Los Angeles Set to Be Largest GMO-Free Zone in USA

International outrage against Monsanto and GMOs by activists and concerned citizens at large is paying off once again. Just days after Mexico announced a complete ban on the growth of GMO corn, Los Angeles lawmakers have now gone on record in setting up Los Angeles to be the largest GMO-free region in the United States. 


Specifically, L.A. politicians are responding to the call for a ban on the cultivation, sale, and even distribution of GMOs at large. In other words, an entirely ‘GMO-free’ zone. 

This would be one of the most powerful pieces of legislation to pass in the fight against Monsanto that has ever been seen — especially in the Monsanto-owned United States, where even the USDA has given Monsanto’s genetically modified creations special ‘speedy approval’ access to their regulation techniques. 

Politicians Forced to Act 

But even despite Monsanto’s tentacles being locked deep inside the political system, we are now seeing politicians who are forced into taking action by their supporters. This appears to be the case with Los Angeles City Councilmen Paul Koretz and Mitch O’Farrell, who are responsible for introducing the motion and subsequently addressing the demands of the population. 

And thanks to activism and the high-powered spread of information on the subject of Monsanto and GMOs, we are seeing this kind of action on a much more frequent basis.

 In fact, the number of politicians now driven to fight against Monsanto in order to retain support is climbing to the point where my prediction of Monsanto’s economic downfall within the next few years may indeed become a reality thanks to enraged voters. 

Just look at how much information is being launched into the mainstream even in major media reports on the Los Angeles initiative, with City Councilman Kortez stating: 

“A growing number of problems are being traced to GMOs,.. the evolution of ‘superbug’ insects which are growing immune to the pesticides engineered within GMO crops” and ”‘seed drift’ (for example the recent finding of GMO-pollinated wheat growing in an Oregon farmer’s field).” 

These are the facts we have been telling you for years, and it is a major victory to see them now reaching millions more around the globe. If Los Angeles is able to push through the GMO ban into city wide regulation, it would be a direct blow to the beast that is Monsanto and the biotech industry at large. 


by Anthony Gucciardi

Source: Natural Society 

What Is Monsanto? : Explosive Video

Global awareness of Monsanto is at an all time high, and Monsanto's GMO's are now banned in at least 50 countries and increasing. 

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The 10 Worst Toxins Hidden in Vitamins, Supplements and Health Foods

by Mike Adams – Naturalnews.com 

I’m absolutely shocked at how many people don’t investigate what’s really in the products they swallow. When something is sold as an herb, vitamin, superfood or supplement, they think it’s automatically safe. And while the natural products industry has a truly remarkable safety record — especially in contrast to the massive number of deaths caused by pharmaceuticals — it still suffers from a lot of hidden toxins that are routinely used throughout the industry. 

I know this because I’ve been an investigative journalist and activist in the natural health industry for over a decade. Natural News is arguably the most-read natural health news website in the world, reaching millions of readers a month. I’ve walked the floors of countless trade shows, conducted hundreds of interviews and spent tens of thousands of dollars on laboratory tests to determine what’s in these products. On top of that, I’m deep into organic product formulations and certified organic food production, serving as the supervisor of a USDA-certified organic food production and packing facility. 

When I look around the natural products industry, I see examples of super honest, high-integrity companies like Nature’s Path and Dr. Bronner’s. I also see an alarming number of cheats, crooks and charlatans who are only involved in the industry to profit from the explosion of interest in health supplements. In truth, some nutritional products are downright dangerous to your health. My role as a journalist and activist is to help you tell the difference between products that are GOOD for you vs. products that might actually be toxic. Because ultimately, I want you to be healthy, vibrant, intelligent and active. I want you to enjoy life and improve the quality of your life. 

Be prepared to be shocked in reading what follows. After reviewing this list, you will probably throw out quite a few products in your refrigerator and pantry. Very few people are willing to tell you the truth revealed here, so some of this may come as a complete shock (see #1 and #2, below). 

#1) Maltodextrin (from GM corn)

Let’s start out with the big one first: If you pick up a natural product and the ingredients list says “maltodextrin,” chances are very high that the maltodextrin in the product is derived from Monsanto’s GM corn. 

