Wednesday, October 31, 2012

NON-GMO PROJECT SEAL

Look for the Seal

What does “Non-GMO Project Verified” mean?

First of all, let’s explain what it doesn’t mean. It is not a guarantee that the product is 100% GMO free. The reason for this is that our program is process-based, using a set of best practices to avoid contamination. We do require testing of all ingredients (everything being grown in GMO form in North America), but we don’t require testing of every single finished product. Instead, testing can be done at any one of a number of places in the production chain, for example right after harvest. Following the test, which must indicate that the ingredient is below 0.9% GMO (in alignment with laws in the European Union), we require rigorous traceability and segregation practices to be followed in order to ensure that the tested ingredients are what get used in the product.


So in short, what our seal means is that a product has been produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, including testing of risk ingredients.

Companies enrolled in the Non-GMO Project are serious about keeping GMOs out, and work hard to do so. The Non-GMO Project is the only organization offering independent verification of testing and GMO controls for products in the U.S. and Canada.

Buying products that are enrolled and verified in the Project is a great way to support the sustained availability of non-GMO choices in North America.

NON-GMO PROJECT SEAL

Look for the Seal

What does “Non-GMO Project Verified” mean?

First of all, let’s explain what it doesn’t mean. It is not a guarantee that the product is 100% GMO free. The reason for this is that our program is process-based, using a set of best practices to avoid contamination. We do require testing of all ingredients (everything being grown in GMO form in North America), but we don’t require testing of every single finished product. Instead, testing can be done at any one of a number of places in the production chain, for example right after harvest. Following the test, which must indicate that the ingredient is below 0.9% GMO (in alignment with laws in the European Union), we require rigorous traceability and segregation practices to be followed in order to ensure that the tested ingredients are what get used in the product.


So in short, what our seal means is that a product has been produced according to rigorous best practices for GMO avoidance, including testing of risk ingredients.

Companies enrolled in the Non-GMO Project are serious about keeping GMOs out, and work hard to do so. The Non-GMO Project is the only organization offering independent verification of testing and GMO controls for products in the U.S. and Canada.

Buying products that are enrolled and verified in the Project is a great way to support the sustained availability of non-GMO choices in North America.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Whose Side Are You On?

Whose Side Are You On?

3 Reasons to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

Prop 37 is a simple label for genetically engineered foods. Also called GMOs, these are plants or animals that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria, in ways that can’t occur in nature. Here are 3 reasons why we need to label genetically engineered foods.
1. We have a right to know what we're eating and feeding our families. The right to know and the right to choose are fundamental American values; and 90% of Americans want to know if their food is genetically engineered. More than 50 other countries already require labels on genetially engineered food. California consumers have a right to this information too. If you think we have a right to know what's in our food, vote yes on Prop 37. 
2. Gambling with our health and our children’s health. A growing body of peer-reviewed studies link genetically engineered foods to allergies and other health problems. Despite these warnings, long-term health studies have not been conducted, and the US FDA requires no health or safety testing --  even though the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association say testing should be mandatory. The companies claim their genetically engineered foods are safe, but many people are skeptical of these studies because the companies are allowed to control the science and suppress research. While we wait for independent studies, let's label genetically engineered foods so we have the right to choose for ourselves whether to take these risks.
3. Genetic engineering causes serious environmental problems. Environmental problems are well documented, including biodiversity loss, a massive increase in pesticide use, the emergence of super weeds and super bugs that are threatening millions of acres of farmland, and the unintentional contamination of organic and non-GMO crops.
The bottom line: There are many reasons why people might want to avoid genetically engineered foods, including religious reasons. One thing we all agree on is that we have a right to know what's in the food we're eating and feeding our families. Prop 37 is a chance to bring fairness to our food system and restore our basic democratic rights.
Did you know? The pesticide companies are spending A Million Dollars a Day to confuse voters about Prop 37! Please share this link: Don't Let Monsanto Buy Your Vote!
3 things you can do today to help pass Prop 37: JOIN our team, DONATE to the campaign (every dollar counts!), and TELL YOUR FRIENDS to Vote Yes on 37! 

3 Reasons to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

Prop 37 is a simple label for genetically engineered foods. Also called GMOs, these are plants or animals that have had their DNA artificially altered by genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria, in ways that can’t occur in nature. Here are 3 reasons why we need to label genetically engineered foods.
1. We have a right to know what we're eating and feeding our families. The right to know and the right to choose are fundamental American values; and 90% of Americans want to know if their food is genetically engineered. More than 50 other countries already require labels on genetially engineered food. California consumers have a right to this information too. If you think we have a right to know what's in our food, vote yes on Prop 37. 
2. Gambling with our health and our children’s health. A growing body of peer-reviewed studies link genetically engineered foods to allergies and other health problems. Despite these warnings, long-term health studies have not been conducted, and the US FDA requires no health or safety testing --  even though the World Health Organization and the American Medical Association say testing should be mandatory. The companies claim their genetically engineered foods are safe, but many people are skeptical of these studies because the companies are allowed to control the science and suppress research. While we wait for independent studies, let's label genetically engineered foods so we have the right to choose for ourselves whether to take these risks.
3. Genetic engineering causes serious environmental problems. Environmental problems are well documented, including biodiversity loss, a massive increase in pesticide use, the emergence of super weeds and super bugs that are threatening millions of acres of farmland, and the unintentional contamination of organic and non-GMO crops.
The bottom line: There are many reasons why people might want to avoid genetically engineered foods, including religious reasons. One thing we all agree on is that we have a right to know what's in the food we're eating and feeding our families. Prop 37 is a chance to bring fairness to our food system and restore our basic democratic rights.
Did you know? The pesticide companies are spending A Million Dollars a Day to confuse voters about Prop 37! Please share this link: Don't Let Monsanto Buy Your Vote!
3 things you can do today to help pass Prop 37: JOIN our team, DONATE to the campaign (every dollar counts!), and TELL YOUR FRIENDS to Vote Yes on 37! 

Why do they want to kill us en masse?

Poisoning our food, water, and air...
It's what they do. It's all they do. And for decades.
And the cancer rates keep climbing and climbing and climbing...

Why aren't these talking points with the candidates for ANY office in the land? Because they are ALL bought and paid for window dressing for the Beast System. A system of death, slavery, and darkness.

That's why.

Prop 37 in California is a step toward freedom from slavery. But who is there to help?

The media? Not a chance. They are owned by the same devils who own big agra.

The politicians? Yeah, right.

The courts? They are the worst of the bunch; soulless lawyers seeking only to gain power and money.

That leaves us. We have to find our freedom, become self-aware of the truths of this time, and do what we can to free our family, friends, and anyone who has the sense to listen.

All else is just submission to slavery. Enjoy your frankenfood, cancer, and diabetes. It's all you have to look forward to, otherwise.



Why do they want to kill us en masse?

Poisoning our food, water, and air...
It's what they do. It's all they do. And for decades.
And the cancer rates keep climbing and climbing and climbing...

Why aren't these talking points with the candidates for ANY office in the land? Because they are ALL bought and paid for window dressing for the Beast System. A system of death, slavery, and darkness.

That's why.

Prop 37 in California is a step toward freedom from slavery. But who is there to help?

The media? Not a chance. They are owned by the same devils who own big agra.

The politicians? Yeah, right.

The courts? They are the worst of the bunch; soulless lawyers seeking only to gain power and money.

That leaves us. We have to find our freedom, become self-aware of the truths of this time, and do what we can to free our family, friends, and anyone who has the sense to listen.

All else is just submission to slavery. Enjoy your frankenfood, cancer, and diabetes. It's all you have to look forward to, otherwise.



