Changes Coming To The FDA

Changes that could advance the role of nutrition in health. Changes that I welcome.

From:
Selection Of Tom Daschle To Be New HHS Secretary May Signal Significant Changes

"Obama's choice for HHS Secretary, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, is sending chills up the spines of drug industry executives who have enjoyed years of effective decisional control at the FDA."

"In his position as HHS Secretary, Daschle will be able to make major changes at FDA. ... He might begin by obtaining the resignation of the present FDA Commissioner, Andrew Von Eschenbach."

Daschle is an advocate of "Alternative Medicine." (The future of the field however belongs to the concept of "Integrative Medicine", for which I'm certified. Where alternative medicine implies merely alternatives to conventional allopathic therapies, e.g. chiropractic is considered an alternative to drugs or surgery for back pain (and is often not covered by insurance); integrative medicine involves the integration of conventional and alternative therapies, e.g. chiropractic could be incorporated alongside drugs and surgery for back pain (and so would be covered by insurance). Another example of integrative medicine: nutritional support alongside chemotherapy for cancer treatment.)

"Tom Daschle was a key sponsor of legislation to create an Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health, backed a White House policy initiative to explore complementary and alternative medicine, and was a primary Senate sponsor of the Access to Medical Treatment Act. The Access to Medical Treatment Act (AMTA) would have allowed patients who elected a treatment not approved by the FDA to obtain it upon being given fully informed consent. Although the bill did not pass, it suggests that Daschle is no patsy for big pharma."

It would be nice to see the FDA get involved in promoting, not censoring, nutritional information ... e.g. the role of the ratio of omega-3:omega-6 fatty acids in inflammation, or the role of potassium in high blood pressure. Right now, the FDA prefers instead to advance the use of patentable drugs.

"Although little is known about his opinion of FDA's prior restraint on the communication of nutrient-disease information, he may be far more amenable to ending that regime of censorship than continuing it, again recognizing that consumers benefit from greater access to health information about the role of foods and nutrients within them and disease."

________

China: The World's Fish Basket

Here's a revealing short video (3:39 minutes) the New York Times produced last December as part of their series, "Choking on Growth" that examined China's pollution crisis. The video shows China's fish farming industry.

Fish is fast losing its appeal for me. From the video:

"China is by far the world's largest seafood producer."
"The problem is the water is heavily polluted ... by oil, by arsenic, by heavy metals, and by the aquafarms themselves."
Fish feed: "It's just like sewage that they're throwing in."

________

Melamine In Imported Fish

In my last post, I listed some actions the FDA took this year that benefited the food industry, sometimes at the cost of public health.

Here's an action the FDA should have taken, but didn't: Add melamine to the inspection list for fish imports. Why? In May, the FDA published research:
Determination and Confirmation of Melamine Residues in Catfish, Trout, Tilapia, Salmon, and Shrimp by Liquid Chromatography with Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, May 2008

... which found levels of melamine in imported fish up to 200 ppm. The FDA's current "safe" level for melamine, for adults, is 2.5 ppm.

Melamine is added to animal and fish feed to boost protein readings.

Melamine is toxic to humans. It damages the kidney, causes kidney stones, and can lead to kidney failure. People with diabetes already have compromised kidneys. To allow them, or anyone, to consume foods that contain possibly damaging levels of melamine without informing them of these findings is unethical.

Some melamine-spiked farmed fish is probably making its way into pet food too.

I read about the FDA's findings, not in May, but a few days ago. (Why wasn't this an FDA press release 7 months ago? Did I miss it?):

Toxic Melamine Is Suspected In Seafood From China, LA Times, December 24, 2008

"The [FDA], which is responsible for ensuring the safety of imported fish, currently doesn't require seafood products to be screened for melamine. Yet research from its own scientists has raised a warning flag."