Virtually all the maltodextrin used throughout the natural products industry is genetically modified. Products that are certified USDA organic, however, are not using GMO maltodextrin. 

The non-GMO, non-corn replacement for maltodextrin derived from GM corn is tapioca maltodextrin, and you’ll find tapioca starch / maltodextrin in many certified organic, non-GMO products. Corn maltodextrin should be avoided unless it’s certified USDA organic. Look for tapioca maltodextrin instead (or no maltodextrin at all). 

#2) Vitamin C / acorbic acid (from GM corn)

Here’s another whopper that’s sure to open some eyes: Nearly all the “vitamin C” sold in vitamins across America right now is derived from GMO corn. 

This means that many of the supplements sold at Whole Foods, the vitamins sold on Amazon.com, the pills at your local pharmacy, and especially the products at the grocery store are (nearly) all routinely made with genetically modified vitamin C. It’s typically called “ascorbic acid,” and nearly 100% of the ascorbic acid used in the natural products industry is derived from GMOs. 

Sourcing non-GMO vitamin C requires you to go outside the United States. There is no existing supply chain of certified organic, non-GMO ascorbic acid available anywhere in America (at least not to my knowledge). You can’t even run batches of non-GMO ascorbic acid production in the USA because all the facilities are contaminated with residues of GM corn. 

Rest assured that all those cheap “vitamin C” pills sold at retail are derived from genetically modified corn. 

#3) Hexane-extracted soy and rice proteins

Nearly 100% of the “natural” soy proteins sold in the USA are extracted in China using a hexane extraction method. 

CLARIFICATION (updated): The primary manufacturer and distributor of brown rice protein in the USA, which imports brown rice protein processed in China, insists that hexane has never been used in the extraction of their product, not in the conventional brown rice protein nor their organic brown rice protein. 

Their brown rice protein is a “hexane-free, non-GMO, Prop 65 compliant, Gamma Oryzanol-rich whole grain Oryzatein powder” and the manufacturer is Axiom. They supply a lot of the brown rice protein to numerous sources in the USA, and this is the best brown rice protein product available today, partially because it is NOT hexane extracted. 

There is brown rice protein that’s hexane extracted in China, however, but that’s not carried by Axiom. So if you’re buying anything with brown rice protein, make sure it’s sourced from Axiom and not from another source that uses hexane. I also encourage you to eat only certified organic brown rice protein, not conventional brown rice protein. 

Anything from China, by the way, should be double checked for metals content just to make sure it’s all clean. This is true across the board for all food products from China, not just brown rice protein. We have consistently found nutritional products from China to be contaminated with worrisome levels of metals, which is why I personally won’t put my brand name on anything from China other than a few exceptions that are well-tested such as goji berries (grown in the Himalayas). The Axiom company says their brown rice protein tests completely clean, but until I run those tests myself, I can’t say for sure whether I concur with the claims. 

What the industry really needs right now is a U.S. manufacturer of brown rice protein, for which a multi-million dollar market already exists. If Axiom would find a certified organic U.S. grower for its brown rice protein, the company would receive a huge endorsement from Natural News and probably find a whole new wave of demand from consumers who want U.S. grown products. Texas, by the way, produces a lot of organic brown rice. Surely there must be a way to extract the protein in America and not have to go all the way to China to find this. 

Hexane is a highly explosive chemical. It is not only extremely hazardous to the environment, there may also be trace amounts of hexane left remaining in the resulting protein products. My understanding is that hexane extraction is not allowed in certified organic proteins, so if you have a choice, go for certified organic instead of just “natural” (which means nothing anyway). 

Hexane extraction, by the way, is also used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein (TVP). 

#4) High levels of Aluminum in detox products

Natural News helped expose high aluminum levels (over 1200ppm) in a popular detox liquid, causing the main U.S. distributor to issue a “recall” notice and provide over $1 million in refunds to customers. 

The manufacturer of this product, Adya Clarity, intentionally and knowingly deceived consumers by mislabeling the product and not mentioning the 1200ppm of aluminum it contained. The FDA seized some of the products and ran its own lab tests, confirming the high aluminum level as well as identifying multiple labeling violations. 

