Monthly Archives November 2016

New Report Reveals Concerning Levels of Monsanto’s Weed Killer in Popular American Foods

New Report Reveals Concerning Levels of Monsanto’s Weed Killer in Popular American Foods

by | November 15, 2016

by Carrie Gillam (Veteran journalist; Research Director for U.S. Right to Know) Independent testing on an array of popular American food products found many samples contained residue levels of the weed killer called glyphosate, leading the nonprofit organization behind the testing to call for corporate and regulatory action to address consumer safety concerns. The herbicide residues were found in cookies, crackers, popular cold cereals and chips commonly consumed by children and adults, according to Food Democracy Now and the group’s “Detox Project,” which arranged for the testing at the San Francisco-based Anresco lab. Anresco uses liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), a method widely [...]
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Donald Trump Unveils His Agricultural Committee — And Supporters of Organic Food are NOT Happy

Donald Trump Unveils His Agricultural Committee — And Supporters of Organic Food are NOT Happy

by | November 14, 2016

  When it comes to healthy, truly natural organic and non-GMO food, is Donald J. Trump on our side, pro-establishment, or somewhere in the middle? Trump makes headlines with just about every single Tweet or social media post, but one in particular back in October 2015 was especially interesting: #BenCarson is now leading in the polls in #Iowa. Too much #Monsanto in the #corn creates issues in the brain? #Trump #GOP This particular post, which came via Nicolas R-V, a French-American executive producer and filmmaker with the Twitter handle @mygreenhippo, was retweeted by Trump’s account. But it was later said to have been done by an intern and deleted. Aside from the Monsanto retweet that made national [...]
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TPP Dies! There Will Not Be A Vote On The Trans-Pacific Partnership in Lame-Duck Congressional Session

TPP Dies! There Will Not Be A Vote On The Trans-Pacific Partnership in Lame-Duck Congressional Session

by | November 12, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today released the following statement regarding news that the Obama Administration would no longer pursue the Trans-Pacific Partnership during the lame-duck session of Congress. “The White House is saying it, the Senate Majority Leader is saying it, and the Speaker of the House is saying it: there will not be a vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the lame-duck session of Congress. “Together, a strong coalition of Members of Congress and labor, environmental, faith, and human rights organizations and activists worked diligently to stop this agreement. The Trans-Pacific Partnership meant more power for corporations and fewer good jobs and lower wages [...]
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New Record! U.S. Organic Farmland Hits Highest Amount of Acres Ever in 2016

New Record! U.S. Organic Farmland Hits Highest Amount of Acres Ever in 2016

by | November 10, 2016

The United States may be home to the Monsanto Company, but it’s also home to one of the biggest and fastest-growing organic food movements in the world. And now, according to a new study from Mercaris, a data service for non-GMO and organic growers and distributors, the organic farmland scene in America is exploding, reaching a new record in 2016 of over 4 million acres (since organic certification began). Aside from the landmark accomplishment, the report also shed light on where the organic food is coming from, and the top five states for organic farming may surprise you. Top Five States for Organic Farming Among the top five states for organic farming is a surprising mix of the highly and [...]
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Residents of Florida Town Vote a Resounding “NO!” on GMO Mosquitoes (Other Area Votes Yes, But There’s a Big Catch)

Residents of Florida Town Vote a Resounding “NO!” on GMO Mosquitoes (Other Area Votes Yes, But There’s a Big Catch)

by | November 10, 2016

  The issue of genetically engineered mosquitoes has been a controversial one to say the least, and one that has once again become clouded by huge donations on the side of the company behind them. Much like what happened in numerous votes on the labeling of genetically engineered food, money and a huge PR campaign from the Biotech industry, in this case the GE mosquito company Oxitec out of Britain, have been thrown into the ring in the Florida Keys. Up for vote on election day was a proposal that didn’t receive a whole lot of national attention but one that could be a major precedent setter in the future: whether to release GM mosquitoes in the keys in order [...]
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Get A Grip, Hillary Supporters. We Picked Bernie.

Get A Grip, Hillary Supporters. We Picked Bernie.

by | November 9, 2016

According to thousands of pro-Hillary, social media trolls, March Against Monsanto (MAM) played a significant role in stopping Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Despite the fact that MAM has never once showed support or endorsed President Elect Trump in any way, several of MAM’s social media platforms are under attack with comments and insults accusing the organization of aiding in shifting votes away from Clinton. And that is absolutely true. Let’s remember that MAM endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders based on his long-standing fight against Monsanto and his position on GMOs and requisite, carcinogenic herbicides. Let’s remember the cheating, lying and manipulating that happened in the [...]
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Media Blackout as White House Issues Executive Order Giving Broad Powers to ‘Global Health Security Agenda’ for Infectious Disease Threats

Media Blackout as White House Issues Executive Order Giving Broad Powers to ‘Global Health Security Agenda’ for Infectious Disease Threats

by | November 7, 2016

  While the eyes of the world are focused intently on the 2016 presidential election, the White House has made a dramatic, potentially game-changing move that has once again almost completely eluded the mainstream media — leading many to wonder what they may be hiding. On Friday, November 4, a new executive order was signed titled “Advancing the Global Health Security Agenda to Achieve a World Safe and Secure from Infectious Disease Threats,” giving the United States government, military and other worldwide partner organizations new powers to respond to what they deem as “biological threats” that may potentially emerge. Usually referring to disease outbreaks or perhaps even biological weapons, the [...]
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TPP Could Give a “Free Safety Pass” to Monsanto’s GMOs; Make the DARK Act Look Like Child’s Play

TPP Could Give a “Free Safety Pass” to Monsanto’s GMOs; Make the DARK Act Look Like Child’s Play

by | November 4, 2016

  The Trans-Pacific Partnership is one of the biggest and most controversial trade deals in history. And while it’s being opposed on the grassroots level by countless organizations (at least 1,500 officially to begin with, see here) government officials seem intent on ramming it through before the end of Barack Obama’s second term. The tentative plan remains to take the so-called “only real shot” at passing the TPP during a “lame duck” Congressional session after the 2016 election when members of Congress are out of town. This secrecy and brazen disregard for democracy has led to the launching of major petitions like this one against the 6,000+ page behemoth trade deal between the U.S. and [...]
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EPA Proposes Dramatic Expansion Of Toxic Pesticide Blend, Ignoring Legal Requirements and Environmental Impact

EPA Proposes Dramatic Expansion Of Toxic Pesticide Blend, Ignoring Legal Requirements and Environmental Impact

by | November 2, 2016

WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency today reapproved and proposed a dramatic expansion of the use of the toxic pesticide Enlist Duo after only a cursory review of troubling data showing the two chemicals in the pesticide combine to have “synergistic” effects that are potentially harmful to endangered species and the environment. If approved the pesticide cocktail could be used on corn, soy and cotton in 35 states — up from 16 states where the product was previously approved for just corn and soy. The rush to expand the use of Dow AgroSciences’ toxic chemical concoction of glyphosate and 2,4-D for use on the next generation of genetically engineered crops comes only one year after the EPA asked [...]
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