Of course the corporations with an interest in keeping Americans in the dark (and unconcerned) about what is going on spent 3x (or more) on very slick and convincing media to get that result. But we the people are not completely ignorant or apathetic. So we vote with our dollars. I have cut out several items from my regular shopping list, and am finding good alternatives. Being flexible gives us power. Our ability to BOYCOTT companies that resist labeling laws makes it possible for influence the market. Teach your family about this, and you increase your influence.

Quite a few of the manufacturers that oppose labeling GMOs also make items that are labeled “organic”. GMO food ingredients are mostly grains grown by large scale agricultural businesses that use millions of tons of herbicides and pesticides. "Organic" foods are supposed to be free of GMO ingredients. We can reduce our intake of toxic pesticides and herbicides by eating "organic" foods, however if these GMO supporters have brands labeled organic, we need to pick and choose in order to hit them in their pocketbooks the way we want to.

I just knew that "o" organics (at safeway) wasn't a brand I wanted to buy. I am disappointed to stop buying Larabars (I was in on that when it was still a small company). There are a few others that I would sometimes buy, so this list has influenced my grocery expenditures. I hope it does too.

A few brands and products to avoid: • PepsiCo: Naked Juice, Tostito's Organic, Tropicana Organic • Kraft: Boca Burgers and Back to Nature • Safeway:"O" Organics • Coca-Cola: Honest Tea, Odwalla • General Mills: Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar (I’ve switched to Kind bars) • Con-Agra: Orville Redenbacher's Organic, Hunt's Organic, Lightlife, Alexia • Kellogg's: Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms, Gardenburger • Smuckers: R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic • Unilever: Ben & Jerry's • Dean Foods: Horizon, Silk, White Wave.

If you see something in that short list that you buy every time you go to the grocery store, maybe it is time to do a little research and figure out an alternative that suits you.

Worldwide 4-H has over 6.8 million members in 80 countries. Now Monsanto is funding 4-H--I would suspect in exchange for the chance to mold young minds. So far they have provided the children with pro-GMO booklets about the "benefits" of genetically modified organisms. If Monsanto can get inside the heads of youth, they can change attitudes about GMO's society-wide. It will work if there is not an equal and opposite force educating the children about the hazards of genetic modification of our food supply. You can be part of that force. The last thing we need is an entire planet beholden to an evil empire which makes seeds infertile.

SOURCE
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/31/monsanto-4-h-programs.aspx

http://independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/regulators-discover-a-hidden-viral-gene-in-commercial-gmo-crops/

Yet another reason not to eat soy, and not to trust Monsanto.

A yes vote would require labeling of genetically modified foods and food ingredients. If you don't live in California, you may not know what a big deal this is. The Yes effort is a grassroots effort that I learned about by way of my friends in Cali and from Dr Mercola. There are six major funders of the No campaign; they are the six largest pesticide companies in the world. Fifty countries label GMO foods, but the US lags behind because of our close ties to megabusiness.

The latest news is that the pesticide companies (Monsanto et al) are attacking Dr Mercola personally. Dr Mercola's post details the plethora of nonsense they have propagated in order to confuse voters.

Unfortunately, when people are uncertain they tend to vote NO, but what we really need is a YES vote on this one. So tell your friends in California. It will do them no harm to require GMO products to be labelled, and having the ability to choose which foods they consume would do good.

Did you know that they have genetically engineered corn to produce insecticides? Yes. You can't wash THAT off.

Here's a list of the Food and Beverage Companies which sell organic/natural products while simultaneously giving mountains of cash to the Monsanto-driven campaign opposing GMO labeling in California (Prop 37):

Kellogg’s (Kashi, Bear Naked, Morningstar Farms)
General Mills (Muir Glen, Cascadian Farm, Larabar)
Dean Foods (Horizon, Silk, White Wave)
Smucker’s (R.W. Knudsen, Santa Cruz Organic)
Coca-Cola (Honest Tea, Odwalla)
Safeway (“O” Organics)
Kraft (Boca Burgers and Back to Nature)
Con-Agra (Orville Redenbacher’s Organic, Hunt’s Organic, Lightlife)
PepsiCo (Naked Juice, Tostito’s Organic, Tropicana Organic)

Let's bust 'em one where it counts: in the pocket book. The only trustworthy organic product is the one you make in your kitchen from known whole food sources. OCA and Mercola are both calling for this boycott, and I for one am going to participate. It's a good season to eat from the garden anyway. My only concern is what I'm going to mix with my bourbon. =-]

If you put a label on genetically engineered food you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it.
--Norman Braksick
president of Asgrow Seed Co., a subsidiary of Monsanto
quoted in the Kansas City Star, March 7, 1994

As you may guess, in the US GM food is still stealth...

Alert of the Week from Organic Bytes on Monsanto and Generation M--the first generation to be raised on genetically modified foods.
( Text here.Collapse )

I didn't until just now but I have a feeling this info may come up again. There are two different kinds of casein found in milk. Type A1 is associated with disease. Type A2 is not. France has mostly A2 cows and New Zealand is transitioning to A2. I wonder why? How long have people known about this distinction? "Old fashioned" Jersey and Guernsey cows as well as goats and sheep produce A2 milk. Why is the new school milk dangerous? Is genetic engineering for maximum production at the root of this? Bottom line: We want A2 milk, especially for children. I just didn't know about it until today, but my friend Mary is always good for teaching me something new. I was already switched over to goat dairy (feta and kefir), which is easy to do here in Portland. Not so easy some places.
( the info paragraph from Mary's email to meCollapse )