Vermont Food Fight

By Bill Duesing

The month after Vermont governor Peter Shumlin signed into law the country's first genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling bill with a firm effective date, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the Snack Food Association (SFA), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) sued in Federal Court to overturn the new law. This law is scheduled to take effect in 2016; there is no trigger clause requiring other states to pass similar legislation before it takes effect.

With foresight, the Vermont legislature established the Vermont Food Fight Fund to help defend the GMO Labeling Law.  A strong defense of Vermont's law should strengthen Connecticut's. You can contribute here. 

Why are these three multibillion dollar lobbying associations, representing the world's largest and most powerful corporations, suing to stop what the citizens want? After all, these citizens are their customers.  

USDA Approves Label for Non-GMO Meat

With all the excitement following the recent passing of the GMO Labeling Bill in Connecticut, environmentalist can once again revel in the recent approval from the USDA for a Non GMO label for meat and liquid egg products.  

Last week, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) approved the label for meat and liquid egg products indicating the absence of GMO entities, the first of its kind. 
The USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service “allows companies to demonstrate on their labels that they meet a third-party certifying organization’s standards, provided that the third-party organization and the company can show that the claims are truthful, accurate and not misleading,” Cathy Cochran, a U.S.D.A. spokeswoman, said in a statement to the New York Times. 

GMOs, Industry Involvement, and Preemption - A Word of Caution

Photo via: planetmattersandmore.com

I read an interesting take on possible federal GMO labeling legislation today that cautioned against a potentially dangerous and irreversible situation known as preemption. This comes after a flurry of other articles like this one came out that discuss the possibility of big food supporting GMO labeling.  It might be hard to believe that conventional food retailers would support a federal labeling initiative, but when you look at it from the perspective of money, ease, and stability, it makes more sense.  After all, it's a lot easier for a multinational corporation like Walmart to have one labeling law to deal with in the United States rather than a host of different state laws, and putting an end to grassroots organizing helps their bottom line, reduces the possibility of PR trouble, and generally creates a more stable situation for their business to operate in.  Big food isn't supporting labeling to protect the consumer, however, and big ag isn't about to let the GMO labeling bill of our dreams get written up. That's where compromise and preemption come into play.  An excerpt from the article I first mentioned reads:

[There is an] ominous potential downside of federal GMO labeling: a sneaky legal concept known as preemption. Most advocates don’t find out about it before it’s too late.

Preemption simply means that a higher law trumps a lower law: so federal trumps state, and state trumps local. But in practice, it’s industry’s way of ensuring uniformity and stopping grassroots efforts. How I do know this? From years of experience of seeing it happen in various public health issues. It’s such a huge problem that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded an entire project called “Preemption and Movement Building in Public Health” to educate advocates about how to handle it.

Here is the pattern: a grassroots effort builds over time to enact local or state laws (such as gun control, indoor-smoking laws, or restricting alcohol sales), and industry fights these efforts for years, until they can no longer win. At that point, industry lobbyists turn around and either get their own weak bill passed, or work with advocates to pass a compromise version. In exchange, this law will preempt or prevent any state or city from passing a different or stronger law. Forever.

So if industry and grassroots efforts come to a compromise sometime in the future and produce a federal GMO labeling bill, preemption could prevent stronger legislation from being passed on the state level.  This effectively transforms the federal initiative from being a foundation for stronger more effective legislation into being a watered down action plan that stifles and oppresses future progressive initiatives.  That's not to say that a federal GMO labeling bill is a bad idea - it's a great idea if accomplished through care and caution.  Let's make sure that when a labeling bill is passed, whether at the state or federal level, it does what we want it to do.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

GMO Labeling Movement Pushes On Despite Prop 37 Defeat

Former Fairfax, CA Mayor Frank Eggar campaigning. Photo: S. Bates

Yesterday Californians voted on Proposition 37, a GMO labeling initiative that we've been following for many months now.  Unfortunately, the initiative lost by 6 percentage points, with the no on 37 vote at 53.7% and the yes vote at 46.3% as of early this morning.  This is certainly discouraging news, since labeling only seeks to give consumers the basic right to know what is in their food, and the initiative was favored by a large majority of California voters up until recently.  Agribusiness giants have been able to sway public opinion on GMO labeling by wielding huge sums of money used to advertise the no on 37 campaign.  With such wealthy opposition, the fight to label genetically modified foods in this country might seem like an impossible dream, but in the wake of the Prop 37 defeat, I want to share with you a quote from the San Francisco Chronicle's article written today:

Stacy Melken, a spokeswoman for the Prop, 37 campaign, said supporters believe they will win the labeling debate over the long term. She noted that proponents were outspent by a five to one margin and still managed to capture more than 4.2 million votes.

"We showed that there is a food movement in the United States, and it is strong, vibrant and too powerful to stop," she said. "We always knew we were the underdogs."

That quote helped to put things in perspective for me, and I don't feel nearly as discouraged now as I did this morning.  The fact that the yes on 37 campaign was outspent five to one and still managed to rally nearly half the California vote is really impressive, and proves that money is powerful, but a strong movement is more powerful.  It often takes time to build a movement, and even more time to push the values of that movement through government, so although feeling discouraged is natural and understandable in the wake of a defeat, the truth is that the loss of Prop 37 is really just one part of a much larger picture.