Adya Clarity is just one of many so-called “detox” products containing alarming levels of aluminum and other metals. Ingesting these in order to “detox” your body may be harmful to your health. This experience also proves you can’t always trust health products sold through online webinars, where manufacturers can ignore labeling laws and fabricate false claims. Buyer beware when it comes to metals in detox products that claim seemingly magical results. 

#5) Lead and arsenic in herbs from China

China is the most polluted nation on the planet (by far), yet many fruits, vegetables and herbs are grown in China and exported to North America for use in natural products. 

High levels of lead and arsenic are routinely found in various food, supplement and herbal products from China. I’m not concerned about 1ppm or lower, by the way, of heavy metals like lead and mercury. Even aluminum isn’t necessarily a problem when found organically grown inside foods that test at higher levels such as 150ppm. But when lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium get to high saturation levels (or are present in inorganic forms), it makes the products potentially a source of heavy metals poisoning for consumers. 

Astonishingly, many of the small and medium-sized companies that import and retail products from China conduct no metals testing whatsoever. I know this as a fact because I’ve talked to people doing this. 

#6) Inorganic minerals in cheap vitamins

Would you eat iron filings and call it nutrition? The majority of people don’t know that most of the cheap vitamins sold today are made with iron filings. “Scrap metal,” almost. 

The calcium found in cheap vitamins is often just ground-up seashells, and magnesium is often sold as cheap magnesium oxide which may be completely useless to your body’s cells. If you’re buying mineral supplements, you may be wasting your money unless the minerals are in the right form: Magnesium orotate or malate, for example. 

When it comes to mineral supplements, you’ll often find trace levels of scary things like barium and lead in liquid supplements, but these are typically at such low levels (ppb) that they are no real concern. But the No. 1 best source for all minerals is, not surprisingly, fresh plants. If you really want to boost your minerals, feed ‘em to sprouts or garden plants, then eat or juice those plants. Your body wants “organic” minerals from plants, not inorganic minerals from rocks. 

#7) Carrageenan?

The Cornucopia Institute, a highly-effective food activism group that we’ve long supported, recently published a warning about carrageenan in foods. Cornucopia says carrageenan is linked to “gastrointestinal inflammation, including higher rates of colon cancer, in laboratory animals.” 

It goes on to report: 

Given its effect on gastrointestinal inflammation, Cornucopia urges anyone suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms (irritable bowel syndrome/IBS, spastic colon, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic diarrhea, etc.) to consider completely eliminating carrageenan from the diet to determine if carrageenan was a factor in causing the symptoms. 

Personally, I have never had any problem with carrageenan, and given that it’s derived from seaweed, I also didn’t mind the source. I actually consume quite a lot of carrageenan in Blue Diamond almond milk, which I drink when I’m too busy to make my own raw almond milk. And I’ve never had a problem with it whatsoever. So from my personal experience, I don’t see carrageenan as a worrisome ingredient, but I do understand that some people experience it differently, and it may be troublesome for people whose digestive systems are more sensitive than my own. 

For the record, I definitely don’t consider carrageenan to be anywhere near as worrisome as, say, aspartame, GMOs or MSG. 

#8) Acrylamides

Acrylamides are cancer-causing chemicals produced during the cooking of carbohydrates. Fried snack chips, for example, contain acrylamides. They don’t have to be listed on labels because they are technically not “ingredients.” They are chemicals produced during cooking or frying. Consuming acrylamides increases kidney cancer risk by 59 percent. 

The FDA has published an extensive reference guide on acrylamide levels in foods, revealing that french fries have the highest levels of all. But they are also present in prune juice and even breakfast cereals. 

A bag of organic snack chips can have just as many acrylamides as a bag of conventional snack chips. This is why fried snack chips should be eaten only sparingly, or never at all. I’m guilty of eating some of these chips myself from time to time, but I limit the quantity and make sure I’m taking chlorella or other superfoods at the same time to counteract the acrylamides. 

Interestingly, it turns out that vitamin C blocks acrylamides from causing damage to your body. But if your vitamin C is from a GMO source (see above), you may want to rethink that strategy. Natural citrus juice, rose hips or even camu camu berry powder is a much better choice of natural, full-spectrum vitamin C. 