Food Companies Against Our Right to Know

The Big Processed Food companies dumped another $5-plus million into the No on 37 campaign on Friday, indicating that the campaign against our right to know what's in our food is recognizing that even a million dollars a day of advertising isn't enough to bring them to victory. Shame on these companies that are labeling their food honestly in 61 other countries but are spending millions to oppose our right to know here in California. 
KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL, INC.$1,094,852
SMITHFIELD FOODS, INC.$454,908
PEPSICO, INC.$429,100
UNILEVER$372,100
KRAFT FOOD GROUP$304,500
COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA$291,100
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY$250,000
GENERAL MILLS, INC.$227,100
BUNGE NORTH AMERICA, INC.$165,361
KELLOGG COMPANY$158,200
NESTLE USA, INC.$146,200
FLOWERS FOODS, INC.$135,415
WELCH FOODS, INC.$122,752
MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL$107,000
HERSHEY COMPANY$98,800
THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY$97,000
HILLSHIRE BRANDS COMPANY$85,900
BIMBO BAKERIES USA$84,600
TREE TOP, INC.$81,261
MEAD JOHNSON NUTRITION COMPANY$80,000
CLEMENT PAPPAS & COMPANY, INC.$66,984
ABBOTT NUTRITION$46,900
FARIBAULT FOODS, INC.$44,838
B&G FOODS, INC.$40,000
KNOUSE FOODS COOPERATIVE, INC.$28,900
OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRIES, INC.$25,000
GOYA DE PUERTO RICO, INC.$24,049
BRUCE FOODS CORPORATION$21,604
SUNNY DELIGHT BEVERAGES COMPANY$20,700
LAND O'LAKES, INC.$20,700
GOYA FOODS GREAT LAKES$14,470
SNACK FOOD ASSOCIATION$10,000
HIRZEL CANNING COMPANY$9,978
CLOROX COMPANY$6,900
MOODY DUNBAR, INC.$5,000
  
TOTAL$5,172,171

Food Companies Against Our Right to Know

The Big Processed Food companies dumped another $5-plus million into the No on 37 campaign on Friday, indicating that the campaign against our right to know what's in our food is recognizing that even a million dollars a day of advertising isn't enough to bring them to victory. Shame on these companies that are labeling their food honestly in 61 other countries but are spending millions to oppose our right to know here in California. 
KRAFT FOODS GLOBAL, INC.$1,094,852
SMITHFIELD FOODS, INC.$454,908
PEPSICO, INC.$429,100
UNILEVER$372,100
KRAFT FOOD GROUP$304,500
COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA$291,100
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY$250,000
GENERAL MILLS, INC.$227,100
BUNGE NORTH AMERICA, INC.$165,361
KELLOGG COMPANY$158,200
NESTLE USA, INC.$146,200
FLOWERS FOODS, INC.$135,415
WELCH FOODS, INC.$122,752
MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL$107,000
HERSHEY COMPANY$98,800
THE J.M. SMUCKER COMPANY$97,000
HILLSHIRE BRANDS COMPANY$85,900
BIMBO BAKERIES USA$84,600
TREE TOP, INC.$81,261
MEAD JOHNSON NUTRITION COMPANY$80,000
CLEMENT PAPPAS & COMPANY, INC.$66,984
ABBOTT NUTRITION$46,900
FARIBAULT FOODS, INC.$44,838
B&G FOODS, INC.$40,000
KNOUSE FOODS COOPERATIVE, INC.$28,900
OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRIES, INC.$25,000
GOYA DE PUERTO RICO, INC.$24,049
BRUCE FOODS CORPORATION$21,604
SUNNY DELIGHT BEVERAGES COMPANY$20,700
LAND O'LAKES, INC.$20,700
GOYA FOODS GREAT LAKES$14,470
SNACK FOOD ASSOCIATION$10,000
HIRZEL CANNING COMPANY$9,978
CLOROX COMPANY$6,900
MOODY DUNBAR, INC.$5,000
  
TOTAL$5,172,171

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Friends and Enemies of Your Right to Know

  • By Ronnie Cummins, OCA Director
    Organic Consumers Association, August 23, 2012
In recent weeks, several public interest groups, including the Organic Consumers Association, Cornucopia Institute, Mercola.com, and Natural News, have pointed out the gross hypocrisy and greed of large food and beverage corporations which profit from the sale of billions of dollars of their proprietary organic and "natural" food brands while at the same time funneling large sums of money to the Monsanto-led campaign to defeat the November 6th GMO labeling ballot initiative (Proposition 37) in Califor nia. These organic and "natural" traitor companies and brands include: 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); and PepsiCo (Naked Juice, Tostito's Organic, Tropicana Organic).

California's Prop 37 will not only require labels on genetically engineered foods, but will also ban the fraudulent (and highly profitable) industry practice of marketing GMO-tainted foods as "natural."  Big Biotech and Big Food corporations already have dumped $25 million dollars into defeating Prop 37. The "Yes on 37" campaign has raised only $3 million so far, in part because most of the wealthy organic elite (Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, Stonyfield, etc.) are still sitting on the sidelines.

If the Nov. 6th GMO right-to-know ballot initiative (Prop 37), currently supported by the overwhelming majority of voters, passes in California - the eighth largest economy in the world - it will have the same impact across the United States as a national law.

"Just as we've observed in Europe, where labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is mandatory, we fully expect that when given a choice, consumers will choose organic or non-GMO products," said Mark A. Kastel, Co-Director of Wisconsin-based Cornucopia. "And the industrial food lobby is fully cognizant of this - that's why they're fighting like hell against this grassroots effort."

Large food companies who oppose GMO labeling have already admitted to reporters that if they are required to label their products in California as containing GMOs, they are not likely to try to hide this fact in the other 49 states and Canada. Just as in the European Union-where mandatory GMO labeling has been required by law for over a decade-the USA Titans of Food Inc. will most likely change their product formulations to remove all GMO ingredients, rather than risk tarnishing their brand image by slapping the "skull and crossbones" GMO label on their packages.

"Consumers are increasingly interested in 'voting with their forks,' and many want to support companies that share their values," says Charlotte Vallaeys of the Cornucopia Institute. "But consumers may not realize that many organic and 'natural' brands are owned by the very same corporations that are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each, or even millions, in an effort to scuttle Proposition 37 in California."

We need to send a clear message to these traitor brands, in the only language they understand: lost profits and lower sales.  Today, the Organic Consumers Association and Mercola.com are formally calling for a global boycott of the following organic and "natural" brands:

*    Kashi (owned by Kellogg, which has contributed $632,000 to defeat Proposition 337). Kashi's so-called "natural" breakfast cereals have tested positive for the presence of GMOs. Kellogg also owns the "natural" brands Bear Naked and Morningstar Farms.

*    Silk soymilk (owned by the nation's largest dairy, Dean Foods, which has contributed $253,000 to the effort to kill Proposition 37). Dean Foods also owns White Wave Tofu and Horizon milk and dairy products.

*    R.W. Knudsen (owned by Smucker, which has contributed $388,000 to defeat proposition 37). Smucker also owns Santa Cruz Organic.

*    Cascadian Farm (owned by General Mills, which has contributed $520,000 to defeat proposition 37). General Mills also owns Larabar and Muir Glen.

*    Honest Tea (owned by Coca-Cola which has contributed $1,164,400 to defeat Proposition 37). Coca-Cola also owns Odwalla.

*    Naked Juice (owned by PepsiCo which has contributed $1,716,300 to defeat Proposition 37). PepsiCo also owns Tostito's Organic and Tropicana Organic.

*   "O" Organics (Safeway's private label line of organic foods). Safeway, like other "No on 37" companies, is a dues-paying member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which has contributed $375,000 to defeat Prop 37.

Boycott these brands - the BETRAYERS of our right to know. Help make sure their betrayal of consumers affects their bottom line. Please go to their Facebook pages and tell them what you think of their hypocrisy, or call their consumer response lines. Companies like Kashi/Kellogg and Muir Glen/General Mills are already deluged with complaints on their Facebook pages - let's turn up the heat!

For a more complete list of organic and natural food "traitor" or "collaborator" brands that are subsidiaries of Big Ag companies opposing Prop 37 see: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_26023.cfm

For a pie chart of biotech and Big Food corporations trying to kill Prop 37, as well as a separate pie chart of those supporting Yes on Prop 37 see: http://organicconsumersfund.org/label/prop-37-funders.cfm

The Big Picture: Passing Prop 37 is the Key to Rapidly Expanding the Organic Food and Farming Alternative in North America

Although many organic consumers and natural health activists already understand the importance of Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, it cannot be overemphasized that the battle over Prop 37 is the most important food fight in a generation. Once GMO foods and food ingredients are labeled, once it's illegal to label or market GMO-tainted foods as "natural" or "all natural," millions of consumers will demand non-GMO alternatives, and organic and non-GMO food sales will dramatically increase. This will have a positive influence on human and environmental health.

After decades of hard work and grassroots public education, the organic and natural health community has built up a $32-billion organic food and farming industry. This consumer and small farmer-driven movement, under steady attack by biotech and Big Food lobbyists, with little or no help from the federal government, has managed to create a healthy and sustainable alternative to America's disastrous chemical and energy-intensive system of industrial agriculture. Consumer demand and the "organic" label are the driving forces behind strong organic sales. Conscious of the health hazards of genetic engineering and chemical agriculture, and the mortal threat of global warming and climate change, millions of Americans are demanding food and other products that are certified and labeled organic.