The GMO labeling movement isn't going away.   The issue of labeling will continue to be brought up in the political sphere, forcing agribusiness to spend its money each time to quell it until finally enough people who won't be swayed by costly marketing exist to pass a labeling law.  Proposition 37 shows us how far we have come as Americans who want the right to know what is in our food.  It shows how resourceful and resilient the movement is, and it shows that we really can pass labeling legislation if we keep working toward it.  In the meantime, know what's in your food by knowing where your food comes from.  Buy whole, local, organic, and in season whenever possible, and get to know farmers near you.  Ask your grocery store to stock more local items, and start a garden in your yard, or in containers if you don't have a yard.  And talk to your friends and family about GMOs and why it's important to label them.  Check out justlabelit.org and sign the federal petition, and if you still feel a bit discouraged, read this article.  Labeling initiatives are currently being brought up in other states and nationally.  Gary Hirshberg, co-founder of Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt company, and chairman of the "Just Label It" campaign, puts it very succinctly:

Labeling of GE (genetically engineered) foods is not a question of whether, but when.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

Do or Die in California: OCA's Final Plea

A message from the Organic Consumers Association:

The final Pepperdine pre-election poll on the November 6 Proposition 37 California ballot initiative to label genetically engineered foods came out October 30. After enjoying a 26-point lead for the past six months, our side is now supposedly 10 points behind in the polls. The online poll, which in theory has a margin of error of 3-5%, was conducted before our Yes on Prop 37 TV ads finally began running last weekend. But the results are nonetheless alarming.

We still enjoy a lead among those who don't watch TV, but the opposition's ads have turned huge numbers of California TV-watchers against us.

For a full month Monsanto and their allies have pounded the California airwaves with nearly $50 million in TV and radio ads, spewing lies about how mandatory labeling for genetically engineered food will mean higher costs for consumers, lawsuits clogging the courts, "confusing" labels and poor farmers and grocers facing "nightmares of paperwork." Surveys have shown that once undecided or even opposed voters see our Yes on Prop 37 ads they change their minds, and come back over to our side. But we're running out of time - and money - to reach those voters. Meanwhile, money continues to pour into the opposition's campaign. Monsanto just upped its contribution this week from $7.1 million to more than $8 million.

We can still win on Nov. 6, by exposing millions of confused or undecided California voters to our TV ads. But we need to raise money, and we need to raise it today. Please click here to make a donation today.

In addition to running more ads, we need to step up our ground strategy in these last few days. Our 10,000+ volunteers for Yes on 37 are fighting back on the ground by talking to voters in front of supermarkets, sharing information with their friends by email and on Facebook, and by talking to prospective voters on the phone. These grassroots efforts will culminate in a major Get-Out-the-Vote campaign on November 6.

If you live in California, we desperately need you to hand out leaflets at grocery stores between now and Nov.6. If you can spare a few hours, please sign up here for instructions on where to get leaflets and where we need help.

If you live outside California, please volunteer for our national phone bank to help us call millions of California voters. It's easy. You can get quick, easy online training and sign up for one or more shifts here - and it won't cost you a dime in phone charges.

The "Do or Die" moment of truth has arrived in this David versus Goliath battle. The whole world is watching. We desperately need your emergency last-minute donations and your volunteer energy. Please support us in these last five days of this historic campaign!

Have a great weekend!
Kristiane

The Power of Proper (or Improper) Food Labeling

Here at CT NOFA we've dealt a lot with food labeling.  We've written blog posts about it, linked to resources about it, and have an entire program dedicated to promoting GMO labeling efforts.  The labels on the foods we buy and eat are incredibly important because they let us know (we hope) what's in them.  If the food in question is something that's been minimally processed, like produce, labeling can tell us where it came from, who grew it, and how it was grown.  In the case of more highly processed foods with many ingredients, labeling is often the only way we can know for sure what's in them. 

Imagine a bag of processed snack food with no labeling on it whatsoever - just a blank bag with crunchy-feeling bits inside.  Without any labeling you would have no idea what it even was, let alone what's in it or how it tastes.  And let's be honest, we're all much less likely to buy a nondescript bag of snacks than we are to buy something that has a catchy description and graphic design tailored specifically to our tastes.  The world of food packaging is part of the advertising industry, a very lucrative industry, and we as consumers are the target audience.  It's in food manufacturers' best interests to label foods in such a way that will get us to buy them, whether that's through an honest and transparent portrayal of what's in the food and how the food was made, or through more deceptive means.  Government regulated food labels exist to mitigate deceptive labeling and promote a more honest food system, but not all labels - even some of the ones that sound really legitimate - actually mean anything legally.  And not all facts about the foods we eat (like GMOs) are actually required to be disclosed to consumers.

Take this story about two California mothers who are suing General Mills.  The label in question in this case is the "Natural" label, a term that's only regulated when applied to meats and poultry, and has absolutely no meaning when applied to snack foods like Nature Valley Granola Bars.  The lawsuit's main focus is on the natural label, but it's also the whole package - literally, the granola bars are in a package filled with design choices that give potential buyers that "wholesome, healthy feeling" - that is cause for concern.  With packaging that looks so close to nature, the contents of the box must be natural too, right?  It might be a little exhausting at first, but a little research and critical thinking before you head to the store can outsmart savvy advertisements later on. 

Here is a searchable database that explains what a large variety of labels really mean.  You can search by label, product category, or certifier.  Short on time?  A good bet is to briefly scrutinize the nutrition facts label and ingredients list on the product before putting it in your shopping cart.  It won't tell you how the food was made, but at least you'll know if that fruit juice is really all juice or if it has a bunch of added sugar, and if that sugar is "evaporated cane juice" (actual sugar) or high fructose corn syrup.  Plus, in the case of juice, that "100% juice" label does actually mean something!