If you eat fried foods of any kind, make sure you ingest a lot of vitamin C, astaxanthin and chlorella before and after your meal or snack. 

#9) Hidden MSG / yeast extract

Hidden MSG is a huge issue across the natural products industry. Pick up almost any veggie burger, and you’ll find it’s made with yeast extract, a hidden form of MSG (monosodium glutamate). 

Yeast extract is unbelievably prevalent in the food industry because it looks nicer on the label than “MSG.” Most people are trained to avoid MSG, but yeast extract slips by, so food manufacturers put it into canned soups, dip mixes, snack chips, microwave dinners and especially in vegetarian products, many of which are so loaded with chemicals and additives that I won’t dare touch them. Just because a food says “vegetarian” doesn’t mean it’s healthy. 

Hidden MSG is also labeled as “autolyzed yeast extract” or “torula yeast” or even “hydrolyzed vegetable protein.” 

#10) Fluoride in green tea

Green tea is famous for being contaminated with high levels of fluoride. This is frustrating, because green tea is phenomenally good for your health. It has been proven to lower “bad” cholesterol levels, and it may even help prevent cancer and neurological disorders. It’s probably one of the healthiest beverages you can ever drink. 

The tea plant that produces green tea just happens to uptake a huge amount of fluoride from the soils. So when there’s fluoride present in those soils, the green tea will have a surprisingly high concentration, sometimes as much as 25ppm. 

An interesting article on this issue is found at Toxipedia.org: http://toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Fluoride+Content+in+Tea 

While this fluoride in green tea might not be a health hazard all by itself, the governments of the world seem insistent on pumping even more synthetic, chemical fluoride into the water supplies, thereby creating a high risk for fluorosis. Adding green tea to the fluoride consumption you might experience from tap water is a recipe for disaster: brittle bones, discoloration of teeth and even cancer. 

The final “dirty little secret” of the natural products industry Finally, there’s one more secret you need to know about. Most importers, packers, vendors and retailers of natural products foolishly trust the lab results provided by the manufacturers and exporters! 

So a typical U.S. company that sells, for example, pomegranate powder on the internet may never conduct their own tests for lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum. They will simply take the lab tests provided by the manufacturer and consider those to be absolute fact! 

This is extraordinarily foolish. Growers and exporters routinely lie about their lab tests in order to pull the wool over the eyes of importers, formulators and retailers. The lab tests are easily faked or simply bought off in their home country. Contaminated products can be easily sold and exported because the FDA doesn’t routinely check imported raw materials for heavy metals contamination.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I hope you found it useful. Please help support us by liking our page on Facebook, Click the image below.

A Big List Of Organic Seed Suppliers

Here is a useful list of companies supplying heirloom / non-GMO / organic seeds. If health is wealth, then this page is solid gold! Please share this important information. If you have any additions or corrections for this list, please let us know! We welcome genuine suppliers based anywhere in the world. Let’s make the biggest and best list we can!

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Source: Off-Grid Info

Monsanto Video Revolt! Must See Animation

Poor Johnny doesn't like "healthy" food. What could possibly persuade him to eat all his "veggies"? 

From http://infomaticfilms.com/ and sponsored by http://naturalnews.com/, this new animated cartoon covers all the basics on why GMOs are dangerous.

Want to know more about GMOs and why they are a serious threat to not only mankind, but the environment and natural ecosystem as well? Then here are some excellent articles, websites and research links for you to have a look at and learn more!

But firstly, a brief introduction about what a GMO is, 5 reasons why we should avoid consuming them at all costs and some of the health risks GMOs pose.

A GMO (genetically modified organism) is the result of a laboratory process of taking genes from one species and inserting them into another in an attempt to obtain a desired trait or characteristic, hence they are also known as transgenic organisms. This process may be called either Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM); they are one and the same.

5 Reasons to avoid GMOs:

1. GMOs are unhealthy.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.

Numerous health problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just 9 years; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise. Although there is not sufficient research to confirm that GMOs are a contributing factor, doctors groups such as the AAEM tell us not to wait before we start protecting ourselves, and especially our children who are most at risk.

