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SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF
Sold Out. Again.
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It’s hard to know which is worse. The corporations that profit from poisoning your food and water. Or the politicians who will happily sell you down the river for a few campaign contributions.
Today, our “leaders” in the U.S. Senate proudly announced that they’ve “reached a deal” on a federal GMO labeling bill. No matter how they spin it—and they will spin it—this “compromise” is nothing more than a handout to Monsanto, an industry-brokered deal intended to legally sanction the right of corporations to deceive you, the consumer.
Today, the U.S. Senate unveiled a bill that, if passed, will overturn Vermont’s mandatory GMO labeling law, and replace it with an anti-consumer bill that allows food corporations to hide GMOs behind QR barcodes and toll-free phone numbers—and gives them another two years before they even have to pretend they are labeling.
What does this news mean for Vermont’s mandatory labeling law? Vermont's law will still take effect on July 1, because Congress has run out of time to get the bill passed by both the House and Senate, and plop it down on President Obama’s desk.
But once Congress returns after the July 4 recess, you can bet your life that Monsanto’s minions in Congress will make it their highest priority to seal the deal on an industry-friendly, anti-consumer, anti-states' rights federal law that will overturn Vermont's law and leave U.S. consumers in the dark.
With your help, we will once again throw ourselves into the battle to save Vermont’s law. To demand the right to truth and transparency in labeling. To remind our members of Congress that they were elected to serve us, not their corporate masters.
We will work to keep the Senate from getting the 60 votes it needs to pass the bill. We will recruit pro-labeling Senators to filibuster, if we have to. We will take our—your—fight to the oval office, and if necessary, we will launch a massive boycott of any food product that isn't labeled organic, grass-fed or non-GMO.
Last week we kicked off our summer online fundraising campaign.
Now, more than ever, we need your help to raise $200,000 by midnight June 30. Thank you for bringing us this far--let's fight to the end.
Donate to the Organic Consumers Association<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VQJeu60Sv%2B73%2By5HK8f5lQVYmz36O0j4> (tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)
Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=emT4XT0QNQZPv3MvTwSevQVYmz36O0j4> (non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)
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MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO
100 Percent False
[Post Shredded Wheat cereal with "NO THANKS" stamp across the top]<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Givh6nozev27giBVda6QWgVYmz36O0j4>
Check out the back of a box of Post’s Shredded Wheat, and you’ll find the words “100% Natural Whole Grain Wheat” and a “Natural Source of Fiber.”
Post also boasts that Shredded Wheat is “made with nothing but goodness.”
But it just ain’t so.
When an independent lab in California tested samples of Shredded Wheat cereal, it found traces of Monsanto’s glyphosate.
This week, OCA sued Post for falsely marketing Shredded Wheat as “natural” so the company could tap into the growing consumer demand for healthy organic and natural products, and for failing to disclose that the cereal brand contains glyphosate.
According to the test results, the amount of glyphosate in Shredded Wheat—0.18 parts per million—falls below the level allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That’s small comfort, given that the EPA bases its “safe” limits according to what the industry says it needs, not according to what science says is actually safe.
Even more concerning? A growing number of studies show that glyphosate in low trace amounts may be even more hazardous to your health than larger amounts. According to one recent study<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ePTp9Ga52oXuto%2BsKU4RbAVYmz36O0j4>, even at levels below those approved by regulatory agencies, glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor—and endocrine disruption may result in cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and birth defects.
And finally, let’s not forget that just last year, 17 of the world’s experts on cancer, all members of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), unanimously agreed<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xtVNsBNdBDUt6v7ExFu1vwVYmz36O0j4> that glyphosate is a “probable” human carcinogen.
How did glyphosate get into Shredded Wheat, which isn’t made from GMO wheat? In order to sell more of its flagship product, Monsanto pushes wheat farmers to spray their crops with Roundup in order to dry them out <http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f3n6XXo5%2FzKhQsOZaGKcRQVYmz36O0j4> pre-harvest.
Read the press release<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=obEVyQS6FcaYvuBAm0U4wwVYmz36O0j4>
Read the complaint against Shredded Wheat<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=og2yaDz5q7vpcHL4KwRsRAVYmz36O0j4>
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NEW REPORT
Speaking of Glyphosate
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Glyphosate. It’s the key active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. And the most widely used<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0N6skABbKk8DGt2BUWSiAOM7Ea5AnX1x> herbicide in the world—even though last year it was classified<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=EEUWuLxjD03Lli7v2fLfNAVYmz36O0j4> as “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization.
Many countries have now banned<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hCP64pKcNnDaurpwpqmFKgVYmz36O0j4> glyphosate. The EU is likely to reject<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AXZ2XbhZbuJpyzSxPnyH5wVYmz36O0j4> Monsanto’s bid to renew licensing of glyphosate. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to rule on whether or not to allow the continued use of glyphosate in the U.S.