It's a hopeful sign that, in spite of economic recession, organic foods now make up 4.2% of all grocery store sales. However given the magnitude of the country's public health, environmental, and climate crisis, 10% annual growth in the organic sector is simply not enough to reach the proverbial "tipping point" before our current crisis metastasizes into what can only be described as a catastrophe.

In our food purchases, we simply cannot continue to hand over 90% of our consumer dollars to out-of-control biotech, chemical-intensive, energy-intensive, greenhouse gas-polluting corporations, and "profit-at-any-cost" retail chains. In addition we must stop buying organic or "natural" products that are sold by the wholly owned subsidiaries corporations that are trying to prevent us from knowing if our food products are genetically engineered. Truth-in-labeling and the growth of the Organic Alternative are literally a matter of survival. After two decades of biotech bullying and force-feeding unlabeled and hazardous genetically engineered foods to animals and humans, it's time to move beyond defensive measures - such as petitioning the FDA - and go on the offensive.  With organic farming, climate stability, and public health under the gun of the gene engineers and their partners in crime, it's time to do more than complain. With over 1/3 of U.S. cropland already contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with mounting scientific evidence that GMOs cause cancer, birth defects, and serious food allergies, and with new biotech mutants like alfalfa, lawn grass, ethanol-ready corn, 2,4 D-resistant crops, and genetically engineered trees and animals being fast-tracked for approval by the government - with absolutely no pre-market safety-testing - time is running out.

The burning question for us all then becomes how - and how quickly - can we move healthy, organic products from a 4.2% market niche, to the dominant force in American food and farming?

The first step is to demand truthful labels on so-called "natural" products and GMO labels on all foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. Nearly 80% of non-organic processed foods, including so-called "natural" foods, contain genetically engineered bacteria, viruses, antibiotic-resistant genes, and foreign DNA. Yet none of these foods are labeled. No wonder only 30% of Americans realize they're probably eating GMOs on a regular basis.

Health-minded and environmentally conscious consumers actually buy more products marketed or labeled as "natural" ($50 billion a year) than they do organic ($32 billion), in large part because they don't understand the major difference between organic and "natural" foods, and that many, if not most, processed foods marketed as "natural" actual contain GMOs. For example, two-thirds of the foods sold in Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's are not organic, but rather "natural." Polls indicate that consumers are confused about the qualitative difference between organic and natural products, with a near majority believing that "natural" means "GMO-free" and "almost organic."

Once unscrupulous food processors or supermarket chains can no longer label or market GMO-tainted foods as "natural," once they are required to paint the "skull and crossbones," of "produced through genetic engineering" on the label, consumers will be able to make a conscious choice whether they want to buy organic, natural, or GMO foods.

It's time to put an end to the massive fraud of mislabeled, so-called "natural" foods, and take back our right to know what's in our food. Since the federal government and the White House have morphed into faithful minions of Monsanto and Big Ag, they don't seem to care that 90% of Americans want mandatory labeling of GMOs. That's why OCA and Mercola.com, as well as a number of leading organic companies and allied activists have decided to bypass Washington politicians and allow California voters to determine whether GMO foods will be labeled or not.

It's time for all of us who care about an organic and sustainable future to close ranks and actively support the Nov. 6th California Ballot Initiative (Proposition 37). Over 1000 organizations, organic companies and retail stores have already endorsed the campaign.

More than just formal endorsements, however, we need GMO right-to-know supporters to put their money where their values lie. The two largest contributors to support Yes on Proposition 37 thus far are Mercola.com ($800,000) and the Organic Consumers Fund, the organizational lobbying ally of the Organic Consumers Association ($720,000). Other major donors so far include: Nature's Path, Lundberg Family Farms, Dr. Bronner's, Nutiva, Eden Foods, Organic Valley, Amy's Kitchen, Michael Funk (CEO of UNFI), and Traditional Medicinals, among others.  In addition over 15,000 individual organic consumers and farmers have contributed to the campaign thus far.

So please step up to the plate and make a donation now to the Organic Consumers Fund to support the California Ballot Initiative and other state GMO labeling efforts.

Even if you've already donated, please consider making an additional donation.

http://organicconsumersfund.org/donate/

Friends and Enemies of Your Right to Know

  • By Ronnie Cummins, OCA Director
    Organic Consumers Association, August 23, 2012
In recent weeks, several public interest groups, including the Organic Consumers Association, Cornucopia Institute, Mercola.com, and Natural News, have pointed out the gross hypocrisy and greed of large food and beverage corporations which profit from the sale of billions of dollars of their proprietary organic and "natural" food brands while at the same time funneling large sums of money to the Monsanto-led campaign to defeat the November 6th GMO labeling ballot initiative (Proposition 37) in Califor nia. These organic and "natural" traitor companies and brands include: 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); and PepsiCo (Naked Juice, Tostito's Organic, Tropicana Organic).

California's Prop 37 will not only require labels on genetically engineered foods, but will also ban the fraudulent (and highly profitable) industry practice of marketing GMO-tainted foods as "natural."  Big Biotech and Big Food corporations already have dumped $25 million dollars into defeating Prop 37. The "Yes on 37" campaign has raised only $3 million so far, in part because most of the wealthy organic elite (Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, Stonyfield, etc.) are still sitting on the sidelines.

If the Nov. 6th GMO right-to-know ballot initiative (Prop 37), currently supported by the overwhelming majority of voters, passes in California - the eighth largest economy in the world - it will have the same impact across the United States as a national law.

"Just as we've observed in Europe, where labeling of food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is mandatory, we fully expect that when given a choice, consumers will choose organic or non-GMO products," said Mark A. Kastel, Co-Director of Wisconsin-based Cornucopia. "And the industrial food lobby is fully cognizant of this - that's why they're fighting like hell against this grassroots effort."

Large food companies who oppose GMO labeling have already admitted to reporters that if they are required to label their products in California as containing GMOs, they are not likely to try to hide this fact in the other 49 states and Canada. Just as in the European Union-where mandatory GMO labeling has been required by law for over a decade-the USA Titans of Food Inc. will most likely change their product formulations to remove all GMO ingredients, rather than risk tarnishing their brand image by slapping the "skull and crossbones" GMO label on their packages.

"Consumers are increasingly interested in 'voting with their forks,' and many want to support companies that share their values," says Charlotte Vallaeys of the Cornucopia Institute. "But consumers may not realize that many organic and 'natural' brands are owned by the very same corporations that are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each, or even millions, in an effort to scuttle Proposition 37 in California."

We need to send a clear message to these traitor brands, in the only language they understand: lost profits and lower sales.  Today, the Organic Consumers Association and Mercola.com are formally calling for a global boycott of the following organic and "natural" brands:

*    Kashi (owned by Kellogg, which has contributed $632,000 to defeat Proposition 337). Kashi's so-called "natural" breakfast cereals have tested positive for the presence of GMOs. Kellogg also owns the "natural" brands Bear Naked and Morningstar Farms.

*    Silk soymilk (owned by the nation's largest dairy, Dean Foods, which has contributed $253,000 to the effort to kill Proposition 37). Dean Foods also owns White Wave Tofu and Horizon milk and dairy products.

*    R.W. Knudsen (owned by Smucker, which has contributed $388,000 to defeat proposition 37). Smucker also owns Santa Cruz Organic.

*    Cascadian Farm (owned by General Mills, which has contributed $520,000 to defeat proposition 37). General Mills also owns Larabar and Muir Glen.

*    Honest Tea (owned by Coca-Cola which has contributed $1,164,400 to defeat Proposition 37). Coca-Cola also owns Odwalla.

*    Naked Juice (owned by PepsiCo which has contributed $1,716,300 to defeat Proposition 37). PepsiCo also owns Tostito's Organic and Tropicana Organic.

*   "O" Organics (Safeway's private label line of organic foods). Safeway, like other "No on 37" companies, is a dues-paying member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which has contributed $375,000 to defeat Prop 37.

Boycott these brands - the BETRAYERS of our right to know. Help make sure their betrayal of consumers affects their bottom line. Please go to their Facebook pages and tell them what you think of their hypocrisy, or call their consumer response lines. Companies like Kashi/Kellogg and Muir Glen/General Mills are already deluged with complaints on their Facebook pages - let's turn up the heat!

