RootCast 8 Featuring Part 1 of an interview with Jeffrey Smith,
author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, on the dangers of
Genetically Modified Foods, and Monsanto's hold on the world's seed crop.
Click the playbar below to hear the episode.
Check out all the RootCasts at:
Root Concepts an on iTunes.
From The Independent: Research linking GM potatoes to cancer in lab rats was conducted in 1998 by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and has been suppressed for eight years.
It showed that the potatoes did considerable damage to the rats' organs. Those in the "control groups" that were fed non-GM potatoes suffered ill-effects, but those fed GM potatoes suffered more serious organ and tissue damage.
The potatoes contained an antibiotic resistance marker gene. The institute that carried out the studies refused to release all the information. However, Greenpeace and other consumer groups mounted a protracted legal battle campaign to obtain the report. In May 2004 the Nikulinski District Court in Russia ruled that information relating to the safety of GM food should be open to the public.
The institute, however, refused to release the report. Greenpeace and Russian activist groups again took the institute to court, and won a ruling that the report must be released.
Whole Foods Market and Wild Oat Markets announced they have signed a definitive merger agreement under which Whole Foods will acquire Wild Oats in a $565 million deal.
This move clearly puts Whole Foods in the lead as the natural products retailer globally. What will be interesting and curious to watch is whether this move will encourage Whole Foods to maintain organic quality and provide a local platform for farmers in the area these stores service. These are two of the biggest issues Root sees as a priority for the retail king of this market segment. Stay Tuned. Download the PDF for details of the deal via Whole Foods website. Download pr07-02-21merger.pdf
Benjamin Fahrer, a Sonoma County Permaculturist living at Oceansong, commits to the Mayan People of Mexico to preserve their traditions and the integrity of indigenous corn.
read more | digg story
As a follow up to our continued interest in the food we eat, and knowing what it is - check out Sustainable Table's Eat Well Guide. Enter your zip code and come up with a list of wholesome food from healthy animals. Local and helpful. Another useful site is Local Harvest. 
Same principals. More options. Buy local.
...and no special labeling is necessary to distinguish these products from each other. The FDA has been reviewing the possibilities of allowing American consumption of cloned foods for more than five years. Biotech companies, growing weary as they run out of cash waiting for the "Foot Dragging Administration", seem to have won the battle. But will consumers "just buy it"? Root thinks not. In a poll earlier this year by the International Food Information Council, 63% of consumers declared that they would not willingly buy meat, milk and eggs that come from clones even if the FDA declared them "safe". And are we safe? According to a written statement by FDA spokesman Stephen F. Sundlof, chief of veterinary medicine at the agency to the Washington Post, the agency has heard rumors of clone progeny moving into the food supply, but was "not aware of any proof". For now, farmers and cloning companies are abiding by a voluntary ban on meat and milk from clones. The FDA says an informal ban remains until its decision is final. Root encourages all consumers to question these processess, and demand the labeling of all foods coming from humanly altered sources. Photo credit of Elvis the cloned calf by Carol Guzy of The Washington Post.
Percy Schmeiser, a farmer from Bruno, Saskatchewan Canada whose fields were contaminated by Monsato's Round-Up Ready Canola, and who was later sued by Monsanto will be speaking in Ukiah at the Mendocino Community College Little Theatre on Friday night. The Schmeisers were close to retirement when they were surprisingly sued in 1998. Monsanto claimed the long-time farmers were illegally growing the patented seed which had drifted into their fields. The family fought the suit all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court, and lost. The event is co-hosted by the CCOF, The Epicurean Connection, and Local Host Dialogue. The program begins at 7 pm, the cost is $10, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds and donations will go directly to the Schmeiser's efforts to fight Monsanto and genetic pollution, as well as to educate the public and farmers alike about the severe risks associated with genetically modified foods. The family was prominently featured in the documentary, The Future of Food by Deborah Koons Garcia. If you haven't seen the film, do. The issues are controversial, disturbing and real.
Here in Sonoma County it is easy to believe that eating clean, local food is possible, but even if one shops for and prepares food consciously, what passes as such can often astound. Over on PSFK there is a post on who is watching what we eat. Two different articles illustrate this important issue.
According to a New York Times article on nanotech food additives - a most unappetizing thought - the FDA's equally unappetizing attitude towards the technology was stated:
"F.D.A. officials said last week that treating every new nanotechnology product that consumers swallow as a food additive might compromise the agency's mandate to foster innovation and might not be within its authority."
Hmmm, an interesting stance from the regulatory body that approves food and drugs for consumption in the US, with far reaching implications worldwide.
In another article, this time from the San Francisco Chronicle, blogger Bonnie Azab Powell writes that while out to dinner with her husband, he ordered what was touted on the menu as "humane, sustainable pork". After the fact, and upon investigation, Powell learned that White Marble Farms pork was indeed a "premium" brand of SysCo, the largest food services distributor in the United States. The pork is produced in the same manner as conventional pigs - raised indoors in confinement barns by the second largest meat processor in America - Cargill Meat Solutions.
These related stories beg the question - What are we eating? - and how do we navigate nourishing ourselves in these times of insidious GMOs, sustainably "wrapped" foods, and marketing to the green consumer?
Bike ride 35, 65 or 100 miles and enjoy an organic, vegan meal at the end of your ride.
A Green Event in our town that encourages nonprofit groups and small businesses to get involved by hosting rest stops. This is a great way for organizations and businesses to introduce participants to the flavor of their mission.
Founded in 2003, OrganicAthlete is a nonprofit organization that unites people in a global effort to create a better world through sport. Their mission is to promote health and ecological stewardship among athletes of all ages and abilities by sharing information, building community and inspiring through athletic example. The Tour d'Organics simultaneously promotes their educational mission, brings communities together in celebration of health and the environment, serves as a model for how athletic events can be ecologically sustainable, and generates a revenue base from which to further the mission.
The Tour d'Organics is a great way to explore farming communities and meet the people who grow your food. For rest-stop refreshments and post-ride meals, as much local food as possible is served.
Each rest stop will be well stocked with produce from the farms and other munchies including fruit, boiled potatoes, energy bars, and nut butters from Living Tree Community Foods. The 65 and 100 mile rides include a substantial lunch. After the ride, there will be a delicious vegan meal made from locally grown produce. All food is included with registration. Massage will also be available after the ride.
Organic Athlete does everything they can to make this a green and ecologically sustainable event. Methods include: printing all printed materials on tree-free or 100% recycled paper with vegetable based inks, offering only 100% organic and plant-based food, using food containers made from compostable materials, making every effort to make the events carbon neutral and zero waste, encouraging and facilitating carpooling with Spaceshare.
Register, ride and share in the bounty of our incredible county, Sunday August 20th.
Root Concepts is in production on a series of eight video segments for Traditional Medicinals. The segments will highlight TM's source stories, introducing their consumers and retail customers to the connections for their herbs around the world. The first of these stories will feature the breadnut of Guatemala.
