#217 25 m a r 10
ORGANIC
Org a nic Consum er s A sso ci at ion
Urge USDA to Act on New Report on the
Integrity of the National Organic Program
From the Cornucopia Institute:
After an extensive audit and investigation of alleged improprieties at
the USDA’s National Organic Program, the federal Office of Inspector
General (OIG) made public their formal report, dated March 9, echoing
criticisms made by the OCA and our allies, that under the Bush admin-
istration, the USDA did an inadequate job of enforcing federal organic
law. Since 2002, when the USDA adopted the federal organic regula-
tions, the agency has been plagued by inadequate funding as well as
a cozy relationship with large corporations that dominate organic sec-
tors such as dairy and body care.
Take Action: www.is.gd/bhKde
OCA Exposes Tactics of the ‘Organic Mafia’
From Corporate Crime Reporter, March 21, 2010:
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) carries a big public inter-
est stick. It can mobilize the 850,000 people in its network to pressure
corporations and governments. The goal: clean, safe, organic foods and
products for America. One way that OCA raises money is by charging
for ads on the group’s popular web site, organicconsumers.org.
Two companies had purchased logo space on the OCA web site - Organic
Valley and Nature’s Path. Until last year. That’s when the groups
dropped their sponsorship. Under pressure from Whole Foods Mar-
ket and United Natural Foods—the two companies that dominate the
organics market in the United States… Read more: www.is.gd/bhKpW
SF Officials Sink Deeper in Sludge Controversy
In January, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom hired Tony Winn-
icker away from his post as the Communications Director for the San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) where he served from
2004-2010, creating PR for city programs including their now infamous
toxic sludge giveaway program to unsuspecting backyard gardeners
and schools. But as the San Francisco
Bay Guardian reports this week, Mayor
Newsom’s press secretary still doesn’t
know anything about sludge.
“Winnicker said he was not aware that
San Francisco’s well-tested biosolids
were being mixed with those of other
areas, and that Newsom would defer to
SFPUC experts on how to handle the sit-
uation.” If the SFPUC’s own people don’t
know about the hundreds of toxic chemicals and pathogens in the
sludge they’re spreading all over the Bay Area, how can Mayor New-
som tell the public that it’s safe? Read more: www.is.gd/bhKJN
Visit the OCA booth at the San Francisco Green Festival, April 10th &
11th, 2010 where we will be shedding more light on the national prob-
lem of toxic sewage sludge, organic labeling fraud, and the Whole
Foods/UNFI “greenwashing” phenomenon.
Ronnie Cummins on Planet Erstwild Radio
Ronnie Cummins talks with Host James Moore about the climate
catastrophe and how organic agriculture and green technology can
help us survive the 21st century. Listen: www.is.gd/bhKtu
Written and edited by Alexis Baden-Mayer & Ronnie Cummins · Please post, distribute, & subscribe: organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.cfm
We are Making Positive Change · Our Work Depends on You! Please Donate: www.organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm
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F o o d & C o n su m e r N e w s W e e k ly
Tell Clarence Thomas to Remove Himself from
Supreme Court GMO Sugar Beet Case
J.E.M. Ag Supply v. Pioneer Hi-Bred, 534 US 124 (2001) granted large
biotech corporations like Monsanto extensive patent protection over
genetically modified seeds. This case was authored by Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas, former General Counsel for Monsanto.
In Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms, No. 09-475, the US Supreme
Court will review an appellate court decision ruling that the USDA
illegally approved Monsanto’s GM sugar beets without determining
whether organic farmers, consumers or the environment would be
adversely effected.
Justice Thomas has an obvious conflict of interest and should recuse
himself, but he has decided to reserve his power to rule on the GM sugar
beet case. As one blogger put it, “Fox, meet henhouse.”
Please Sign OCA’s Petition to Justice Thomas: www.is.gd/bhKBB
Quote of the Week
The future belongs to those who understand that doing more with less
is compassionate, prosperous, and enduring, and thus more intelligent,
even competitive.” -Paul Hawken, Author of Natural Capitalism and
the Ecology of Commerce
Uncovering the Truth Behind Cheap Salmon
In its latest film, Fishy Business: Uncovering the Truth Behind Cheap
Salmon, the Ecologist Film Unit (EFU) travels to Peru to investigate a
host of unreported environmental and social costs—including pollu-
tion and health problems, overfishing, and impacts on ecosystems and
wildlife—arising from the production of fishmeal and fish oil, princi-
pal ingredients in farmed salmon feed. Watch: www.is.gd/bhKxV
Little Bytes
Will Allen: A Different Way of Dealing with our Bathroom Waste
We could save $90 billion by replacing our aging sewage system with
composting toilets.
Battle Over GMOs Heats Up in Europe
The European Commission is beginning to approve GM crops, even as
France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Greece and Luxembourg have
banned them.
Worse Than Peak Oil? We’re Quickly Running Out of a Chemical
Essential to Growing Food
In the not-too-distant future, demand for phosphorus could outstrip
supply, playing out a familiar scenario of scarcity, price shocks, riots,
starvation and war.
A Deforestation-Based Diet
Beef, palm oil, soy, rice, shrimp, corn and sugarcane are destroying
the world’s forests, from the precious Amazon to coastline-protecting
mangroves.
Read these articles & many more: www.organicconsumers.org
Help Spread the Organic Revolution
OCA and our international network of organic consumers and farmers
understand that we have a positive life-affirming solution for the global
food, health, and climate crisis: organic food, farming, and ranching.
But to get out our all-important message we need your support. Please
send us a tax-deductible donation today:
organicconsumers.org/donations.cfm