For a more complete list of organic and natural food "traitor" or "collaborator" brands that are subsidiaries of Big Ag companies opposing Prop 37 see: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_26023.cfm

For a pie chart of biotech and Big Food corporations trying to kill Prop 37, as well as a separate pie chart of those supporting Yes on Prop 37 see: http://organicconsumersfund.org/label/prop-37-funders.cfm

The Big Picture: Passing Prop 37 is the Key to Rapidly Expanding the Organic Food and Farming Alternative in North America

Although many organic consumers and natural health activists already understand the importance of Prop 37, the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, it cannot be overemphasized that the battle over Prop 37 is the most important food fight in a generation. Once GMO foods and food ingredients are labeled, once it's illegal to label or market GMO-tainted foods as "natural" or "all natural," millions of consumers will demand non-GMO alternatives, and organic and non-GMO food sales will dramatically increase. This will have a positive influence on human and environmental health.

After decades of hard work and grassroots public education, the organic and natural health community has built up a $32-billion organic food and farming industry. This consumer and small farmer-driven movement, under steady attack by biotech and Big Food lobbyists, with little or no help from the federal government, has managed to create a healthy and sustainable alternative to America's disastrous chemical and energy-intensive system of industrial agriculture. Consumer demand and the "organic" label are the driving forces behind strong organic sales. Conscious of the health hazards of genetic engineering and chemical agriculture, and the mortal threat of global warming and climate change, millions of Americans are demanding food and other products that are certified and labeled organic.

It's a hopeful sign that, in spite of economic recession, organic foods now make up 4.2% of all grocery store sales. However given the magnitude of the country's public health, environmental, and climate crisis, 10% annual growth in the organic sector is simply not enough to reach the proverbial "tipping point" before our current crisis metastasizes into what can only be described as a catastrophe.

In our food purchases, we simply cannot continue to hand over 90% of our consumer dollars to out-of-control biotech, chemical-intensive, energy-intensive, greenhouse gas-polluting corporations, and "profit-at-any-cost" retail chains. In addition we must stop buying organic or "natural" products that are sold by the wholly owned subsidiaries corporations that are trying to prevent us from knowing if our food products are genetically engineered. Truth-in-labeling and the growth of the Organic Alternative are literally a matter of survival. After two decades of biotech bullying and force-feeding unlabeled and hazardous genetically engineered foods to animals and humans, it's time to move beyond defensive measures - such as petitioning the FDA - and go on the offensive.  With organic farming, climate stability, and public health under the gun of the gene engineers and their partners in crime, it's time to do more than complain. With over 1/3 of U.S. cropland already contaminated with genetically modified organisms (GMOs), with mounting scientific evidence that GMOs cause cancer, birth defects, and serious food allergies, and with new biotech mutants like alfalfa, lawn grass, ethanol-ready corn, 2,4 D-resistant crops, and genetically engineered trees and animals being fast-tracked for approval by the government - with absolutely no pre-market safety-testing - time is running out.

The burning question for us all then becomes how - and how quickly - can we move healthy, organic products from a 4.2% market niche, to the dominant force in American food and farming?

The first step is to demand truthful labels on so-called "natural" products and GMO labels on all foods containing genetically engineered ingredients. Nearly 80% of non-organic processed foods, including so-called "natural" foods, contain genetically engineered bacteria, viruses, antibiotic-resistant genes, and foreign DNA. Yet none of these foods are labeled. No wonder only 30% of Americans realize they're probably eating GMOs on a regular basis.

Health-minded and environmentally conscious consumers actually buy more products marketed or labeled as "natural" ($50 billion a year) than they do organic ($32 billion), in large part because they don't understand the major difference between organic and "natural" foods, and that many, if not most, processed foods marketed as "natural" actual contain GMOs. For example, two-thirds of the foods sold in Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe's are not organic, but rather "natural." Polls indicate that consumers are confused about the qualitative difference between organic and natural products, with a near majority believing that "natural" means "GMO-free" and "almost organic."

Once unscrupulous food processors or supermarket chains can no longer label or market GMO-tainted foods as "natural," once they are required to paint the "skull and crossbones," of "produced through genetic engineering" on the label, consumers will be able to make a conscious choice whether they want to buy organic, natural, or GMO foods.

It's time to put an end to the massive fraud of mislabeled, so-called "natural" foods, and take back our right to know what's in our food. Since the federal government and the White House have morphed into faithful minions of Monsanto and Big Ag, they don't seem to care that 90% of Americans want mandatory labeling of GMOs. That's why OCA and Mercola.com, as well as a number of leading organic companies and allied activists have decided to bypass Washington politicians and allow California voters to determine whether GMO foods will be labeled or not.

It's time for all of us who care about an organic and sustainable future to close ranks and actively support the Nov. 6th California Ballot Initiative (Proposition 37). Over 1000 organizations, organic companies and retail stores have already endorsed the campaign.

More than just formal endorsements, however, we need GMO right-to-know supporters to put their money where their values lie. The two largest contributors to support Yes on Proposition 37 thus far are Mercola.com ($800,000) and the Organic Consumers Fund, the organizational lobbying ally of the Organic Consumers Association ($720,000). Other major donors so far include: Nature's Path, Lundberg Family Farms, Dr. Bronner's, Nutiva, Eden Foods, Organic Valley, Amy's Kitchen, Michael Funk (CEO of UNFI), and Traditional Medicinals, among others.  In addition over 15,000 individual organic consumers and farmers have contributed to the campaign thus far.

So please step up to the plate and make a donation now to the Organic Consumers Fund to support the California Ballot Initiative and other state GMO labeling efforts.

Even if you've already donated, please consider making an additional donation.

http://organicconsumersfund.org/donate/

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Fluoride Used by Nazis to Sterilize Inmates and Make Them Docile

Fluoride Used by Nazis to Sterilize Inmates and Make Them Docile

What's up with CORN?

What's up with CORN?

Facts - Yes on Prop 37

The Daily Messenger: Facts - Yes on Prop 37: Why Labeling GMOs is Important What is Proposition 37? Proposition 37 is a common-sense November ballot measure that will help consumers ...

Facts - Yes on Prop 37

The Daily Messenger: Facts - Yes on Prop 37: Why Labeling GMOs is Important What is Proposition 37? Proposition 37 is a common-sense November ballot measure that will help consumers ...

Vote Yes on Prop 37

The Daily Messenger: Vote Yes on Prop 37

Vote Yes on Prop 37

The Daily Messenger: Vote Yes on Prop 37

Saturday, October 13, 2012

The Daily Messenger: Welcome to the Honest Food Guide

The Daily Messenger: Welcome to the Honest Food Guide: http://www.honestfoodguide.org/ download this easy to understand chart and keep yourself and your family healthy and free from sickness....

The Daily Messenger: Welcome to the Honest Food Guide

The Daily Messenger: Welcome to the Honest Food Guide: http://www.honestfoodguide.org/ download this easy to understand chart and keep yourself and your family healthy and free from sickness....

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

City of Toronto destroys free community food garden, replaces it with useless grass

(NaturalNews) Less than a day before it was set to be fully harvested, a community food garden planted by "Occupy Gardens" volunteers in Queens Park, Toronto, back in May was forcibly destroyed and removed by City of Toronto workers in what appears to have been an act of spiteful, "Big Brother" oppression. Toronto Media Co-op (TMC) reports that Toronto officials timed the destruction of the garden to occur the night before a planned event known as "Autumn Jam: A Harvest Party," which was advertised as an act of civil disobedience in support of food sovereignty.

Back on May 1, Occupy Gardens and its allies reportedly planted the garden, which they dubbed "People's Peas Garden," with the intent of creating a massive public demonstration in support of food freedom and sovereignty. With both unemployment and food costs on the rise, and more people than ever reliant on the government for food assistance in order to survive, Occupy Gardens had hoped to create a place where anyone could come and harvest food for free from public land.

But Toronto officials, presumably behind closed doors, conspired to eliminate People's Peas Garden before the culmination of its harvest could be fully realized. On the evening of September 28, workers were observed uprooting scores of fresh produce and dumping it into taxpayer-funded city vehicles to be hauled off to the landfill. And in its place, workers laid over fresh sod, which serves absolutely no purpose, especially during tough economic times such as these.

"We are experiencing a 'glocal' food crisis, where more and more people are lining up at food banks for kraft (sic) dinner and peanut butter, waiting lists for community gardens are growing, food prices rising, and our leaders are nowhere to be seen," writes Jacob Kearey-Moreland for TMC. "Rather, they are hiding behind their desks ordering the workers to destroy whatever hope we have left."

You can view images of the destruction of People's Peas Garden as it was taking place here:
http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/13169

The Autumn Jam reportedly went on as planned, but without the garden that had been carefully cultivated for nearly five months as its focal point. And just a week earlier, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reportedly stomped out and destroyed another community garden planted at Ottawa's Parliament Hill. During this occasion, police actually threatened to arrest garden volunteers that were onsite, before finally overlaying the edible plot with sod.

