Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!
Some interesting articles below that, if true, could affect you & your family's health. Read if you please!
ACTION
ALERT--TERMINATE THE TERMINATOR Learn more and sign
OCA's petition to the UN to terminate the Terminator Gene:
http://organicconsumers.org/un.htm
 CATHOLIC
LEADERS CLARIFY VATICAN'S STANCE ON GENETIC ENGINEERINGCatholic leaders around the world are standing up against the biotech industry's claim that the Vatican endorses genetically engineered (GE) crops. Biotech proponents have enjoyed a major public relations boost by trumpeting a portion of a report released by the Vatican last year. In one part, the report stated that it is the Catholic Church's stance that God gave humans the right to manipulate and control the natural environment on any level, including genetic engineering. The biotech industry has failed to mention that the report also states that GE crops should not be spread unless they are conclusively proven to be safe for human health and the environment. The Vatican report elaborates on that point, indicating that the Catholic Church does not believe adequate testing of GE crops has been done, saying, "available scientific data are contradictory or quantitatively scarce. It may then be appropriate to base evaluations on the precautionary principle." Learn more...
SHARING GOD'S
PLANET
MAD COW TIDBITS  The
British government is investigating a report that cosmetic plastic surgery
injections for fuller cheekbones and plumper lips with infected collagen
could spread the human form of mad cow disease, called Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD). Due to increasing demand for such procedures, a number of
rogue clinics have opened that are not adhering to the stringent
guidelines dictating that collagen "fillers" should be sourced only from
tissues guaranteed to be free from Mad Cow. UK Tests have already found
illegal and potentially contaminated collagen in widespread use, derived
from dead cows, birds, and human tissue.
Learn more...
RBGH MILK IS RBGH
MILK
TEENY-TINY NEWS TIDBITS
Organic Bytes #50 Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge! 2/11/2005
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NATURAL FOOD STORE SUBSCRIBERS:
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Japanese
officials confirmed the human variant of mad cow disease caused a man's
death. The victim is believed to have become infected with the disease in
1989 when he was on a short visit to the UK. At the time, the UK was
undergoing an massive outbreak of mad cow disease. Japan has tested all of
its cattle for the disease since 2001 and banned U.S. and Canadian beef
imports after the disease was discovered in those countries.
More
cases of Mad Cow are being diagnosed in North America, but beef industry
practices in the U.S. remain unchanged. The fatal disease can be expected
to spread across the continent as the massive feeding of slaughterhouse
waste, blood, and manure to animals continues unabated. OCA has a new
educational DVD on Mad Cow Disease, featuring a lecture by Dr. Michael
Greger, OCA's Mad Cow coordinator, for use for house parties or community
showings. To learn more about how to get a copy of the Michael Greger Mad
Cow DVD and a manual for how to organize a showing of this DVD,
North
Dakota legislators are proposing a bill that would keep information about
factory farm feedlots confidential and inaccessible to the public. People
living near a feedlot currently have the right to information regarding the
facility's pollutants. Proponents of the bill say that it is necessary to
begin to keep that information secret so that it doesn't fall into the hands
of terrorists.
In
Arkansas and Texas, childhood obesity rates are as high as 38%, leading to
the recent passage of new laws that require schools to report children's
body fat index to parents along with the student's grades.
The
second annual State of Science Review has found that cancer-fighting
antioxidant levels are, on average, 30% higher in organic produce vs.
conventionally grown fruits and vegetables. The cause for this, say
scientists, is that antioxidant chemicals are created within a plant grown
organically or in the wild when the plant triggers internal defense
mechanisms. These beneficial mechanisms are rarely triggered in plants that
are raised with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