Most of the scrutiny around glyphosate has rightly focused on the herbicide’s impact on human health. But what about the long-term consequences of spraying millions of tons of glyphosate on our soils?
The UK-based Soil Association, in a report<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=agv6rx70bfquCNnXYbQcUAVYmz36O0j4> issued this week, says there’s plenty of cause for concern about how glyphosate behaves in the natural environment, how it interacts with living organisms, and the pathways through which it is degraded. For starters, says the report, evidence suggests glyphosate-based herbicides can adversely affect the biology of mammals. And, contrary to Monsanto’s claims that the herbicide poses no threat to the environment because it degrades quickly, the latest evidence says otherwise.
Read the report<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HQXFnDI1bfNoHi5CqCNQMgVYmz36O0j4>
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ECO TOURS
Deadline: July 9!
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If you’re looking to combine international travel, adventure and organic food and agriculture education, you’re in luck. OCA, along with our Regeneration International<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fkTbGi4UnDpDq0ZJ2yPfTAVYmz36O0j4> and Vía Orgánica<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qy1Im2l8hPSgRVvrGvjxvwVYmz36O0j4> projects, have scheduled a full slate of eight-day eco tours in the central highlands of Mexico.
Deadline for the next tour, which starts on August 9, is July 9. If you can’t make the August tour, you can also register ahead of time for another of the upcoming tours (dates and deadlines here<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=m%2BdAJ0z%2FDPmuK7LL%2BbFBRgVYmz36O0j4>).
Our eco tours include accommodations at Vía Orgánica’s eco ranch and farm school, which serves as an educational farm and training center for farmers, students and activists in the organic food movement. The ranch includes a natural retreat center with adobe buildings, walking trails, solar power, rainwater catchment, and greywater and composting systems.
Tours also include side trips to San Miguel de Allende and other World Heritage sites, trail rides and nature walks, horseback riding, and organic farming and cooking workshops—and of course, the opportunity to join in lively discussions with OCA and Vía Orgánica staff and other tour participants. Cost for accommodations and all-organic meals is $1250 per person.
Learn more<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qYBpTlSUivEDedv6TDIe0QVYmz36O0j4>
For more information or to register contact: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
'Unbroken Ground'
[Man holding shovel prepared to break ground]<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VPhlhD8GAzTN9MhmfUsEXwVYmz36O0j4>
Are you willing to help build a new paradigm?
Revolution always starts from the bottom, say the makers of a new film, “Unbroken Ground.” It never starts at the top.
But for revolution to happen, you have to have enough people at the bottom who are willing to break the existing paradigm—and build a new one.
“Unbroken Ground,” a compelling new film by Chris Malloy, explores four areas of agriculture that aim to change our relationship to the land and oceans.
Watch the trailer for “Unbroken Ground’<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AYaQXXtnnzxphXgt%2Bi7b7AVYmz36O0j4>
Learn more and find the full film tour schedule<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=cEFREOq4NdI2wSgzJJ9ATgVYmz36O0j4>
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LITTLE BYTES
Essential Reading for the Week
[Little Bytes]<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=r6wbpS3uqWbmnovSxzUjrwVYmz36O0j4>
Roberts, Stabenow Reach Deal on GMO Labeling<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9lLEHCNBTv32cqDaJmbaiwVYmz36O0j4>
Atrazine—Second Most Commonly Used Herbicide in U.S.<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=L2hHTow1LLyqmhekttUX2gVYmz36O0j4>
How Your Clothes Are Poisoning Our Oceans and Food Supply<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fkTbGi4UnDoPUWFn7qX1QwVYmz36O0j4>
Kelp's Nutritional Benefits<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AH08X3SwWGyGRA2bTUpm7AVYmz36O0j4>
Is Consumer Rejection of GMO Sugar Beet an Environmental Disaster?<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rkMsV3ReXsXKaXpXfqlnTAVYmz36O0j4>
Rash of Foodborne Outbreaks Highlight Dangers of Industrialized Food System<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gitLlRiKDJJriIUrcyJIbAVYmz36O0j4>
follow on Twitter<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tIfskNoMf1vhRzbv8HMJcAVYmz36O0j4> | friend on Facebook<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FR6OWCri%2BfiIbBjeHdLy%2FQVYmz36O0j4> | OCA on Pinterest<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BJSb%2BkSE44pmMOcv4MtrDgVYmz36O0j4>
Please forward this publication to family and friends, place it on web sites,
print it, duplicate it and post it freely. Knowledge is power!
Organic Bytes is a publication of Organic Consumers Association<http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6KVwscIDoGwdbxoGrk1IJuM7Ea5AnX1x>
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