Have a nutritionally enlightened day,
-Melissa

Roundup's Toxicity Goes Beyond Glyphosate

If you've been to this blog before, you've probably heard of Roundup - Monsanto's herbicide widely used to spray lawns, yards, and crops, especially those crops that have been genetically modified to resist Roundup's active ingredient, Glyphosate.  You've probably also heard of the health dangers of Glyphosate as shown in numerous laboratory tests.  What you may not know, however, is that one of the supposedly inert ingredients in Roundup, called polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, has been shown to not only be more dangerous on its own than Glyphosate, but also increase the damage Glyphosate can do to cells on its own by combining with it to more effectively penetrate clothing, safety equipment, and cell walls in the body.  

This article in Scientific American describes how a French team of scientists came to this conclusion after testing POEA and Roundup on human cells.  An excerpt reads:

POEA, was more deadly to human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells than the herbicide itself – a finding the researchers call “astonishing.” 

“This clearly confirms that the [inert ingredients] in Roundup formulations are not inert,” wrote the study authors from France’s University of Caen. “Moreover, the proprietary mixtures available on the market could cause cell damage and even death [at the] residual levels” found on Roundup-treated crops, such as soybeans, alfalfa and corn, or lawns and gardens. 

The research team suspects that Roundup might cause pregnancy problems by interfering with hormone production, possibly leading to abnormal fetal development, low birth weights or miscarriages.

The article then goes on to explain why an ingredient that causes more harm than the active ingredient can be  labeled as inert:

The term “inert ingredient” is often misleading, according to Caroline Cox, research director of the Center for Environmental Health, an Oakland-based environmental organization. Federal law classifies all pesticide ingredients that don’t harm pests as “inert,” she said. Inert compounds, therefore, aren’t necessarily biologically or toxicologically harmless – they simply don’t kill insects or weeds.

If you want to avoid POEA and Glyphosate, buying more organic food, and more generally, avoiding Genetically Modified Organisms - a primary use of Roundup -  are great options.  Support mandatory labeling for GE foods, and add your voice to those advocating for the passage of Prop 37 in California.  Here in Connecticut, purchase groceries from a farmers market and get to know the farmer you're buying from.  If you know the farmers who grow your food, and ask them questions, you will know your food as well.

Have a great weekend!
-Melissa

Oppositiion to California's GMO Labeling Initiative

Yesterday's blog post about the California GMO Labeling Ballot Initiative showcases a very important potential step toward eventual GMO labeling across the country.  California has the highest GDP of any state in the nation, a GDP higher than many countries, so passing a labeling initiative there is likely to cause a domino effect culminating in mandatory labeling across the US.  Because of this, one of the nation's largest food lobbies, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association, has made defeating the initiative - called Prop 37 - their "single-highest priority".

According to an editorial on Food Safety News,

In a recent speech to the American Soybean Association (most soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified), Grocery Manufacturers Association President Pamela Bailey said that defeating the initiative "is the single-highest priority for GMA this year."

You may not know the Grocery Manufacturers Association, but its members represent the nation's largest food makers -- those with the most at stake in the battle over GMO labeling; for example, soft drink and snack giant PepsiCo, cereal makers Kellogg and General Mills, and of course, biotech behemoth Monsanto.

According to state filing reports, so far GMA has spent $375,000 on its efforts to oppose the labeling measure, with its members adding additional out-of-state lobbying power in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Since Prop 37 poses a significant threat to many of the nation's largest food makers, corporations that make a lot of money from the production and sale of Genetically Modified foods, it makes sense that the lobbying group that represents those interests would be fiercely fighting back.  This backlash, however, is promising because it shows just how powerful Prop 37 really is. Lobbying groups might have a lot of money on their side, but no amount of money can compete with a large group of voices speaking out in unison.

Here in Connecticut we might not be able to vote on Prop 37, but that doesn't mean that we can't speak out in support of it.  The more people nationwide who show their support of mandatory GMO labeling, both publicly and to their friends and neighbors, the more likely those in California who can vote on it are to hear us.  After all, the Grocery Manufacturer's Association is a giant national lobbying firm that is currently influencing the outcome of the vote, regardless of whether or not it's employees can actually vote on the ballot itself.  So talk to those around you and be outspoken, because your voice makes a difference.  Let's show California that we support their right to know what's in their food!

Have an outspoken day!
-Melissa

California is continuing to demand its Right to Know.

The Right to Know is building momentum in California leading up to the November ballot on the issue.  Known as the "Yes on 37" campaign and the "Right to Know Campaign", the movement has received endorsement from the California Labor Legislation and Senator Barbara Boxer and State Senator Mark Leno.  

According to the Digital Journal article 'Yes on 37' Right to Know - organizing one million more voters, Senator Boxer said yesterday, “California consumers have the right to know if their food has been genetically engineered. This basic information should be available for consumers on the label the way it is in nearly 50 other countries around the world.”

The bill has also been endorsed by the Consumer Federation of America, the United Farm Workers, California Certified Organic Farmers, Public Citizen, Organic Consumers Association, the California League of Conservation Voters, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Center for Food Safety, and the Sierra Club.  This coalition of farmers, agricultural non-profits, consumer advocacy groups and environmental groups demonstrates the broad spectrum of interests in GMO-labeling.  The only opponents seem to be food companies that use GMOs and the corporations that develop genetically modified crops, seeds and foods.  GMO-labeling is also supported by about 90% of California's voters based on voter polls. 

