, and soy grown for animal feed and fuel. This toxic sludge is, by law, allowed to contain dangerous levels of pathogens, viruses and bacteria. The sludge pathogens that survive sewage "treatment" are the hardiest superbugs, bacteria that have developed a resistance to antimicrobials and antibiotics. Toxic sludge used on food crops must be processed to reduce pathogen contamination, but is still rife with heavy metals and all manner of industrial chemicals from flame retardants to metal plating compounds. If it isn't safe to dump in the oceans, it isn't safe to spread on farmland and pasture land! Take Action Millions Against Monsanto Regional Summits at Green Festivals To gear up for the Millions Against Monsanto actions on World Food Day, October 16, 2011, and to maintain pressure on Monsanto throughout the year, OCA is mobilizing meetings and Truth-in-Labeling protests in front of supermarkets to coincide with upcoming Green Festivals around the country: San Francisco Spring Green Festival April 9-10, 2011 Chicago Green Festival May 14-15, 2011 Seattle Green Festival May 21-22, 2011 New York Green Festival October 1-2, 2011 Los Angeles Green Festival October 29-30, 2011 San Francisco Fall Green Festival, Nov 12-13, 2011 We need volunteers in each city to host gatherings at their homes or community centers, to put up OCA staff and volunteers in their homes and to work in the Millions Against Monsanto booths. Volunteer Here   Millions Against Monsanto Webinar Follow-Up Thanks to everyone that registered and attended the first Millions Against Monsanto Webinar: Why We Need Truth-in-Labeling for GMOs and Factory-Farmed Foods. The event was filled to capacity, with 1000 people registered. If you missed the webinar, visit the link below to download a pdf of the PowerPoint presentation and take a look at some of great questions asked by attendees (which we have tried to answer). The presentation frames the source and severity of the problem and outlines the various action items you can take in your towns and congressional districts. The audio portion will also be available in the next few days. Stay tuned for the next webinar, which will take you through more of the "nuts-and-bolts" of the grassroots campaign against GMOs. Read More Next week: How to have a Month Without Monsanto Stay tuned to the campaign Poll of the Week MSNBC Poll: 96% of Americans Want Genetically Modified Foods Labeled Is MSNBC reading our minds? This week MSNBC conducted a poll to find out whether people think GMOs should be labeled. After a total of 38,479 votes, the results are in: 95.9% of those polled want GMOs labeled! Read More Video of the Week The Story of Citizens United v. FEC: Why Democracy Only Works When People Are in Charge   How could a chemical company like Monsanto, notorious for producing Agent Orange and dioxin during the Vietnam War, end up with so much power over our food and farming system? Why are U.S. tax dollars subsidizing Monsanto and the biotech industry's 165 million acres of GM crops, factory farms, junk foods and biofuels? Why is the Obama administration (like the Bush and Clinton administrations before them) passing laws and regulations that benefit the rich and the powerful, rather than the common people? Learn how corporations like Monsanto have been allowed to corrupt our democracy in The Story of Citizens United v. FEC. Watch   Remember to Take Action... Ban Triclosan! Take action by April 8, 2011 New York: Label Milk From Cows Given rBGH (Genetically Engineered Bovine Growth Hormone)! California: Label GM Salmon! Hawaii: Demand Truth-in-Labeling!  Alaska: Stop GMO Salmon! Little Bytes Why Monsanto's GM Seeds are Undemocratic READ MORE Toxic or Not? Studying the Dangers of Ordinary Household Chemicals READ MORE The Price of Food is at the Heart of This Wave of Revolutions READ MORE Behind the Arab Revolt Is a Word We Dare Not Speak: Corporate Fascism READ MORE Forbes Writer: GMO Labeling Would Violate Corporate Speech Rights READ MORE LOCAL HI NEWS OF THE WEEK HI - Get Involved Locally Learn more about OCA related action alerts and other news in HI here. Dr. Bronner's is Celebrating Our 60th Anniversary! Marking the 60th Anniversary of the company, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps is pleased to announce that all classic liquid & bar soaps are now not only certified under the USDA National Organic Program, but also certified Fair Trade! In addition, we are pleased to introduce a revolutionary new range of high-quality organic products, from hair rinses to shaving gels – all certified under the same USDA program that certifies organic foods. Please visit us on the web at DrBronner.com Become an OCA Sponsor! 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