2. GMOs contaminate - forever.
GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds can travel. It is impossible to fully clean up our contaminated gene pool. Self-propagating GMO pollution will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. The potential impact is huge, threatening the health of future generations. GMO contamination has also caused economic losses for organic and non-GMO farmers who often struggle to keep their crops pure.

3. Genetic engineering creates dangerous side effects.
By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects. Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies.

4. Independent research and reporting is attacked and suppressed. 
Scientists who discover problems with GMOs have been attacked, gagged, fired, threatened, and denied funding. The journal Nature acknowledged that a "large block of scientists...denigrate research by other legitimate scientists in a knee-jerk, partisan, emotional way that is not helpful in advancing knowledge." Attempts by media to expose problems are also often censored. 

5. GMOs harm the environment.
GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds.

Excellent websites on GMOs: 

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/

http://gmo.mercola.com/

http://gmoawareness.org/

http://www.gefoodalert.org/

http://www.nongmoproject.org/

Companies Against GMO Labeling

cal-access.sos.ca.gov

Numerous large food and seed corporations sunk over $46 million into the fight to defeat Proposition 37, which would have required food companies to list genetically modified ingredients on the labels of its products sold in retail stores. It would have also prevented the labeling of GMO foods as “natural.” The law would would have affected California, but because Californians make up 12% of the U.S. population, those Californian labels would have spilled over to other states as well. Currently food processors list ingredients, calorie, nutritional value and peanut content. Adding GMO ingredients to that list will benefit those who wish to steer clear, until GMO foods are deemed safe and healthy into the long term (yet many feel certain GMOs will never be proven healthy).

The record keeping necessary for the added labels will also help keep track of ecological issues such as gene flow between GMOs and the surrounding ecology, weed killer's affects, pest and superweed resistance and a host of other ecological issues that could potentially arise with rampant GMO use. This bill would have slowed down the influx of GM crops and help keep track of GMOs impacts.

All is not lost, as there is still hope. GMO Labeling Ballot Initiative (I-522) will be up for a vote in Washington State in 2013.

Currently Europe, Russia, China, Japan, Mexico, Australia and numerous other countries require that food labels list genetically modified ingredients. Why hasn't the the U.S. insisted on this labeling? Because many large corporations are fighting to keep the U.S. consumer in the dark. Let us know, if there are GMOs. We should have the right to know!

Companies and their donations to keep GMO off of labels:

Ironically most of the companies lobbying against Prop 37 have a stake in the organic industry. See that list below, it might surprise you.

Monsanto  =  $7,100,000.

DuPont  =  $5,200,000.

PepsiCo Inc.  =  $2,500,000.

BASF Plant Science  =  $2,000,000.

Bayer CropScience  =  $2,000,000.

Dow Agrosciences  =  $2,000,000.

Syngenta Corp  =  $2,000,000.

Kraft Foods  =  $2,000,000.

Coca-Cola  =  $1,700,000.

Nestle USA  =  $1,315,400.

ConAgra Foods  =  $1,200,000.

General Mills  =  $1,200,000.

Del Monte  =  $674,000.

Kellogg Co.  =  $790,700.

Smithfield  =  $671,000.

Council for Biotechnology Information  =  $625,000.

Heinz  =  $500,000.

Hershey Company  =  $493,900.

J.M. Smucker Co.  =  $555,000.

Grocery Manufacturers Association  =  $375,000.

Hormel Foods Corp.  =  $374,300.

Unilever  =  $ 460,000.

Mars Food North America  =  $370,280.

Bimbo Bakeries USA  =  $422,900.

Ocean Spray Cranberries  =  $326,500.

Campbell Soup Co.  =  $320,455.

Pinnacle Foods Group LLC  =  $266,100.

Dean Foods Co.  =  $253,950.

Biotech Industry Organization  =  $250,000.

McCormick & Co. Inc.  =  $248,200.

Abbott Nutrition (Infant Formulas / Similac)  =  $230,900.

Rich Products Corp.  =  $225,500.

Cargill Inc.  =  $226,800.

Welch's  =  $167,000.

Knouse Foods Cooperative  =  $160,300.

W.M. Wrigley Jr. Co.  =  $116,900.

Sunny Delight Beverages Co.  =  $114,500.