The California ballot initiative might lead the way for GMO-labeling in the rest of the country! We are so excited for this progress, you can learn more about the California Right to Know Campaign at their website, and cheer them on while we keep generating support for the Right to Know here in Connecticut.  

Happy August!
Kristiane

Upcoming GMO Activism Events

Jeffrey Smith and Tara Cook-Littman from Right to Know CT

On August 8, 2012 save the date for a day packed with GMO activism and some of the most renowned people in the non-GMO movement!

 

The day starts out with a Legislative Meeting in Hartford where Jeffrey Smith will be speaking, and continues with a Right to Know Coalition meeting:
GMO Public Meeting
August 8, 2012
10am: public meeting at the Capitol with Jeffrey Smith
12pm: Right to Know Coalition meeting
Hartford, CT

Later on, the Institute for Responsible Technology will be holding a benefit celebrating non-GMO food from around Connecticut:
an Evening Benefiting The Institute for Responsible Technology
Wednesday August 8, 2012
7:30PM
Greenwich Audubon
613 Riversville Road
Greenwich, CT
Celebrate the Non-GMO food offerings available in CT from organic chefs and restaurants from around the state such as Catch A Healthy Habit, Health in A Hurry, Bakery on Main, Du Soleil, Just Food, Green & Tonic, Double L Market, and Natures Temptations!

Still can't get enough Jeffrey Smith?  You're in luck!  He is also one of the keynote speakers at the NOFA Summer Conference on August 10-12.  Jeffrey will also be holding a pre-conference training on fighing GMOs on Thursday, August 9, 1pm-5pm and Friday 8am-12 noon. You can learn more about the fantastic speakers and workshops at the Summer Conference and register for the event here.

Have a great Wednesday!
-Melissa

The Right To Know Ballot in California

The GMO-Labeling issue is going to ballot in California! Almost one million Californians signed a petition in favor of adding the provision to the California ballot.

Get ready for the biotech and big ag industry to push back against this legislation, with "grassroots" organizations, a large media campaign and unbelievable amounts of money.  In his Mother Jones article "How California Could Force the Rest of the US to Label GMO Foods", Tom Philpott writes that "A move to labeling would likely create a robust market in non-GMO, conventional versions of those crops, giving large-scale farmers incentive to transition away from GMOs and cutting into the profits of giants like Monsanto, Syngenta, and DuPont. If a substantial percentage of them did, that would be a hard blow to the profit plans of the big agrichemical companies, whose business models are based on constant growth, not shrinkage." 


An article by Organic Consumers Associations' Alexis Baden-Mayer and Ronnie Cummins reposted from the Organic Consumers Association (read original article here):What do a former mouthpiece for tobacco and big oil, a corporate-interest PR flack, and the regional director of a Monsanto-funded tort reform group have in common? They're all part of the anti-labeling PR team that will soon unleash a massive advertising and PR campaign in California, designed to scare voters into rejecting the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.

In November, California voters will vote 'yes' or 'no' on a law to require mandatory labeling of all genetically engineered ingredients in processed foods, and ban the routine industry practice of mislabeling foods containing genetically engineered ingredients as 'natural.' Polls show that nearly 90 percent of the state's voters plan to vote 'yes.' But when November rolls around, will voter support still be strong? Not if the biotech, agribusiness, and food manufacturers industries can help it.

It's estimated that the opposition will spend $60 - $100 million to convince voters that genetically engineered foods are perfectly safe. They'll try to scare voters into believing that labeling will make food more expensive, that it will spark hundreds of lawsuits against small farmers and small businesses, and that it will contribute to world hunger. . . .

Alexis Baden-Mayer is Political Director of the Organic Consumers Association.
Ronnie Cummins is founder and director of the Organic Consumers Association. Cummins is author of numerous articles and books, including "Genetically Engineered Food: A Self-Defense Guide for Consumers" (Second Revised Edition Marlowe & Company 2004).
© Copyright 1997-2012 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.

Join Right to Know CT for a GMO town hall meeting May 23

An important message from our Executive Director, Bill Duesing:  

Friends,

We can't let Monsanto keep control of our legislative process through threats and disinformation.
 
90 percent of Americans want to know if GMOs are in their food.  A pré vote tally of CT representatives indicated that 85 percent of them supported the labeling legislation.
 
Monsanto (and its biotech buddies) don't support labeling.
 
Look at the results in CT and VT (no labeling) and compare that to what you'd expect in a democracy.
 
Did you see the latest damnation of industrial food?
 
KPMG, a major accounting firm says that the food industry produces over $2 worth of environmental and resource damage for each $1 in profits.
 
Other information indicates that the industrial food system produces at least $1.50 in medical costs for each dollar of profit, just for the big three diet related diseases-obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We've been told that one in three children born in this century will develop diabetes and that currently many teenagers are developing this expensive and dangerous disease.
 
So just these two categories, which likely miss some things-like the cost of food related cancers and allergies-indicate that for each $1 for food system profits, humans and the environment pay $3.50 in costs.
 
The profits of the food industry are literally coming from destruction of the health of people and the environment.
 
It is time to get serious about our food system. Little else is so important.
 
Our food choices are powerful tools for change. Eating locally, organically and lower on the food chain are ways each of us can make a difference.

You are invited to join us at a Right To Know CT town hall-style meeting. 