"Laboratory studies of melamine-fed catfish, trout, tilapia and salmon by the FDA's Animal Drugs Research Center found that fish tissues had melamine concentrations of up to 200 parts per million. That's 80 times the maximum "tolerable" amount set by the FDA for safe consumption."

"China is the world's largest producer of farm-raised seafood, exporting billions of dollars worth of shrimp, catfish, tilapia, salmon and other fish.¹ The U.S. imported about $2 billion of seafood products from China in 2007, almost double the volume of four years earlier."

________¹"China produces about 70% of the farmed fish in the world."
- In China, Farming Fish In Toxic Waters, New York Times, December 2007.

FDA Keen To Appease Food Industry Before Bush Term Expires

Next year, our food supply may include meat, fish, and dairy products from cloned and genetically engineered animals - with no label.

It will likely include irradiated lettuce and spinach (along with irradiated meat, poultry, shellfish, and spices which are already on the market).

It will likely include arguably unsafe levels of chemicals known to be harmful to humans, including melamine, bisphenol-A, and mercury.

Our food supply will have changed because the FDA has, and is, paving the way for these changes.

Here's some of what the FDA has been up to this year. Feel free to add to it. (See footnote for photo info.)
________
Cloned Animals Are Safe

January 2008, FDA press release:
FDA Issues Documents On The Safety Of Food From Animal Clones

"Agency concludes that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of all clones, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals."

No label required. In fact, "clone-free" labeling may become illegal:

"The agency is not requiring labeling or any other additional measures for food from cattle, swine, and goat clones, or their offspring because food derived from these sources is no different from food derived from conventionally bred animals. Should a producer express a desire for voluntary labeling (e.g., "this product is clone-free"), it will be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure compliance with statutory requirements that labeling be truthful and not misleading."

Bisphenol-A Is Safe

August 2008, FDA draft assessment:
US Food And Drug Administration (FDA) Reaffirms Safety Of Food-Contact Products Containing Bisphenol A (BPA)

"On August 15, 2008 the FDA ... reaffirmed the safety of products made from polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins [e.g. bisphenol-A], including products intended for use by infants and children."

October 28, Updated FDA press release maintains safety:
FDA Statement On Release Of Bisphenol A (BPA) Subcommittee Report

"Current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an immediate health risk to the general population, including infants and babies."

Irradiated Produce Is Saf-er

August 2008, FDA press release:
Irradiation: A Safe Measure For Safer Iceberg Lettuce And Spinach

"On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling."

Genetically Engineered Animals Are Safe

September 2008, FDA press release:
FDA Issues Draft Guidance On Regulating Genetically Engineered Animals

"Our guidance provides a framework for both GE animals and products made from them to reach the market."

"FDA maintains that genetically engineered animals should not be labeled."
- Let Us Label

More FDA GE info:
Genetically Engineered Animals

Melamine Is Safe

October 2008, FDA press release:
FDA Issues Interim Safety And Risk Assessment Of Melamine And Melamine-Related Compounds In Food

"FDA concludes that levels of melamine and melamine-related compounds below 2.5 parts per million (ppm) do not raise concerns."

Genetic Engineering Accidents Pose No Threat

December 2008, FDA press release:
FDA, EPA And USDA Conclude That Accidental Release Of Genetically Engineered Cotton Poses No Safety Risk To Humans Or Animals

The cotton - which is not authorized to be consumed by livestock or humans because it is a new experimental variety that contains a gene which produces a pesticide - was harvested and mixed with 20,000 tons of approved commercial cotton and cottonseed. Similar crops have been shown to induce or exacerbate allergies, increase inflammation, reduce fertility, and shorten lifespan.

Mercury In Fish Is Safe

December 2008, FDA to lift mercury warning:
FDA In An About-Face On Fish Recommendations, Days Before Bush Leaves Office

The Environmental Working Group obtained documents which show...

"... officials of the FDA are secretly mounting an eleventh-hour drive to eliminate the 2004 warnings on mercury in fish, a move that would benefit the commercial fishing industry."