Tree Top  =  $110,300.

Bumble Bee Foods  =  $98,000.

Sara Lee Corp.  =  $96,800.

Hillshire Brands (Ball Park, Jimmy Dean)  =  $86,000.

McCain Foods USA  =  $50,600.

Dole Packaged Foods Co.  =  $45,580.

Goya  =  $ 56,100.

Clorox  =  $33,000.

S & W  =  $21,100.

BASF, Bayer and Syngenta are subsidiaries of foreign pesticide companies.

Organic (and some Natural) food brands owned by big corporations:

Coca-Cola -  Honest Tea,  Odwalla,  Simply Orange.

Cadbury -  Green and Black's Chocolate,  Nantucket Nectars.

ConAgra -  Alexia,  Hunt's Organic,  Lightlife (vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes like Smart Deli),  Orville Redenbacher's Organic.

Dean Foods -  Horizon Milk,  Silk Soymilk,  Organic Cow of Vermont,  White Wave.

(Said to be in control of up to 90% of the milk market in many states.)

General Mills - Cascadian Farms, Cheerios, Food Should Taste Good,  Larabar,  Muir Glen, Nature Valley.

Groupe Danone -  Stonyfield Farm.

Hershey’s -  Dagoba Chocolate.

Hain-Celestial - (partially owned by Heinz) Arrowhead Mills,  Bearitos,  Breadshop Cereals,  Casbah,  Celestial Seasonings,  DeBoles Pasta,  Earth's Best,  Ethnic Gourmet,  Garden of Eatin',  Gluten Free,  Greek God's,  Hain Pure,  Health Valley,  Imagine Soups,  Linda McCartney,  Maranatha nut butters,  Mountain Sun Juices,  Nile Spice Soup,  Rice Dream,  Sensible Portions,  ShariAnn's,  Soy Dream,  Terra Chips,  TofuTown,  Walnut Acres,  Westbrae Natural,  WestSoy,  Yves Meatless.

JM Smucker -  After the Fall,  R.W. Knudsen,  Santa Cruz Organic.

Kellogg -  Bear Naked,  Gardenburger,  Kashi,  Morningstar Farms,  Natural Touch,  Wholesome & Hearty. (Kashi cereals contain GMOs!) Kellogs uses genetically engineered sugar beets in its non-organic cereals.

Kraft -  Boca,  Back to Nature.

Mars/M&M -  Seeds of Change

Nestle -  Tribe Mediterranean Foods

Pepsi -  Dole,  Harvest Crunch,  Izze,  Naked Juice,  Ocean Spray,  Tazo,  Tostito's Organic, Tropicana.

Rich's -  Fresh Meadow

Unilever -  Ben & Jerry’s,  Knorr,  Salada

Personal Care:

Clorox -  Burt’s Bees.

Colgate-Palmolive -  Tom’s of Maine.

Hain Celestial -  Alba Botanica,  Avalon Organics,  Jason,  Orjene,  Queen Helene,  Zia.

Beer:

Anhueser Busch -   Stone Mill and Wild Hop.

______________________________

Private/Small Companies 'FOR' GMO labeling:

Only a handful listed. For a larger listing: www.carighttoknow.org

Alvarado Street Bakery - a coop

Amy’s Kitchen

Ancient Organics

Annie's

AppleGate Farms

Aubrey Organics

Bob's Red Mill

Cedarlane

Earthbound Farms

Eden Foods

Equal Exchange - a cooperative

Frey Vineyards

Golden Temple (Yogi Tea & Peace Cereal)

Lundberg Family Farms

Nature’s Path -  Canadian company, family owned

Newman's Own

Nutiva

Organic Valley - a cooperative of family farms.

Pacific Natural Foods

Simply Organic

Tofurky

Turtle Mountain (Purely Decadent, So Delicious)

Support for GMO labeling:

www.cornucopia.org

Source: Inspiration Green

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Monsanto Found Guilty of Chemical Poisoning in Landmark Case

All You Need To Know About RoundUp (Glyphosate)

Super Cows on Steroids?

Super Cow on Steroids? The Barry Bonds of Bulls? The gigantic super cows are massive and full of muscle like advanced body builders. 