Wednesday, May 23

Church of the Redeemer, UCC

185 Cold Spring Street, New Haven, CT 06511

10:20 am – 12:00 noon 

We will discuss a number of key campaigns and initiatives we will be undertaking over the next few months to educate and influence Right to Know CT's three main constituent groups: farmers, consumers and legislators. Leaders spearheading these efforts will briefly present them to the group and welcome members to volunteer to help. We will also discuss strategic partnerships and invite members to take ownership of and manage these relationships on behalf of Right to Know CT. During the communal share, members will have an opportunity to share with the group any program, event, initiative, project, etc. they are involved with and invite others to participate. We will also be organizing groups by geographical areas and encouraging attendees to sign up for Jeffrey Smith's Tipping Point Network. Representative Richard Roy, the original sponsor of the GMO labeling bill will be in attendance. We hope to see you there.

What grocery brands contain genetically modified ingredients?

If you shop regularly in the grocery store, you might wonder how you can avoid genetically modified organisms if they don't have required labeling. Unfortunately, without buying exclusively organic it's impossible to know 100% of the time, but there are easy steps you can take to be more certain.

True Food Now has released this shopping guide that gives tips and information on foods found in grocery stores based on category (meat, fish, fruits, grains, etc) and includes listings of commonly found brands of foods that are organic or may contain genetically modified ingredients.  You my not have the freedom of a labeling system at your disposal, but you can greatly reduce your risk of eating genetically modified foods if you know what foods have the greatest risk of containing gm ingredients.

As always, buying local and organic skips the whole necessity for labels, because you can just ask your farmer if what they are growing suits your needs. Check out our website for listings of farmers markets where you can buy CT NOFA farmer organic produce.

Have an informed week,
Melissa

Right 2 Know CT withdraws support from altered labeling bill

As many of you may have already heard, Connecticut's labeling bill no longer requires the labeling of genetically engineered foods.  Once again, we defer to Analiese Paik of Fairfield Green Food Guide who has explained the situation on her website, http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/2012/05/05/connecticuts-ge-foods-bill/ quoted below:

Connecticut’s Genetically Engineered Foods bill may still be alive, but it is no longer a bill requiring the labeling of GE foods. As of last night, the labeling provision was removed. Why was this bill eviscerated?

Rep. Richard Roy of Milford, co-chair of the Environment Committee and the original sponsor of the bill, when reached for comment this morning said “I feel very strongly that someone or some state has to challenge the use of the Bill of Rights, designed to protect we individuals, from using it to thwart the sharing of information and the subjugation of a whole industry. Residents of more than 50 other countries get simple information saying that saying that GMOs are present in a product. The freest society in the world cannot get that simple sentence.”

Bill Duesing, Anliese Paik, Tara Cook-Littman and Representative Roy
address the pro-labeling demonstrators.  

I asked Rep. Roy why the labeling provision was removed from his bill, the Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods. “The labeling provision was eliminated from the bill due to fears that it opened the state up to a lawsuit. The attorneys for the leadership and Governor’s office felt that the Constitutional Rights of Monsanto gave them the power to successfully sue the state. Their main duty was to protect the welfare of the state” said Roy.

Tara Cook-Littman, my fearless partner in leading Right to Know CT, repeated what she’s been saying for weeks about the constitutionality of the bill. “The constitutional argument is absurd, and everyone knows it.  As long as Connecticut law makers had a legitimate state interest that was reasonably related to the labeling of products produced from the process of genetic engineering, the GMO labeling bill would be considered constitutional by any court of law.”  Littman added, “It appears that the biotech industry’s influence was in place all along, waiting for this tactic to be deployed at the last minute, with no time to argue before the vote.”

Right to Know CT will no longer endorse or support HB 5117, An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods. I said to Rep. Roy this mornings “you are our hero and we supported your bill, but this is no longer a bill that reflects your intent to label and we must register our discontent by withdrawing our support.”

Rally at the Capitol on May 4, 2012.

We will not go quietly into the night. Will you?


Despite this disappointing set back, there is a loud and visible support for GMO-labeling in Connecticut. On Friday, those in support of GMO-labeling came together at the capital to express their support.  Analiese Paik, Tara Cook Littman, CT NOFA Executive Director Bill Duesing and Representative Roy addressed the rally attendees about the public's right to know about food ingredients.

Read more about the bill on The Fairfield Green Food Guide or The Organic View.

5 Things You Need to Know About GMOs

Michele Jacobson, a certified Clinical Nutritionist and the author of Just Because You’re An American Doesn’t Mean You Have To Eat Like One!, recently wrote an article entitled 5 Things You Need to Know About GMOs.  We've talked about this issue a lot because it deserves being talked about, and the second that we lose momentum over this issue is the second the bills currently pending nationally and statewide lose ground.  If you still haven't contacted your legislator in Connecticut, or haven't signed the Federal petition, here are some excerpts from Michele's article that might sway you to do so:

Why You Want To Avoid GMOs
What about the effects of GMOs on us after we’ve eaten them? Human studies are sparse to date, but there is a broad call for more research due to suspicion that foods made from GMO plants are linked to an increase in allergies. Indeed, “soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced.”2 Additionally, “scientists recently found GE insecticide in corn showing up in the umbilical cords of pregnant women.”

Where Does The Rest Of The World Stand?
“Unlike most other developed countries – such as 15 nations in the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and even China – the U.S. has no laws requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods. Yet polls have repeatedly shown that the vast majority of Americans, – over 90% in most studies – believe GE foods should be labeled.”
 