The EPA calls the document "scientifically flawed and inadequate."
________Photo shows current FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach on the left, and his boss, current Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Levitt on the right, speaking. President-elect Obama has named former Senator Tom Daschle to replace Levitt as head of HHS.

Small Farm Versus Big Farm

This was brought to my attention:

SWAT Team Conducts Food Raid In Rural Ohio

It raises a lot of questions for me, e.g. ...

Should people who grow food and sell it be required to have a license? How do you determine who gets exempted? Are food co-ops and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture, pictured) typically exempted from being licensed?

Should people who act as a middle man, buying food from a grower and reselling it, be required to have a license? How do you determine who gets exempted?

I get the feeling this is a growing problem, especially with the increased demand for organic, locally-produced plants and livestock.
________Photo of Community Supported Agriculture within Chicago city limits from Ride for Climate.

Gorillas Process Brussels Sprouts

Do you like Brussels sprouts?

Gorillas at a zoo in the UK seem to enjoy them. Portable. Bite-size. However, zoo officials were compelled to offer an apology to visitors who "expressed their horror at the potent smell that started emanating from the gorillas' enclosure."

Farting Gorillas Force Brussels Sprouts Off Zoo's Christmas Menu

Gorilla keeper Michael Rozzi said:

"We feed the gorillas brussel sprouts during the winter because they are packed with vitamin C and have great nutritional benefits.

Unfortunately, an embarrassing side effect is that it can cause bouts of flatulence in humans and animals alike.

However, I don't think any of us were prepared for a smell that strong."

________
1/2 cup boiled Brussels sprouts:

Calories: 28
Carbs: 6g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 2g
Omega-3: 135mg
Omega-6: 62mg
Vitamin C: 48mg (81% DV)*
Vitamin K: 109mcg (137% DV)*
Vitamin A: 604 IU
Folate: 47mcg
________
* DV: Daily Value. DVs are actually older recommendations. Newer values are known as DRIs or Dietary Reference Intakes.
Photo of Brussels sprouts: Bix
Thanks to BL for the story.

I Think Michael Pollan Is Trying To Tell Us Something

Here's Michael Pollan on NPR this morning discussing the selection of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to head the USDA:
Michael Pollan On Vilsack, Agriculture — And Food

Some Background

On October 12, before the election that positioned Barak Obama to be the 44th President of the US, Michael Pollan published a 9-page open letter to the unknown (but in many circles presumed) President-Elect:

Farmer In Chief, NYTs Magazine, October 12, 2008

Excerpts:

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

The era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close... Food is about to demand your attention.

Unless you [not simply address food prices, but make reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration], you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. ... As you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems."

Bill Moyers said:

"That article triggered such a response that an online movement has sprung up calling on President-elect Obama to name Michael Pollan Secretary of Agriculture."

So, on November 28, Bill Moyers, letter in hand, sat down with Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and professor of journalism at UC Berkeley) to discuss his vision for food policy, and how that policy has been colliding with policies for energy, healthcare, and the environment.

Moyers asked Pollan if he would accept the job of Secretary of Agriculture. Pollan replied:

"It's not for me. I would be so bad at this job. I have an understanding of my strengths and limitations."

Pollan went on to say much more. Here's the rest of Moyer's interview:
Bill Moyers Journal: Michael Pollan

It's long, so here's the interview in pieces on YouTube:
Part 1 (9:52 minutes)
Part 2 (10.14 minutes)
Part 3 (9.39 minutes)
Part 4 (10.08 minutes)
Part 5 (4.54 minutes)
________

Tom Vilsack For USDA Secretary?

Obama Picks Vilsack As Agriculture Secretary

Iowa Governor, 1998-2006
Iowa State Senator, 1992-1998
Mayor, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 1987-1992
Native of Pittsburgh, PA

Law degree, Albany Law School, 1975
Registered Democrat
Campaigned for Hillary Clinton for President

• Supports biotechnology and genetic engineering, especially for commodity crops (corn, soy, wheat, rice, cotton). Was named Governor of the Year in 2001 by Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), one of the largest and most influential pro-genetic engineering lobbies.
  
