A few years ago, I began living my double life - half midwesterner and half California girl. Half Madison, half San Diego. The liberal area of San Diego, I might add. The gayborhood.
One of my first introductions to Cali life was a framed sign on my hotel that said "This building contains substances known to the State of California to cause cancer." California knows a lot of things that the rest of us don't. All sorts of things cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning - and only California had the wherewithal to figure it out.
As you probably read in a previous rec'd diary by Chapel Hill Guy, the war on brains is having a big week. I want to look beyond that at the overall trend here. In case you missed his diary on the National Uniformity for Food Act, I'll start by rehashing it a bit. While you read, just think - some 70 House Dems voted FOR it.
The sad thing is, this pathetic bill is just one in a long line of crap our government and the food industry lobby is throwing at us - and it won't be the last. Read on...
(To go straight to recipes, scroll to the bottom or click here)
The bill in question, H.R. 4167, the "National Uniformity for Food Act," seeks to forbid states from requiring different warning labels on food than the federal requirements. It specifically targets California's Proposition 65, a 1986 law requiring businesses to provide warnings when they expose consumers to known reproductive toxins. With 225 sponsors, it was as good as passed in the House even before the 3/8 vote.
The Republican excuse for their initiative is that shoppers all over the country should see the same warning. The Repugs aren't the only ones looking out for our best interests. Oh, no. The Grocery Manufacturers of America (the REAL sponsor of the bill... literally, in terms of campaign contributions) says the bill would provide "consistent, science-based food safety standards and warning requirements." No offense, guys, but that's pretty weak. Who are you fooling?
A more honest (dumb, but honest) representative (Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah) said the reason for the bill is that it is "unfair" to make companies follow 50 different labelling laws if they want to distribute a product nationally. UNFAIR? No, it is unfair that companies distribute foods to consumers containing lead, mercury, and a whole lot more. Actually, no. Unfair doesn't cut it. Life isn't fair. It's unconscionable. It's immoral.
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer knows exactly what's up. He made news by calling Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. (one of the bill's 225 co-sponsors) a "dumbshit." I heartily agree.
California is not the only state with food labelling laws - 15 other states have them as well. Officials in 37 states have taken action to oppose the measure. One of my favorite congressmen, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), is among those sticking up for us (not his first time doing so either).
The Organic Consumers Association has information and ACTION you can take on this issue. Here are some excerpts from their site:
This bill would also prevent citizens in local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients such as Monsanto's recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) be labeled.
Big food corporations and the biotech industry understand that consumers are more and more concerned about food safety, genetic engineering, and chemical-intensive agriculture, and are reading labels more closely. They understand that pesticide and mercury residues and hazardous technologies such as genetic engineering and food irradiation will be rejected if there are truthful labels required on food products.
I plan to take on rBGH, frankenfoods (GMOs), food irradiation, and more in future weeks. For now, I want to keep the focus on lawmakers undermining labelling to help big business and hurt informed consumers.
Big Business Responds to Demand for Organics
Big business gets that we want organic foods. We want locally-grown foods. We want to shop at coops and reinvest in our communities. We don't want genetically modified foods.
Sometimes when business looks at the raw data and sees the growing consumer trends, good things happen. Wal-Mart, for example, just started to carry organic foods. I still wouldn't shop there, but hey, it's a good thing. A small step in the right direction.
But other times they notice the trends and they just want to bend the rules so they can continue their nasty ways and still gain our trust and our business.
Several years ago I worked in the UK in a small communications firm that represented the Department of Economic Development of the State of Missouri to the UK (they also represented FL and OR). My job was researching on behalf of Americans who wanted to bring their businesses to the UK and Europe. I remember one fuckwit from Oregon gave me a research project about royal jelly. Apparently bee products from China contained traces of antibiotics and the EU banned them for that reason. The asshole wanted me to find out - was it illegal to import any bee products that originated in China, or would it be okay if he took them from China to the US and from the US to the EU? I never found the answer, but I told him that it wasn't kosher to take the to the EU via the US anyway just because I found the proposition entirely heinous.
My Quest for Puss-Free Milk
I forget which crazy liberal told me that rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, thank you Monsanto) made cows have puss come out of their udders - Michael Moore maybe? Al Franken? No matter. I read it somewhere. I just googled around the OCA webpage and came up with a whole slew of stuff about why it's bad. Cancer risks, bla bla bla.
Anyway, I only want to drink organic milk. If I buy nothing else organic, I'm getting organic dairy products or I'm going vegan, goddammit. So I buy organic milk.