Labeling in the EU is mandatory. Even some countries in need of aid have restricted the use of GM food. The United States is the only country in the world that allows the unregulated and unlabeled distribution of genetically modified and genetically engineered foods to be sold.

What CanYou Do?
As it turns out, there is quite a bit you can do on a personal level to make your stance known.
1 - Avoid GM and GE foods to the best of your ability! It’s not so easy, as they have really infiltrated our food system, but by avoiding processed foods and paying attention to labels you can at least stand a chance.
2 - Buy 100% certified organic food. While guaranteeing your safety from genetically modified foods, this also makes a statement to producers that you don’t support GMOs in our food system. It’s simple supply and demand (or, in this case, demand and supply). Although it certainly isn’t the only reason to buy organic foods, it’s a great reason to start.
3 - Many states have bills pending the labeling of GMO products. Or, at JustLabelIt you can sign a petition for the FDA to require that all genetically engineered foods be labeled as such.
4 - Raise awareness! Talk about it to your friends, point out the No GMOs label on packaging, and pass this article along to a friend.

For more GMO information, please visit our website.  We all have a right to know what is in our food!  Please contact your legislator today and let your voice be heard!

The Connecticut GMO Labeling Bill Lives On!

Below is a message from Analiese Paik, editor of the Fairfield Food Guide.  We'd like to share her detailed update on HB5117, Connecticut's GMO-Labeling Bill:

March 21, 2012

Dear Right to Know CT Campaign Members,

A mandatory GMO labeling bill is one step closer to being passed in Connecticut. Today CT HB 5117, an Act Concerning Genetically-Engineered Foods, passed in the CT Environment Committee with a Vote of 23-6, a historic bi-partisan vote and a crucial step in the life of the bill. Five out of ten Republicans voted in favor of the bill and all but one Democrat voted in favor of the bill. The bill will now be sent to the Connecticut House where it will wait until the Speaker of the House, Representative Christopher Donovan, calls the bill for a vote.

During the discussion before the vote today, the Environment Committee reviewed testimony from the public hearing on February 22 and also shared letters that constituents have been sending to them. This bill could not have gotten this far without the advocacy efforts of all of you and the people and organizations you reached out to. Thank you so much for your advocacy work.

Housekeeping: We hope to have an email marketing program up and running shortly and that will allow email subscriptions via the website and Facebook page. In the meantime, we can manually add names. There is a second distribution list that this email is going to the lists generated after Jeffrey Smith’s keynote speech at the CT NOFA conference. Jeffrey Smith’s team is also sending out our emails to their subscribers in CT and surrounding states.

Next Steps:

1) Please write or call Speaker Donovan and urge him to call CT HB 5117 in the House. It is within Speaker Donovan's discretion to raise the bill during this legislative session, which ends on May 9, 2012. If Speaker Donovan does not call the bill within this session, the bill dies and will need to be raised again next session in the Environment Committee. If the bill is not called within a week of reaching Speaker Donovan, we are considering holding a rally at the Capitol. Remember we only have until May 9 to get this bill passed in both the House and Senate and then sent to the Governor.

Please find Speaker Donovan's contact information below.

Christopher Donovan
Legislative Office Building, Room 4100
Hartford, CT 06106
Christopher.Donovan@cga.ct.gov
860-240-8500
1-800-842-1902

2) We are organizing a literature drop in Hartford on Wednesday, March 28th, in order to provide legislators with educational materials about GMOs and the need for labeling. Please let us know if you are available to help by emailing Analiese@snet.net or TaraCook.Littman@gmail.com.

3) If situations dictate, we may plan a rally. Please let us know if you would be interested in attending. We’d need to discuss appropriate signage and key messaging for the media.

4) Please continue to update your friends and networks about the bill and encourage use of the advocacy platform on www.righttoknowct.org to send letters to CT legislators asking them to support the bill.

5) Visit a local farmers’ market or co-op and ask if you can distribute literature about Right to Know CT.

6) Plan an event in your town to foster community dialog about GMOs and the labeling bill.

Upcoming Advocacy Events:

1) March 22 at the Fairfield Public Library, Rotary Room, Main Library, 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT, 10 am
http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/2012/03/20/free-gmo-workshop-at-fairfield-public-library/

Join Tara Cook-Littman and Analiese Paik to learn about what Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are and how to avoid them when shopping for you and your family. 

2) CCSU SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM: GLOBAL FOOD, FARMING & SUSTAINABILITY March 29, 2012

The Fifth Annual Global Environmental Sustainability Symposium, with the theme of Global Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability, will be held at Central Connecticut State University on March 29, 2012. The symposium is free and open to the public. The goal is to engage all segments of society in a discussion about issues related to the production and consumption of food.

People concerned about GMOs, should attend the panel discussion about the organic farmers’ lawsuit against Monsanto and GMO labeling efforts in Connecticut. Panelists include Bob Burns, Biointensive Farmer, Pat Bigelow, Nutritionist and founder of the UConn Student Farm, and Bill Duesing, Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association, a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Monsanto.

The symposium will conclude with a Town Hall meeting conducted by Dr. Daniel Esty, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Commissioner Esty will have a discussion with audience members about Connecticut policies and goals related to food and farming.