• Has supported the cloning of dairy cows.
  
• Has argued that agricultural policy should focus on production of renewable energy, notably ethanol. The use of corn and soy for fuel drives up the price of food and contributes to world hunger.
  
• Yet ... has argued to cut subsidies for commodity crops and channel the money toward improving environment?
  
• Jennifer Donahue, Vilsack's fellow teacher at Harvard's Institute of Politics, says that Vilsack deserves the nomination because he's a nice guy and he lets her call him "Tom."

________

Two Centuries Of Farming In The US

Guess:

1. In 1790, what percent of the US population were farmers?
   
2. In 1890, what percent of the US population were farmers?
   
3. In 1990, what percent of the US population were farmers?

I'll be back with the answers tomorrow. (Update: Answers in footnote below.)


Click for larger.
I was looking for a photo of a farm from the early 1900's to accompany this post and found this one ... of farmers. I can't stop looking at it. I decided to post it instead. The photo is of the Jack Whinery family, taken in September 1940. Captions under the photos read:

September 1940. The Jack Whinery family in their Pie Town dugout. Homesteader Whinery, a licensed preacher, donates his services to the local church.

September 1940. Jack Whinery, Pie Town, New Mexico, homesteader, with his wife and the youngest of his five children in their dirt-floor dugout home. Whinery homesteaded with no cash less than a year ago and does not have much equipment; consequently he and his family farm the slow, hard way, by hand. Main window of their dugout was made from the windshield of the worn-out car which brought this family to Pie Town from West Texas.

From what I can tell, subsistence farming in the early part of the last century in this country was a hard life for many people.

The photo is from the Shorpy site, a 100-year-old photography blog. You can visit the link for the photos here and here. The comments taught me a lot.
________Answer, from USDA: Growing A Nation:
1. 90%
2. 43%
3. 2.6%

FDA In An About-Face On Fish Recommendations, Days Before Bush Leaves Office

In March 2004, the EPA and the FDA came together to advise women and young children to limit their intake of fish and to avoid intake of certain fish altogether. Why? In their words:

"Nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury." And high levels of mercury "may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system."
- What You Need To Know About Mercury In Fish And Shellfish, EPA and FDA, 2004

They recommended:

• Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
  
• Eat no more than 12 ounces a week of all seafood.
  
• Restrict consumption of albacore tuna to 6 ounces a week.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) however, has uncovered an FDA draft report which would completely reverse the above advice:¹

"Documents just obtained by EWG show that officials of the FDA are secretly mounting an eleventh-hour drive to eliminate the 2004 warnings on mercury in fish, a move that would benefit the commercial fishing industry."

Interestingly, the EPA is against it:

"In a scathing memo dated December 5, Dr. Peter W. Preuss, director of the Office of Research and Development at EPA’s National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) wrote that he and his colleagues had "very serious concerns about this document [the FDA report], which is scientifically flawed and inadequate in several aspects." "

" "It is not a product that [the EPA's] NCEA will endorse or approve as it does not reach the level of scientific rigor routinely demonstrated by EPA," Preuss wrote. He warned against releasing the FDA document or basing any policy decisions on its scientific assessment."

What was sage advice in 2004 is sage advice today, no matter how much the FDA wishes to distance itself from it.

What's going on with the FDA these days?
________¹ FDA's Midnight Mischief Heightens Mercury Risk To Pregnant Women, Infants

Ireland's Problem Is Our Problem

Remember I said that dioxins found in Irish pork, beef (and likely dairy foods) may as well be considered, in today's global food market, a local happening?