Back in October, the Organic Consumers Association sent this gem to my inbox:
Organic consumers assume that when they're buying "USDA Organic" milk or dairy products, that the animals have access to pasture, and have been raised organically for their entire lives on sustainably-sized farms. Unfortunately, as the Cornucopia Institute has pointed out, companies like Dean Foods (Horizon) and Aurora have become leaders in the organic dairy sector by producing cheap milk on factory farm feedlots, feeding the cows organic grains, but providing no access to pasture, as organic standards require.
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has pleaded with the USDA for four years to clarify federal regulations requiring pasture access and to put an end to factory farm dairy feedlots calling themselves organic. Unfortunately USDA, no doubt under pressure from "industrial organic" lobbyists, has failed to act.
In addition loopholes in federal organic standards are allowing unscrupulous organic dairy operators to increase their herd size by importing young calves from conventional farms, where the animals are routinely weaned on cattle blood, injected or medicated with antibiotics, and fed genetically engineered grains, laced with slaughterhouse waste and tainted animal fat.
I was not amused. After that, I made an effort to steer clear of Horizon and go for the other common brand I see in the stores, Organic Valley Farms (a coop! yay!). Once I got some local Amish organic milk but that stuff went bad in like 5 minutes so while I'd love to get that again, I won't.
Other Shenanigans
How organic is "certified organic"? Prior to December, it meant organic. Now? Sort of. 95% or so at least. The two changes from a rider in an agricultural appropriations bill are that ingredients must be 95% organic and the remaining 5% can come from an approved list of synthetics. Who approves the synthetics? The secretary of agriculture. Awesome.
One way is to start looking for additional label claims such as "no synthetics used in production" if you're trying to buy as organic as possible, said Urvashi Rangan, senior scientist and policy analyst for Consumers Union.
Another common tactic? Get a bunch of big industry assholes together in a group with an environmentally-friendly sounding name. Something like.. oh, say... the Organic Trade Association. That's about as honest of a name as Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Those guys were the bastards behind loosening organic standards.
If you're up for some more reading, here's another good one: Corporate Organic & Supermarket Chains Undermining Organic Integrity
Undermining Coops
Wednesday this week I woke up to the news that Wisconsin now wants to undermine coops. They want to basically change the definition of "coop" so essentially an LLC - limited liability CORPORATION - could rebrand themselves as "coops." How cute - ConAgra could be a coop. Madison's liberal but we have some really, really, really rotten Republicans in office in our state government.
I had trouble finding more info online, but I heard it on The Pro Show on our local Air America affiliate and I think the guest at the time was from Wisconsin Citizen Action. The basic idea is that a coop can go get investors to buy in for up to 49% of the company - but the same investor can also be a patron and buy in for 2% more to gain a majority share.
How the hell are we supposed to be conscientious consumers if they are pulling the rug out from under every strategy we've got to figure out which brands are organic and which ones are just faking it? You want to see where your organic food is coming from? Look here (click image to enlarge):
Just one more reason to shop at your local farmer's market, garden, plant some fruit trees, raise a few chickens, or join a CSA... especially if even California is no longer able to share its wealth of knowledge about arsenic and lead in your food with you.
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In celebration of California's responsible labelling laws, here are a few recipes inspired by foods I ate in San Diego:
California Dreamin' Spinach Salad
Ingredients
* 1 c. fresh baby spinach
* Dried cranberries
* 1 pear, in matchsticks
* Sliced almonds
* Goat cheese
* Fruity vinaigrette (I prefer pomegranate)
Assemble all ingredients into a salad. Serve outdoors and imagine it is 74 and sunny, with no mosquitoes and a sea breeze.
Old Town San Diego Sopa de Cilantro
Ingredients
* 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 2 ribs celery, chopped (optional)
* 1 bulb fennel, chopped (optional)
* 1 tsp coriander (optional)
* 1-2 medium potatoes, chopped
* Vegetable broth, to desired consistency
* 1 bunch cilantro, fresh
* Pinch salt, to taste
* Fresh ground pepper, to taste
* Splash soymilk or skim milk
* Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Heat oil, onion, garlic, celery, fennel, and coriander in a saucepan at a high heat until veggies are translucent. Add potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add cilantro until cilantro is just wilted.
Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth (do this in batches). Pour soup back into the saucepan, cover, and simmer a few more minutes. Taste to determine if it needs a pinch of salt and add it if necessary. Last, add soymilk (or skim milk) and stir it in. Serve hot and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with tequila shots.