You can view photos of the Occupy Gardens Autumn Jam: A Harvest Party here: http://www.flickr.com

Sources for this article include:

http://toronto.mediacoop.ca/newsrelease/13169

http://www.facebook.com/events/414496608609039/

Rules You Should Follow To Avoid Eating GMOs

The Rules To Follow

1) Stay away from anything that has soy, because 99.9% of the soy that is produced in this country is genetically modified.

2) If you see an ingredient with anything that says “hydrogenated (fill in the blank)” do not eat this product. The genetic structure has been scientifically altered, and is something that your body does not recognize. (EG Skippy Peanut Butter)

3) Stay away from anything with artificial sweeteners, as this is legal poison. For example: Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharine, Splenda.

4) High Fructose Corn Syrup is something you should stay away from at all cost, as it is another form of genetically modified sweetener that not only makes you fat, but more so messes with your hormones.

5) Avoid Pepsi and Kraft foods. They use human fetal tissue (aborted babies sold to them by clinics) in their soft drinks and processed foods.

Rules You Should Follow To Avoid Eating GMOs

The Rules To Follow

1) Stay away from anything that has soy, because 99.9% of the soy that is produced in this country is genetically modified.

2) If you see an ingredient with anything that says “hydrogenated (fill in the blank)” do not eat this product. The genetic structure has been scientifically altered, and is something that your body does not recognize. (EG Skippy Peanut Butter)

3) Stay away from anything with artificial sweeteners, as this is legal poison. For example: Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharine, Splenda.

4) High Fructose Corn Syrup is something you should stay away from at all cost, as it is another form of genetically modified sweetener that not only makes you fat, but more so messes with your hormones.

5) Avoid Pepsi and Kraft foods. They use human fetal tissue (aborted babies sold to them by clinics) in their soft drinks and processed foods.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Whole Foods shoppers have been betrayed

Imagine the shock of brutal reality when Whole Foods shoppers learn the truth. They will be appalled. They will feel lied to... betrayed. Wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be a place of TRUST? Where the food could be trusted? Where people don't have to conduct their own investigations of all the ingredients because Whole Foods has already done that for them? Isn't that why people are willing to pay a premium for the groceries they buy at Whole Foods?

It turns out that Whole Foods sells a surprising amount of the same GMO-infested processed junk foods that you can buy everywhere else: Safeway, Kroger, etc. It's all emblazoned with the "Natural!" claim, of course, which usually means "Contains GMOs" because the word "natural" has absolutely no regulatory meaning whatsoever. And instead of doing something about it, Whole Foods CEO Mackey just says GMOs are "pervasive" as if there's nothing that can be done about it. Does he not understand that Whole Foods could simply refuse to BUY foods containing GMOs?

Does Mackey not realize that if he had listened to Ronnie Cummins two years ago, his company wouldn't be in this P.R. nightmare right now, with its own employees caught lying about the genetically modified foods sold by Whole Foods? When corporate giants fail to listen to intelligent critics, they only end up destroying themselves, of course. And Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM) may yet see extreme losses to investors and shareholders if it doesn't get in front of this GMO issue immediately.

If I owned any stock in Whole Foods -- which I don't, of course -- I would be SELLING it like mad right now... especially since I have a fairly good idea of what's yet to come out about Whole Foods. It's hard-hitting, I tell you. Their P.R. train wreck is about to get much worse before the November vote on Proposition 37. (There is a solution Whole Foods could immediately embrace to end all this, by the way. Simply announce a $2 million donation to Prop 37 and all the critics are immediately silenced. Problem solved.)

Introducing WholeSanto, the genetically modified corporate logo

All this also means that Whole Foods is a huge indirect financial supporter of Monsanto through the food supply chain. Whole Foods takes money from customers who buy things, then it sends that money to food producers who, in turn, send that money to farmers growing GM crops. Those farmers, of course, send that money to Monsanto for genetically modified seeds. So buying these GMO products from Whole Foods is essentially stuffing dollars into the pocket of Monsanto.

That's why I developed the following image, which I call a "genetically modified corporate logo." It's a hybrid, actually, of Whole Foods and Monsanto:



Feel free to use this image to your heart's delight. It's all done as Free Speech satire for purposes of education and commentary in the public interest.

No excuse

Now, what makes all this really special is that Whole Foods flatly refuses to accurately label the products it sells as containing genetically engineered ingredients. So you, the Whole Foods shoppers, don't even have an informed CHOICE about what to buy. Whole Foods is anti-choice, in other words, when it comes to GMOs. It's all about just hiding the GMOs inside "natural" foods and then hoping their customers are stupid enough to not know any better. (Which, shockingly, turns out to be largely true as you'll see in a follow-up article. The vast majority of Whole Foods shoppers are currently clueless about GMOs. That's about to radically change, however...)

In its attempted defense, Whole Foods says it cannot label other companies' products. This is a cop-out, of course. Much like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods has the retailing muscle to make precisely such demands of its product suppliers. If Whole Foods announced, for example, that all the products it carries must be accurately labeled with their GMO content by January 1, 2014, nearly everyone would comply. But no such announcement has ever been made by Whole Foods. Instead of demanding that products tell the truth, Whole Foods seems smugly satisfied with its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy of looking the other way on deceptively labeled foods.

And so far that formula of deception has worked. Not only are many Whole Foods customers totally ignorant about this fact, but as the Organic Spies video recently showed, Whole Foods employees are also outrageously misinformed about GMOs, too. Many Whole Foods employees literally looked right into the camera and said, with a straight face, things like, "Whole Foods sells NO GMOs whatsoever."

Really? Are they seriously that ignorant of the products they're stocking on the shelves and helping customers purchase?

Now, granted, Whole Foods is a large company with tens of thousands of employees. You can't expect every employee to know everything, of course, but this issue of GMOs is the No. 1 concern among informed consumers. It's number one, folks. There is nothing else more important to them right now. So how can Whole Foods fail to at least release a memo to its employees on the number one health concern sweeping America right now?

What this failure reveals is that Whole Foods practices a cover-up culture. It's almost a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy about GMOs. It's the shhhhh! secret at Whole Foods. Don't talk about it! Don't ask questions about it! And for God's sake don't label it! Because the truth would freak out all our customers! How dare you even ask about this? Hush! Hush!

Whole Foods has built itself on a treacherous lie

And so Whole Foods has built itself on a terrible lie: Whole Foods sells masses of products made with Monsanto's genetically modified corn -- the very same strain of corn that French researchers linked to horrifying cancer tumors in rats.

It's only a matter of time, of course, before more and more Whole Foods customers figure this out. And as they do, the tide of anger against Whole Foods will continue to gain steam. There will be outrage. There will be protests. There will be masses of people returning products to Whole Foods and demanding their money back.

In fact, that day has already been scheduled. It's October 16th, the "take your GMO junk back" day -- actually known as "World Food Day" -- where Whole Foods customers are being encouraged to return masses of GMO products they purchased at whole foods.

Much more coming soon

Folks, you have no idea what's about to hit the 'net regarding Whole Foods over the next three weeks. I can tell you it is the most hard-hitting tidal wave of grassroots activism I've ever seen in my ten years of writing about the natural health industry. By the time this is over, people will be dressing up as Whole Foods for Halloween because it's so scary to shop there.

And it's not just Natural News that's openly and justifiably criticizing Whole Foods in the public interest. It's a long list of grassroots activists, all doing their own thing, completely decentralized and individually motivated for their own reasons. You are about to witness a REVOLT against Whole Foods, the likes of which you have never witnessed before, and this revolt has no leader! It's everyone who feels betrayed by Whole Foods and wants this company to change -- IMMEDIATELY!

Because behind closed doors, even all of us who are criticizing Whole Foods secretly hope the company sees the light and comes out in support of Proposition 37 and GMO labeling. After all, Whole Foods is worth saving. Myself and countless others would love to return there one day and start shopping there again, and we'd love to publish words of praise instead of criticism. I've even written glowing reviews of Whole Foods in the past, and I'd like to do it again. But we won't do it if the company hides behind deceptive labels and fails to do the right thing on GMOs.

I believe this is a do-or-die moment for Whole Foods. History in the making. If this company doesn't come out in support of Proposition 37 in a huge way, I think Whole Foods is done for, and I think we will see it abandoned by its customers and then end in a downward spiral of bankruptcy. I don't want to see that happen, though. Like I said, Whole Foods is worth saving. The question is: Will Whole Foods take the necessary actions to save itself? Or will its arrogance prove to be its undoing?