Marler is blogging about, and the USDA has a press release on just this thing:

"[Dioxin-contaminated] pork products were produced in Ireland between Sept. 1 and Dec. 7, 2008, and were then exported to the United States. These products were sent to retail stores in California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia."
- New York Firm Recalls Fresh Pork Products Due To Possible Dioxin Contamination, USDA Food Safety And Inspection Service (FSIS), December 11

FSIS also said:

"FSIS believes the probability of adverse health effects related to consumption of these pork products to be low."

I don't concur. Exposure to environmental pollutants such as PCBs have been linked to an increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease - even in the absence of overweight or obesity.

Ireland's Food Safety Authority said:

"The levels in the feed were very high. The levels in the pork itself were in the region of about 80-200 times above the safe limits."
- Irish Republic Recalls All Pork

This is a good time to share the results of a study that appeared a few months ago in Diabetes Care.

For 9 months between 1978 and 1979 in Central Taiwan, people consumed cooking oil that was contaminated with dioxins. Researchers found that women who consumed the oil had between a 2 to 5.5 times higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and a 3.5 times higher risk for developing hypertension later in life (24 year follow-up):
Increased Risk of Diabetes and Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Dioxins, Diabetes Care, August 2008.
________

Global Food Economy

A mass recall of dioxin-laden pork in Ireland (dioxins have now been found in Irish cattle). A mass culling of flu-virus-infected chickens in Hong Kong. In today's global food economy, we may as well think of these as local happenings.
________

A Melamine Christmas

________Notice from Walgreens, December 5.
It would be a very good idea indeed to check soy- and whey-based protein powders, protein bars, and other protein supplements, especially since melamine was discovered "in several medical supplements for the elderly." Yes, check those canisters.

Beet That

I'd like to thank virginia for this gentle reminder:
Brilliant Beets: A Fresh Look At An Old World Root

Cancer:

"The compound that gives beets their characteristic hue, betacyanin, has proven to be a cancer-fighting agent, especially against colon cancer."

"Beetroot extract has been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors, thereby preventing chemically induced cancers of the liver, skin, spleen, and lungs."

Heart disease:

"Beet-rich diets have led to benefits in cholesterol levels. In one study, total cholesterol dropped 30 percent, while HDL, or "good" cholesterol increased significantly."

"Betaine, a substance found abundantly in beets, reduces markers of chronic inflammation, which damages blood vessels and can lead to conditions including heart disease, Alzheimer's, and Type-2 diabetes."

Liver:

"Betaine ... may help protect against fatty deposits in the liver, such as those that result from chronic alcohol use. Studies have shown that diets high in beets increase the activity of two detoxifying enzymes in the liver, which protect liver cells from free radical attack."

It's back to beets.
________Photo: me. That went right into the oven this morning (wrapped in foil, 310ºF, 1 hour) along with an assortment of potatoes and squash. I think I do most of my cooking at 4:30 a.m. What can I say, I'm an early riser.

Ireland Just Recalled All Of Its Pork

All...
Pork, bacon, ham, sausages, white pudding, black pudding, prepared foods (soup, pizza, frozen entrees) with pork/ham toppings.

Talk about reasons not to eat meat. (My last post described an incident where Monsanto's unapproved, experimental GM cotton crop was illegally fed to livestock.)

From BBC:
Irish Republic Recalls All Pork

"All pork products made in the Irish Republic since September have been recalled over fears they are contaminated with a toxic substance."

The toxic substance is the dioxin polychlorinated biphenyls - cancer-causing PCB's.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland's chief executive said:

"The levels in the feed were very high. The levels in the pork itself were in the region of about 80-200 times above the safe limits."

Ireland exports its pork. Says The Times:

"Britain, Germany, France and Italy all import significant quantities, while America and Korea are also buyers."

Illegal, Experimental, And Potentially Harmful GM Cottonseed Enters Food System

The government announced last week, on December 3, that an unfortunate incident occurred involving an experimental field of genetically engineered cotton.