You've heard the expression, everything is bigger in Texas, well that isn't true in the small country of Belgium. These Super Cows or better known as The Belgian Blue Bulls are genetically mated cows that scientist farmers have been working on for years. Using natural selection, they are able to artificially inseminate cows with scientifically selected sperm from the strongest bulls.

No steroids here. Each generation of new cows become bigger and stronger with double muscle mass for leaner and better beef. 

this leaves me wondering 2 things, but first
I put some links to a national geographic video and some other articles I've read on these super cows if you want to check 'em out.

How much healthier is this super cow meat vs regular cows and does it actually taste better? I would think it would make a REALLY TOUGH STEAK... no pun intended.

The Shocking Story of How Aspartame Became Legal

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Did you know that Aspartame was banned by the FDA twice? How is this product legal now?

The bittersweet argument over whether Aspartame is safe or not has been going on for a long time. On one side we have medical evidence that suggests we should avoid using it and on the other side we lean on the FDA’s approval that suggests it is safe. Since generally that seems to be the factor that many continue to hold trust based upon, I thought we could look into the Aspartame story to find out how it came to be accepted as safe by the FDA. You would think that something so widely used and so well accepted would have quite the pristine story leading to its acceptance. I imagine one will discover otherwise after reading this post.

It all starts in the mid 1960′s with a company called G.D. Searle. One of their chemists accidentally creates aspartame while trying to create a cure for stomach ulcers. Searle decides to put aspartame through a testing process which eventually leads to its approval by the FDA. Not long after, serious health effects begin to arise and G.D. Searle comes under fire for their testing practices. It is revealed that the testing process of Aspartame was among the worst the investigators had ever seen and that in fact the product was unsafe for use. Aspartame triggers the first criminal investigation of a manufacturer put into place by the FDA in 1977. By 1980 the FDA bans aspartame from use after having 3 independent scientists study the sweetener. It was determined that one main health effects was that it had a high chance of inducing brain tumors. At this point it was clear that aspartame was not fit to be used in foods and banned is where it stayed, but not for long.

Early in 1981 Searle Chairman Donald Rumsfeld (who is a former Secretary of Defense.. surprise surprise) vowed to “call in his markers,” to get it approved. January 21, 1981, the day after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, Searle took the steps to re-apply aspartame’s approval for use by the FDA. Ronald Reagans’ new FDA commissioner Arthur Hayes Hull, Jr., appointed a 5-person Scientific Commission to review the board of inquiry’s decision. It did not take long for the panel to decide 3-2 in favor of maintaining the ban of aspartame. Hull then decided to appoint a 6th member to the board, which created a tie in the voting, 3-3. Hull then decided to personally break the tie and approve aspartame for use. Hull later left the FDA under allegations of impropriety, served briefly as Provost at New York Medical College, and then took a position with Burston-Marsteller. Burstone-Marstella is the chief public relations firm for both Monsanto and GD Searle. Since that time he has never spoken publicly about aspartame.

It is clear to this point that if anything the safety of aspartame is incredibly shaky.  It has already been through a process of being banned and without the illegitimate un-banning of the product, it would not be being used today. Makes you wonder how much corruption and money was involved with names like Rumsfeld, Reagan and Hull involved so heavily. In 1985, Monsanto decides to purchase the aspartame patent from G.D. Searle. Remember that Arthur Hull now had the connection to Monsanto. Monsanto did not seem too concerned with the past challenges and ugly image aspartame had based on its past. I personally find this comical as Monsanto’s products are banned in many countries and of all companies to buy the product they seem to fit best as they are champions of producing incredibly unsafe and untested products and making sure they stay in the market place.

Since then, aspartame has been under a lot of attack by scientists, doctors, chemists and consumers about it’s safety and neurotoxic properties. Piles of comprehensive studies have been completed that show aspartame is a cause for over 90 serious health problems such as cancer, leukemia, headaches, seizures, fibromyalgia, and epilepsy just to name a few. We have written several articles discussing various affects of aspartame. 