For a complete list of events taking place at the Sustainability Symposium, go to GESAC’s website at:http://www.ccsu.edu/page.cfm?p=11065

3) Saturday March 31 – Food for Thought Expo at Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield, CT, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Exhibitors table and Non GMO Workshop at 2:30 pm

http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/2012/03/21/learning-about-good-food-at-the-food-for-thought-expo/

The Institute for Responsible Technology and Right To Know CT will have a table set up with Jeffrey Smith’s books and DVDs for sale and literature on GMOs. Analiese Paik will lead a workshop on GMOs, teach attendees how to avoid them when purchasing food, and urge guests to get involved in the Right To Know CT advocacy campaign.

4) Sunday April 1 - Don’t Be Fooled by GMOs - Westport Inn, 1595 Post Road East, Westport, CT

http://fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com/2012/03/21/dont-be-fooled-by-gmos-a-public-forum/

Join the Westport Farmers’ Market, The Wakeman Town Farm, and Right To Know CT at the Westport Inn from 5:00 – 6:30 PM. Non-GMO nibbles will be served. Analiese Paik, Tara Cook-Littman, and Glen Colello will educate attendees about GMOs and their health risks, how to avoid them, and why and how to support HB 5117 GMO mandatory labeling. We will be joined by several state legislators who will share their own views on the importance of GMO labeling. Suggested donation $5 per person, $10 per family, kids and students are free.

Please submit your events to Analiese@snet.net for inclusion in the e-newsletter and on the website. I encourage you to post your events on our Facebook page.
Hope to see you in Hartford next Wednesday. There are almost 200 packets to be distributed to our Representatives and Senators and we sure could use your help.

Thank you again for all your work.

Best,

Analiese Paik
Tara Cook-Littman

Analiese Paik
Founder, Fairfield Green Food Guide, LLC
www.fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com
Helping consumers source fresh, local sustainable food. Because our future depends on it.

Mobile: 203-520-3451
Twitter: @greenfoodgal
Facebook: facebook.com/FairfieldGreenFoodGuide

What is "Pink Slime"?

A product the industry calls "lean, finely textured meat" has been a fixture in the ground beef served in the free school lunch program and fast food hamburgers for years. But after Chef Jamie Oliver demonstrated how "pink slime" is made on his TV show last year, and media reports suggested it may not be as safe as the government claims, alarm among consumers began surging.

This excerpt was taken from a recent NPR article that discusses both the bacterial health hazards of pink slime, as well as the process of making it supposedly safe for human consumption.  As is the case with so many industrial food products, at the root of the issue it all comes down to price.  Despite all the processing, pink slime is slightly cheaper than regular ground beef, and so is a significant component in free school lunches and much of the ground beef that's sold in grocery stores.  As consumers, however, we can't know for sure what ground beef has it and what doesn't, because the packages are not required to be labeled.


Sound familiar?  It should.  The recent initiative to label pink slime on ground beef is not entirely dissimilar from our efforts to label Genetically Modified Organisms.  It all comes back to us as consumers having a right to know what's in our food. We should not have to pay extra to have ground beef ground up in front of us so that we can know for sure that it doesn't contain ammonia treated trimmings.  We should not have to assume that every non-organic product that contains corn or soybeans has GMOs because we can't know for sure.  Proper labeling is necessary in order to make informed food choices, and being able to make those informed choices is our right.

To learn more about what I meant above by "ammonia treated trimmings", check out this video with Chef Jamie Oliver that explains the process behind pink slime.



Have a great afternoon,
Melissa

30th Annual Winter Conference Recap and Call to Action

Our Winter Conference last Saturday the 3rd had nearly 600 attendees, our biggest turnout yet!  It was a wonderful event, packed with workshops, vendors, and a great keynote speech by Jeffrey M. Smith.  This week we've been reviewing incoming evaluations from the event, and have had overwhelmingly positive feedback.  If you attended the conference we'd like to give you our most heartfelt thanks for being a part of our largest event of the year and helping to make it really special and momentous. And if you volunteered with us, we want you to know that this event could not have run so smoothly without you.  Thanks to everyone for your continued commitment to local sustainable food and to our mission to provide reliable access to that food for our communities.

Jeffrey M. Smith during his keynote

The big issues discussed at this year's conference are very important.  It is critical that everyone take action and make their voice heard in order to pass legislation currently being discussed in Hartford.  Preventing the repeal of the school pesticide ban and passing the GMO labeling bill are two initiatives that we need your support on in order to succeed.

You have the opportunity to let your state and Federal legislators know that you want to know what is in your food.  

There are at least three levels of GMO labeling initiatives you can be a part of:

1. A Letter from Congress to ask the FDA to label GMOs. Ask your Representative and Senators to sign on.
Click here for an easy pre-written way to let congress know that you want to know what's in your food. Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (OR) have authored a bicameral Congressional letter and will be urging their fellow Members on Capitol Hill to sign onto their letter.

2. A petition to FDA asking them to label GMOs.
A legal petition (Docket # FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP) has been filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling on the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. Visit JustLabelIt.org to learn more and to sign!

3. The Connecticut Bill to label GMOs which is closest to home.
The Bill, Officially called HB 5117: An Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods, is picking up momentum! Representative Roy first introduced the bill in mid-February and since then several legislators from both parties have expressed support, and Jeffrey Smith was invited to speak on the issue at the Capitol Building on March 2. Now we need Connecticut's consumers and voters to show their support! To find your legislator, click here. You can write your own letter to them, or send ours.

And for those who want to attend something in person:
CT GMO Labeling Bill Informational Meeting and Q&A
What Are GMOs and What Does the Bill Mean for Consumers?
Saturday, March 10, 10-12 noon
Pequot Library, Southport, CT
free and open to the public

Please also contact your state representatives to let them know that you want your children to play on school grounds that are free of chemicals, and that overturning the school pesticide ban is therefore unacceptable.  Working together we can turn the tide of sentiment in our favor.