Whole Foods shoppers have been betrayed

Imagine the shock of brutal reality when Whole Foods shoppers learn the truth. They will be appalled. They will feel lied to... betrayed. Wasn't Whole Foods supposed to be a place of TRUST? Where the food could be trusted? Where people don't have to conduct their own investigations of all the ingredients because Whole Foods has already done that for them? Isn't that why people are willing to pay a premium for the groceries they buy at Whole Foods?

It turns out that Whole Foods sells a surprising amount of the same GMO-infested processed junk foods that you can buy everywhere else: Safeway, Kroger, etc. It's all emblazoned with the "Natural!" claim, of course, which usually means "Contains GMOs" because the word "natural" has absolutely no regulatory meaning whatsoever. And instead of doing something about it, Whole Foods CEO Mackey just says GMOs are "pervasive" as if there's nothing that can be done about it. Does he not understand that Whole Foods could simply refuse to BUY foods containing GMOs?

Does Mackey not realize that if he had listened to Ronnie Cummins two years ago, his company wouldn't be in this P.R. nightmare right now, with its own employees caught lying about the genetically modified foods sold by Whole Foods? When corporate giants fail to listen to intelligent critics, they only end up destroying themselves, of course. And Whole Foods Market, Inc. (WFM) may yet see extreme losses to investors and shareholders if it doesn't get in front of this GMO issue immediately.

If I owned any stock in Whole Foods -- which I don't, of course -- I would be SELLING it like mad right now... especially since I have a fairly good idea of what's yet to come out about Whole Foods. It's hard-hitting, I tell you. Their P.R. train wreck is about to get much worse before the November vote on Proposition 37. (There is a solution Whole Foods could immediately embrace to end all this, by the way. Simply announce a $2 million donation to Prop 37 and all the critics are immediately silenced. Problem solved.)

Introducing WholeSanto, the genetically modified corporate logo

All this also means that Whole Foods is a huge indirect financial supporter of Monsanto through the food supply chain. Whole Foods takes money from customers who buy things, then it sends that money to food producers who, in turn, send that money to farmers growing GM crops. Those farmers, of course, send that money to Monsanto for genetically modified seeds. So buying these GMO products from Whole Foods is essentially stuffing dollars into the pocket of Monsanto.

That's why I developed the following image, which I call a "genetically modified corporate logo." It's a hybrid, actually, of Whole Foods and Monsanto:



Feel free to use this image to your heart's delight. It's all done as Free Speech satire for purposes of education and commentary in the public interest.

No excuse

Now, what makes all this really special is that Whole Foods flatly refuses to accurately label the products it sells as containing genetically engineered ingredients. So you, the Whole Foods shoppers, don't even have an informed CHOICE about what to buy. Whole Foods is anti-choice, in other words, when it comes to GMOs. It's all about just hiding the GMOs inside "natural" foods and then hoping their customers are stupid enough to not know any better. (Which, shockingly, turns out to be largely true as you'll see in a follow-up article. The vast majority of Whole Foods shoppers are currently clueless about GMOs. That's about to radically change, however...)

In its attempted defense, Whole Foods says it cannot label other companies' products. This is a cop-out, of course. Much like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods has the retailing muscle to make precisely such demands of its product suppliers. If Whole Foods announced, for example, that all the products it carries must be accurately labeled with their GMO content by January 1, 2014, nearly everyone would comply. But no such announcement has ever been made by Whole Foods. Instead of demanding that products tell the truth, Whole Foods seems smugly satisfied with its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy of looking the other way on deceptively labeled foods.

And so far that formula of deception has worked. Not only are many Whole Foods customers totally ignorant about this fact, but as the Organic Spies video recently showed, Whole Foods employees are also outrageously misinformed about GMOs, too. Many Whole Foods employees literally looked right into the camera and said, with a straight face, things like, "Whole Foods sells NO GMOs whatsoever."

Really? Are they seriously that ignorant of the products they're stocking on the shelves and helping customers purchase?

Now, granted, Whole Foods is a large company with tens of thousands of employees. You can't expect every employee to know everything, of course, but this issue of GMOs is the No. 1 concern among informed consumers. It's number one, folks. There is nothing else more important to them right now. So how can Whole Foods fail to at least release a memo to its employees on the number one health concern sweeping America right now?

What this failure reveals is that Whole Foods practices a cover-up culture. It's almost a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy about GMOs. It's the shhhhh! secret at Whole Foods. Don't talk about it! Don't ask questions about it! And for God's sake don't label it! Because the truth would freak out all our customers! How dare you even ask about this? Hush! Hush!

Whole Foods has built itself on a treacherous lie

And so Whole Foods has built itself on a terrible lie: Whole Foods sells masses of products made with Monsanto's genetically modified corn -- the very same strain of corn that French researchers linked to horrifying cancer tumors in rats.

It's only a matter of time, of course, before more and more Whole Foods customers figure this out. And as they do, the tide of anger against Whole Foods will continue to gain steam. There will be outrage. There will be protests. There will be masses of people returning products to Whole Foods and demanding their money back.

In fact, that day has already been scheduled. It's October 16th, the "take your GMO junk back" day -- actually known as "World Food Day" -- where Whole Foods customers are being encouraged to return masses of GMO products they purchased at whole foods.

Much more coming soon

Folks, you have no idea what's about to hit the 'net regarding Whole Foods over the next three weeks. I can tell you it is the most hard-hitting tidal wave of grassroots activism I've ever seen in my ten years of writing about the natural health industry. By the time this is over, people will be dressing up as Whole Foods for Halloween because it's so scary to shop there.

And it's not just Natural News that's openly and justifiably criticizing Whole Foods in the public interest. It's a long list of grassroots activists, all doing their own thing, completely decentralized and individually motivated for their own reasons. You are about to witness a REVOLT against Whole Foods, the likes of which you have never witnessed before, and this revolt has no leader! It's everyone who feels betrayed by Whole Foods and wants this company to change -- IMMEDIATELY!

Because behind closed doors, even all of us who are criticizing Whole Foods secretly hope the company sees the light and comes out in support of Proposition 37 and GMO labeling. After all, Whole Foods is worth saving. Myself and countless others would love to return there one day and start shopping there again, and we'd love to publish words of praise instead of criticism. I've even written glowing reviews of Whole Foods in the past, and I'd like to do it again. But we won't do it if the company hides behind deceptive labels and fails to do the right thing on GMOs.

I believe this is a do-or-die moment for Whole Foods. History in the making. If this company doesn't come out in support of Proposition 37 in a huge way, I think Whole Foods is done for, and I think we will see it abandoned by its customers and then end in a downward spiral of bankruptcy. I don't want to see that happen, though. Like I said, Whole Foods is worth saving. The question is: Will Whole Foods take the necessary actions to save itself? Or will its arrogance prove to be its undoing?