Sources: Raw For Beauty

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Kraft Mac & Cheese Warning Label Published by NY Times

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What’s considered the most respected newspaper in the world today published the Kraft warning label that a Food Babe reader found in the UK on an imported US box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I want to thank the NY Times for investigating and broadcasting this label to the world and millions of Americans in their newspaper and online for everyone to see. This is a huge victory in food awareness! 

Given all the media coverage since March, it is now becoming blatantly apparent that there are serious concerns with the ingredients in Kraft Mac & Cheese. Everyone who reads the NY Times today will see the 2 warnings: 

Warning #1: This Product May Cause Adverse Effects On Activity And Attention In Children (This warning label is required because The US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese has artificial food dyes yellow #5 and yellow #6 which are proven to be linked to hyperactivity in children.) 

Warning #2: GMO Declaration: Made from genetically modified wheat. (May contain GMO) (This warning label is required because the US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese contains GMOs.)

There was quite a bit of speculation about this label last week. Many people on the internet questioned if it was real and where it came from. According to the report in the NY Times we can now conclude the following: 

We know that Kraft does not label, distribute or export the US version of Mac & Cheese officially. (To echo my quote in The NY Times, I find it extremely bizarre that Kraft had no knowledge of their products being sold and widely available in one of the largest retailers in the world (Tesco) and are trying to pass this off as a black market supply.) 

Kraft has confirmed they do not use GMO wheat. (However, no one to my knowledge has tested the product to verify this 100%, which is important considering the contamination of GMO wheat in Oregon. Kraft customer service confirmed use of other GMOs in their products (see video evidence here). 

Given all the public statements that Kraft has made to the media about this label so far – they have not attempted to refute one important fact – Their product “May Cause Adverse Effects On Activity And Attention In Children.” This is truth they can’t deny. 

Tesco who sells the US version of Kraft Mac & Cheese in their “World Foods” section confirmed the label is placed on by the distributor – Innovative Bites. The case is still not solved. THERE IS STILL A MAJOR QUESTION UNANSWERED. No one has been able to get in touch with distributor Innovative Bites (including me) to find out why they used the words “made with genetically modified wheat” on the label. 

Lynne Galia, the spokeswoman I met at Kraft headquarters when I delivered thousands of signatures, has still not responded to me directly. She will not answer my emails or my phone calls. She will gladly talk to the NY Times and other news agencies, but not to me or the other 290,000 people I represent who signed a petition asking Kraft to remove artificial food dyes. I find it bizarre that Kraft wouldn’t genuinely want to answer basic questions about their product – especially after I posted this concerning information that could have health implications to millions of people and children. 

How can we continue to trust a company like Kraft that is more concerned about making greedy business decisions to keep their market share and paying their executives millions of more dollars year after year, while neglecting enormous public outcry regarding their flagship product? 

How can we continue to trust a company that continues to not take responsibility for their product containing petroleum based dyes and GMOs? 

How can we continue to trust an American company that reformulates their products without harmful ingredients to our friends overseas but not to us? 

How can we continue to trust a company that ignores 290,000 people and is scared to have a basic civilized conversation? 

Petition I want to leave you with a clarification note I received from Flo (who is definitely a hero for finding this label!) She would like to share her unedited thoughts about Kraft Mac & Cheese here: 

“I’ve been eating Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for a long time now and have grown to enjoy the product, much like many others I’m sure. However with these recent discoveries of the yellow dyes and their effects as well as the GM wheat and GMOs, I’ve become very concerned. I have continued to eat Kraft macaroni and cheese in moderation knowing the effects it may have, however I’m certainly considering stopping if the ingredients aren’t changed. I’m worried about the long term effects it may have and really hope that Kraft can find a way to alter the ingredients, making them safer and healthier, without it having an effect on the taste of the product. Mainly, I’m concerned that children around the world may be eating this without knowing the effects it could have. Also, I would like to thank the New York Times for publishing the photo and not dismissing it as fake.” ~ Flo Wrightson Cross 

If you haven’t already, please sign this petition, continue to vote with your dollars, and spread this knowledge about Kraft with your friends and family.

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Other articles you may like:

5 Ways you are Exposed to GMOs Without Eating Them

New App Lets You Boycott Monsanto And More By Scanning Your Shopping Cart

Monsanto: A Documentary On GMO's (A Must Watch)