Two volunteers in yellow participate
in the potluck lunch

If you are working up an appetite from contacting your state representative, check out some recipes from the Winter Conference's potluck lunch we've posted here.  These recipes are centered around winter food, specifically greens, and are a great way to tide yourself over before the heart of planting season begins.  Thanks to Chef John Turenne, farmer Wayne Hansen and Dr. Leigh White for providing these delicious ideas!

Don't forget to check out the pictures of our conference online!

Have a wonderful day!

Jeffrey Smith talks about GMOs at the Capitol Building

Jeffrey Smith addresses concerned citizens, legislators and
the press on March 2 at the Capitol Building.

Jeffrey Smith was kind enough to speak at the Capitol Building on March 2 in support of Connecticut's proposed GMO labeling law, HB 5117.
The first portion of the program was a Press Conference where Jeffrey Smith explained the science of genetically engineered foods and why he, and so many other consumers, scientists and activists, are concerned about their potential threats to the food system and to human health.  Jeffrey Smith was hosted by Representative Richard Roy (D-Milford) who has been the leader in writing and introducing the GMO-labeling bill.  Even more exciting were the ten or so state representatives who joined Mr. Smith and Rep. Roy at the podium to discuss their support of the labeling bill.  The bill already has remarkable bipartisan support, because the "Right to Know" is simply a right! There is no debate or political agenda attached to consumers having the right to know precisely what is in the food they eat and feed their families.

Jeffrey Smith and Rep. Roy are joined by members of both
parties expressing their support for HB 5117.

The bill's supporters include Rep. Tony Hwang (R-Republican), Rep. Andy Maynard (D-Stonington), Rep. Diana Urban (D-Stonington-North Stonington), Kim Rose (D-Milford), T.R. Rowe (R-Trumbull), and several more (I was unable to write down all of their names!)
After the press conference, Rep. Roy and Mr. Smith answered audience questions about labeling, terminator seeds, cross-pollination and contamination, how the proposed bill extends to meat and dairy, and a number of other technical questions.
After the forum ended the audience discussed the issues over coffee while some of us bought Mr. Smith's books.  The audience included farmers, landscapers, activists and conservationists reflecting the same diversity in support of the bill as the representatives supporting the bill.  A few people noted that a couple biotech supporters, and even lobbyists were present for the talk.  Jeffrey Smith's compelling talk and question and answer session along with a fired-up audience might be making them a little nervous . . . .

Jeffrey Smith and Representative Roy answered audience questions for a
long period of time after the press conference.

After drinking coffee with all those GMO-labeling supporters, a number of the bill's early supporters, including CT NOFA Executive Director Bill Duesing, Pat Bigelow CT NOFA Board Member Janet Heller, and luckily, myself, had lunch (thanks to Analiese Paik with Fairfield Green Food Guide and Sallie Hersen who was instrumental in setting up the Press Conference at the capitol) with Jeffrey Smith and Representative Roy.  Mr. Smith discussed his transition into GMO activism, how he has managed to remain "un-squelched" and also his perspective on the Connecticut labeling bill.

Connecticut's long-time GMO-Labeling bill supporters join Jeffrey Smith
and Representative Roy for a healthy, delicious raw and organic lunch.

Show your support for the labeling bill by writing your Connecticut legislator! 

Here's to  healthy minds, bodies and senses of activism!
Best,
Kristiane

See Jeffrey Smith on Friday at the Legislative Forum or on Saturday at the Winter Conference

The leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices, Jeffrey M. Smith, is the author of the world's bestselling and #1 rated book on the health dangers genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

His first book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating masterfully combines the art of storytelling and investigative reporting. His second book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, is the authoritative work on GMO health dangers. It includes 65 health dangers, linking GMOs in our food to toxic and allergic reactions, infertility, and damage to virtually every internal organ studied in lab animals.

Mr. Smith has counseled leaders from every continent, campaigned to end the use of genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST), and influenced the first state laws in the United States regulating GMOs. An admired keynote speaker around the globe, Mr. Smith has been described as "a life-changer".  Former US National Institutes of Health scientist Candace Pert describes Jeffrey as "the leading world expert in the understanding and communication of the health issues surrounding genetically modified foods."


He is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, producer of the films Hidden Dangers in Kids' Meals and Your Milk on Drugs—Just Say No!, writes an internationally syndicated column, Spilling the Beans, has a regular blog on the popular Huffington Post, and is followed on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Get a preview of some of the health dangers from GMOs with this video.

You have TWO opportunities to see Jeffrey Smith this weekend!

Attend the Environment Committee’s special news conference and legislative forum this Friday, March 2, 2012, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 pm. The Environment Committee will hold a news conference, followed by a legislative forum on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) sponsored by State Representative Richard Roy. Following the news conference supporting HB 5117, An Act Requiring the Labeling of Genetically-Engineered Foods, national expert on the subject, Jeffrey Smith, will lead a legislative forum on the subject.  A question and answer session will follow. Please arrive early to find parking, then head to the Old Appropriations, Room 310 at the Capitol in Hartford, CT.

And then of course, your second opportunity is at the 2012 CT NOFA Winter Conference on Saturday at Manchester Community College.  We already have hundreds of people registered and are expecting many many more! Registration before the conference is encouraged, but we accept walk-ins too!