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

EDTA Chelation

The Real "Miracle" Therapy for Vascular Disease
The story of EDTA chelation therapy is as much political as it is medical. Consider these facts:
  • EDTA chelation may be one of the most effective, least expensive, and safest treatments for heart disease ever developed, yet it is practiced by perhaps only 2,000 physicians in the United States.
  • EDTA chelation is not typically covered by medical insurance, even though insurance companies would save billions of dollars each year if they did.
  • Although they save far more lives than conventional treatments for heart disease and other chronic degenerative diseases at a fraction of the cost, physicians who practice and promote EDTA chelation for these uses have been harassed, vilified, smeared, and, in some cases, driven from their profession by powerful medical societies and government agencies that practice and promote conventional medical treatments.
What Is EDTA Chelation?
EDTA chelation is a therapy by which repeated administrations of a weak synthetic amino acid (EDTA, ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid) gradually reduce atherosclerotic plaque and other mineral deposits throughout the cardiovascular system by literally dissolving them away.
EDTA chelation has frequently been compared to a "Roto-Rooter" in the cardiovascular system, because it removes plaque and returns the arterial system to a smooth, healthy, pre-atherosclerotic state. A better metaphor might be "Liquid-Plumr," because, where Roto-Rooter violently scrapes deposits off the interior surfaces of your plumbing with a rapidly rotating blade, Liquid-Plumr simply dissolves them away.
Roto-Rooter is a far better metaphor for conventional medical treatments for heart disease, all of which are closely tied to the concept of the cardiovascular system as plumbing. When a pipe/artery gets clogged, simply ream it out or flatten the deposits (angioplasty). If that doesn't work, just cut away the bad section(s) and replace it (them) with a new piece of pipe (coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG). It's the same basic strategy older cities use for replacing their century-old water mains. And we know how successful that is!
"Because EDTA is so effective at removing unwanted minerals and metals from the blood, it has been the standard 'FDA-approved' treatment for lead, mercury, aluminum and cadmium poisoning for more than 50 years."
CABG, known affectionately in the medical profession as "cabbage," is the most frequently performed surgery in the United States. At up to $50,000 per procedure, that indeed amounts to a lot of "cabbage," not only for cardiac surgeons but also for hospitals. As we shall see, these figures provide a powerful incentive for physicians to reject an effective, but inexpensive and unpatentable treatment like EDTA chelation.
It is commonplace for physicians who regularly prescribe EDTA chelation to encounter heart disease patients who have failed all the standard treatments but who make remarkable - even unbelievable - recoveries once given EDTA. Other patients, on waiting lists for CABG surgery, found they did not need the surgery following a series of EDTA chelation treatments.
EDTA exerts its beneficial effects on the body because this molecule is extremely proficient at chemically bonding with mineral and metal ions. This bonding process, known as chelation, is a natural and essential physiologic process that goes on constantly in the body. EDTA's chelating abilities make it ideal for many tasks:
  • Because EDTA is so effective at removing unwanted minerals and metals from the blood, it has been the standard "FDA-approved" treatment for lead, mercury, aluminum and cadmium poisoning for more than 50 years. EDTA normalizes the distribution of most metallic elements in the body.
  • Because it is so safe and effective, EDTA is also used widely as a stabilizer for packaged food. Minute amounts of EDTA (33-800 PPM) added to food help to preserve flavor and color and to retard spoilage and rancidity. (Read your food labels.)
  • Because EDTA inhibits blood clotting so well, it is routinely added to blood samples that are drawn for testing purposes.*
  • EDTA improves calcium and cholesterol metabolism by eliminating metallic catalysts that can damage cell membranes by producing oxygen free radicals.
Thanks to these and probably other effects of EDTA, it has been reported to have a wide variety of benefits.
*If you followed the O.J. Simpson trial, you probably know that EDTA was featured prominently. The defense contended that EDTA, supposedly found in certain of "The Juice's" blood drops at the murder scene, indicated that that blood had spent some time in a collection tube before being "planted" by the LAPD. If there was EDTA in Simpson's blood, though, it may well have come from the meal he ate on the plane ride from Chicago to LA. EDTA Chelation vs. Conventional Therapy for Vascular Disease
Researchers first started to notice EDTA in the days during and after World War II when men who worked in battery factories or painted ships with lead-based paint began coming down with lead poisoning from their high exposure in these jobs. EDTA was found to be extremely effective for removing the lead from the men's bodies, but what really made people sit up and take notice was an apparent reduction in symptoms of heart disease in many of these men.
The first systematic study of EDTA in people with atherosclerosis was published in 1956.1 When the researchers gave 20 patients with confirmed heart disease a series of 30 I.V. EDTA treatments, 19 of the patients experienced improvement, as measured by an increase in physical activity. Another study 4 years later in a similar population found that 3 months of EDTA infusions resulted in decreases in the severity and frequency of anginal episodes, reduced use of nitroglycerin (a common anti-angina drug), increased work capacity and improved ECG (electrocardiogram) findings.2
It soon became clear from these and later studies that EDTA treatments result in progressive and widespread improvement and stabilization of cardiovascular function. This is in contrast to standard treatments, such as angioplasty or CABG, which instantaneously restore normal function in the few treated arteries, but leave the rest of the body completely untreated (there's every reason to believe that if arteries are clogged in the heart, they're also clogged in other vital organs, like the kidneys and brain). High-tech treatments for heart disease, such as angioplasty and CABG, long hailed as medical breakthroughs, are in fact, oversold, overpriced, and ineffective, especially when compared with EDTA chelation. The truth of this assertion has been demonstrated on numerous occasions over the last 2 decades:
  • The average mortality for CABG surgery is 4% to 10%.3,4 In fact, CABG has no overall effect on improving survival. According to one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, "As compared with medical therapy, coronary artery bypass surgery appears neither to prolong life nor to prevent myocardial infarction in patients who have mild angina or who are asymptomatic after infarction in the five-year period after coronary angiography."5 By contrast, mortality rates for EDTA chelation, when carried out according to accepted protocols, approaches 0%.6
  • Grafted coronary arteries are more than 10 times as likely to close up again within 3 years compared with coronary arteries that are not replaced with a graft.7 Improved blood flow following EDTA chelation therapy is permanent as long as regular EDTA therapy (either oral or I.V.) is maintained.

  • Significant cerebral dysfunction, especially in older patients, is commonly seen following CABG.8 Because EDTA chelation restores blood flow to the brain, it often results in improved cognition and memory.9
  • Atherosclerosis is typically a body-wide disease. If your coronary arteries are occluded, it's a safe bet that arteries in your brain, kidneys, lungs, and other vital organs are also occluded. Angioplasty or CABG can clean out only a few arteries supplying the heart. Another surgical procedure, endarterectomy, is commonly used to clear out the carotid arteries that supply the brain. When patients who have undergone carotid endarterectomy are treated with EDTA afterwards, the degree of subsequent restenosis (re-occlusion) drops by 10%.10
  • Despite the danger and costs associated with these procedures, they are often only temporary fixes. Restenosis of treated coronary arteries occurs within 6 months in as many as one in three cases.11 By contrast, EDTA chelation permanently removes blood vessel obstructions throughout the body without dangerous and expensive surgery. How well does EDTA chelation work? Virtually every study that has looked at the efficacy of EDTA chelation in vascular disease has demonstrated significant improvements. Here is a brief sampling of a few of the major results:
  • A 1993 meta-analysis of 19 studies of 22,765 patients receiving EDTA chelation therapy for vascular disease found measurable improvement in 87%.12
  • In a study of 2,870 patients with various degrees of degenerative diseases, especially vascular disease, almost 90% of the patients showed excellent improvement, as measured by walking distance, ECG, and Doppler changes.13
  • A small, blinded, crossover study of patients with peripheral vascular disease found significant improvements in walking distance and ankle/brachial blood flow.14
  • In 30 patients with carotid artery stenosis, there was a 30% improvement in blood flow after EDTA treatment.15
  • Using retinal photographs in patients with macular degeneration, one researcher demonstrated significant improvement following EDTA treatment.16
  • EDTA chelation treatment was evaluated in patients with carotid and coronary disease using technetium 99 isotope techniques. Significant improvement in arterial blood flow and ejection fraction (a measure of heart pumping ability) was reported.17,18
  • When 65 patients on the waiting list for CABG surgery for a mean of 6 months were treated with EDTA chelation therapy, the symptoms in 89% (58) improved so much they were able to cancel their surgery. In the same study, of 27 patients recommended for limb amputation due to poor peripheral circulation, EDTA chelation resulted in saving 24 limbs.19
  • Negative Results?
    Of course there have been a few studies that did not (at first) seem to support the efficacy of EDTA chelation therapy. The most prominent apparently well-controlled studies have been two Danish trials 20,21 and a New Zealand trial,22 all of which reported no apparent benefits. A close analysis of these studies, however, revealed problems with both the controls and the interpretation of the data.
    "Because EDTA chelation restores blood flow to the brain, it often results in improved cognition and memory."
    As noted by Chappell and Janson,6 the standard EDTA chelation treatment protocol was not followed in these trials. They all included primarily smokers (notoriously poor responders) with severe vascular disease who received only 20 I.V. treatments. With such patients, 30 to 40 treatments are normally required before a significant effect is typically seen. Although the New Zealand trial was supposedly placebo-controlled, the "placebo" used actually had chelating properties of its own. Thus, the fact that the differences from "placebo" were small is meaningless.
    When the raw data from the New Zealand study were examined, it was found that 26% of the EDTA-treated patients compared with only 12% of the "placebo" controls achieved an improvement of greater than 100% in walking distance; among nonsmokers or smokers who had quit, 66% of the EDTA-treated group increased their walking distance an average of 86% compared with 45% of the controls, who improved by just 56%. Reduced blood flow, as measured by the ankle/brachial index, was found in 6% of the EDTA-treated patients and 35% of the controls. Although the authors of these studies reached negative conclusions, in fact, their data actually supported the use of EDTA chelation.
    How Safe Is EDTA Chelation?
    EDTA, is a safe, nontoxic substance. The LD50 (so called when the dose will kill 50% of experimental animals) for EDTA is 2000 mg/kg body weight, which makes it about 3.5 times less toxic than aspirin. Although the FDA refuses to approve it for treating vascular disease, EDTA chelation has been the approved treatment for lead or other heavy metal poisoning for 50 years. When administered according to the treatment protocol developed by the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), I.V. chelation is more than 300 times safer than CABG surgery. Most side effects of treatment involve minor discomfort (eg, nausea, dizziness, headache) that resolves quickly.
    The greatest risks occur when an infusion is given too rapidly or in too large a dose. These risks virtually vanish when EDTA is administered by a properly trained physician who follows the ACAM protocol. To the extent that oral EDTA is a completely noninvasive therapy, it is even safer than I.V. EDTA.
    I.V. or Oral EDTA?
    Most chelation therapy carried out today involves I.V. administration of EDTA, however, oral EDTA, which has a history at least as long as its I.V. cousin, is an option that is only now starting to be appreciated. Clinical experience suggests that oral chelation provides some, but not all, of the benefits of I.V. therapy. Overall, the difference in benefits is more one of degree and speed than of quality.
    I.V. therapy has a direct and powerful effect on the body almost instantaneously. An I.V. session usually lasts about 3 to 4 hours, during which about 1500 mg to 3000 mg of EDTA (plus vitamin C and other nutrients) are administered. The number of treatments necessary (generally about 20-50 sessions) depends on the individual's condition. Candidates for I.V. chelation are people that have been diagnosed with serious atherosclerosis, heavy metal poisoning, or symptoms of vascular occlusion or significant calcification of tissues. Only about 3% to 8% of an oral dose of EDTA is absorbed, compared with 100% of an I.V. dose. Therefore, the time and dosage required to achieve the same benefits with the oral form are quite different. What can be achieved in only a few hours with I.V. EDTA chelation may take several weeks or months with oral EDTA chelation. However, oral EDTA may be appropriate for people whose condition does not demand rapid action. For example, oral chelation can be used to:
    • avoid complications and diseases that result from heavy metals and calcification
    • prevent the formation of blood clots, thus reducing your chance of a heart attack or stroke
    • lower the level of blood cholesterol
    • help thin the blood
    • aid in reducing lipid peroxidation, a major cause of atherosclerosis
    • protect the body against certain carcinogens, pathogens and other toxins that can reduce the quality of health
    Oral EDTA is not meant to replace I.V. therapy for those people who have serious vascular disease. It is very useful, though, for people who have completed an I.V. course and want to stay on a maintenance program, for people who "for whatever reason" are unable or unwilling to undergo I.V. chelation, and for those whose I.V. treatments may have been interrupted. The Politics of EDTA Chelation
    Organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association, which condemn EDTA chelation as ineffective for treating vascular disease, often quote the Danish and New Zealand studies, mentioned earlier, to support their position.20-22 What they fail to mention is that the Danish studies were criticized by the Danish Committee for Investigation into Scientific Dishonesty because of improper randomization and double-blinding, as well as premature breaking of the blinding code, which amounted to a deliberate bias. When the results of the New Zealand study were examined by two independent statisticians, it was concluded that the trial actually supported the efficacy of EDTA.23
    "Virtually every study that has looked at the efficacy of EDTA chelation in vascular disease has demonstrated significant improvements."
    It is unlikely that any other issue in modern medicine has been more highly politicized than that of EDTA chelation therapy, and it is clear that most of the opposition to EDTA is due to the threat this therapy represents, not to patients' health but to the bank balances of orthodox physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and hospitals. Treating cardiovascular diseases is big business in the United States (and the rest of the Western world), bringing in tens of billions of dollars each year.
    As Garry Gordon, MD, DO, the "Father of Chelation Therapy" has pointed out, "Every time a surgeon does a heart bypass, he takes home a luxury sports car." Each CABG procedure costs between $25,000 and $50,000; each angioplasty costs about $15,000; drugs for reducing cholesterol, lowering high blood pressure, and normalizing heart rhythm bring the pharmaceutical industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year. And these are just the most common examples. What happens when you add EDTA chelation therapy to this mix?
    A course of I.V. EDTA chelation therapy costs between $2000 and $4000; oral EDTA is even less costly. To the degree that these therapies reduce the need for the more expensive conventional therapies - a large degree, indeed - they threaten to diminish the income of a significant portion of the medical establishment. Consider this one example: As noted earlier, in a study of 65 patients who were treated with I.V. EDTA while they were waiting for CABG surgery, 58 (89%) no longer required the procedure.19 At $50,000 per procedure not done, that means that surgeons and hospitals gave up nearly $3 million just for these few patients. Now remember, that CABG is the most common surgical procedure performed in the US (368,000 in 1989).24
    Given these figures, it's not hard to understand why the medical profession is so in love with CABG and related procedures. As one physician noted, "It pays the bills." So enamored are they of these procedures that they perform them even when they are not necessary. In an article published in no less prestigious a publication than the Journal of the American Medical Association, the authors concluded that only 56% of the surgeries performed were for appropriate reasons, 30% for equivocal reasons, and 14% for inappropriate reasons. The percentage of appropriate surgeries varied from 37% in some hospitals to 78% in others.25 When you consider that even when it is "appropriate," CABG surgery is no better than conventional medical treatments for improving survival,5 you have to wonder whether the real "miracle" of heart surgery does not entail bringing people back from death's door, as much as turning a common chronic degenerative disease into a source of outrageous fortune. If you needed one example of why the cost of health care has gone into earth orbit, you need look no further than the conventional treatment of heart disease.
    "If you needed one example of why the cost of health care has gone into earth orbit, you need look no further than the conventional treatment of heart disease."
    Given these figures, it's also not very hard to understand why the medical profession has reacted so violently against physicians who practice chelation therapy, often attempting, in the words of that great seeker of medical truth (that's a joke folks), Dr. Victor Herbert, "to put them out of business." Because EDTA has long been approved for treating heavy metal poisoning, and because physicians are free to use any "approved" medication for any use they see fit, as long it does not endanger the patient, EDTA chelation therapy is perfectly legal. This has not stopped medical boards in a number of states from bringing charges against physicians who prescribe EDTA chelation for vascular disease, smearing them as "quacks," and attempting to restrict the use of this therapy. Fortunately, most of these attempts have failed.23
    You can be certain that if EDTA had a large pharmaceutical company advocating its use, these problems wou quickly evaporate. But since the patent for EDTA ran out nearly 30 years ago, there are no huge profits to be made from marketing it. With no pot of gold at the end of the EDTA rainbow, no one is going to put up the hundreds of millions of dollars required to do the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials required to get the FDA to approve EDTA for vascular disease. And with few large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials to refer to, the conventional medical establishment feels justified in condemning EDTA therapy as "unproven." It's a familiar "Catch 22" that faces all natural or unpatentable therapies. Conclusion
    While most American physicians choose to remain blind to the benefits of EDTA, those who prescribe it are free to witness its life-enhancing benefits on a daily basis. One of those physicians is Dr. Garry Gordon, whose own life was saved by EDTA and who has been a leader in chelation therapy since the early 1960s. "I have taken on patients who were inoperable, who had already had every known form of bypass surgery, who had no more veins in their legs to strip out and put into their heart, and who were sent home to die, and I could get those people back to full functioning," says Dr. Gordon.
    For an interview with Dr. Garry Gordon, see Exclusive Interview with Garry Gordon, M.D., D.O.: Oral Chelation for Improved Heart Function - Apr. 1997

    POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF EDTA CHELATION
    Prevents cholesterol deposits
    Reduces blood cholesterol levels
    Lowers high blood pressure
    Avoids by-pass surgery
    Avoids angioplasty
    Reserves digitalis toxicity
    Removes calcium from atherosclerotic plaques
    Dissolves intra-arterial blood clots
    Normalizes cardiac arrythmias
    Has an anti-aging effect
    Reduces excessive heart contractions
    Increases intracellular potassium
    Reduces heart irritability
    Improves heart function
    Removes mineral and drug deposits
    Dissolves kidney stones
    Reduces serum iron levels
    Reduces heart valve calcification
    Reduces varicose veins
    Heals calcified necrotic ulcers
    Reduces intermittent claudication
    Improves vision in diabetic retinopathy
    Decreases macular degeneration
    Dissolves small cataracts
    Eliminates heavy metal toxicity
    Makes arterial walls more flexible
    Prevents osteoarthritis
    Reduces rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
    Lowers diabetics' insulin needs
    Reduces Alzheimer-like symptoms
    Reverses senility
    Reduce stroke/heart attack after-effects
    Prevents cancer
    Improves memory
    Reverses diabetic gangrene
    Restores impaired vision
    Detoxifies snake and spider venoms Adapted from Walker M., Gordon G., Douglass W.C. The Chelation Answer
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