The cotton - which is not authorized to be consumed by livestock or humans because it is a new experimental variety that contains a gene which produces a pesticide - was harvested and mixed with 20,000 tons of approved commercial cottonseed.

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that most of the contaminated cottonseed was illegally processed into cattle feed that has already been consumed.

Some of it was processed into cottonseed oil.

This is an experimental crop, unapproved for human consumption. Similar crops have been shown to induce or exacerbate allergies, increase inflammation, reduce fertility, and shorten lifespan.

This part is suspicious to me:

The AP said Monsanto told the government of the incident on November 10, nearly a month before the government told us. On November 24, after the USDA knew of the slip-up but before they notified the public, comments were closed on a pending new rule by the USDA that would weaken regulation of the biotech industry ("biotechnology" is another name for genetic engineering or GMOs).

Jeffrey Smith says that accidents such as this are dangerous. (See his article, "US Government Proposal Puts Food Supply at Risk.")

The government says this incident "poses no safety risk to humans or animals."

"While EPA has concluded that consuming small amounts of the cottonseed poses no food or animal feed safety risks, under that Agency’s LLP (low-level presence) policy, the presence of this material in food or feed would be illegal."

The reasons for not eating factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy are growing by the day.
________

Dietary Supplements, To Take Or Not To Take

On November 20, Tara Parker-Pope (TPP) started a lively debate about vitamins on her New York Times Well Blog:
News Keeps Getting Worse for Vitamins

To date, there are 550 comments ... pro vitamin use, against it, and everything in between. It's an evocative topic.

Studies that show supplements don't offer much benefit, or at times may be harmful, have been accumulating in peer-reviewed literature. TPP wrote a nice summary.

That doesn't mean supplements aren't beneficial, just that these studies cast doubt on the benefits of certain ones. All studies can be criticized ... motives, conflicts of interest, study design, participants, baseline characteristics, quality/quantity of tested substance. All studies are flawed. But as the body of evidence against taking supplements grows, it becomes hard to ignore, for me at least.

The results of our informal poll from last week (to the right in the sidebar), show that most people who read this blog (and who voted) take dietary supplements either daily or on a set schedule (57%). That was my vote. Although I've been reconsidering supplement use, especially against the backdrop of recent contamination discoveries. I would make a small, honest wager that some protein supplements in this country are contaminated with melamine, and that many supplements incorporate genetically engineered ingredients. The further you remove nutrients from their raw, unprocessed state, the greater the risk for contamination.
________Photo: Bix

Cows And Hogs Choose Natural Corn Over GM Corn

Yet the FDA says there's no difference: "We are not aware of any information that foods developed through genetic engineering differ as a class in quality, safety, or any other attribute from foods developed through conventional means."________
Jeffrey Smith, in his book Seeds of Deception, recounts the stories of the cows: (Read the story of the geese here.)

Story 1
"In 1998, Howard Vlieger harvested both natural corn and a genetically modified Bt variety on his farm in Maurice, Iowa. Curious about how his cows would react to the pesticide-producing Bt corn, he filled one side of his sixteen-foot trough with the Bt and dumped natural corn on the other side. Normally, his cows would eat as much corn as was available, never leaving leftovers. But when he let twenty-five of them into the pen, they all congregated on the side of the trough with the natural corn. When it was gone, they nibbled a bit on the Bt, but quickly changed their minds and walked away."

Story 2
"A couple of years later, Vlieger joined a room full of farmers in Ames, Iowa to hear presidential candidate Al Gore. Troubled by Gore's unquestioning acceptance of GM foods, Vlieger asked Gore to support a recently introduced bill in Congress requiring that GM foods be labeled. Gore replied that scientists said there is no difference between GM and non-GM foods. Vlieger said he respectfully disagreed and described how his cows refused to eat the GM corn. He added, "My cows are smarter than those scientists were." The room erupted in applause. Gore asked if any other farmers noticed a difference in the way their animals responded to GM food. About twelve to fifteen hands went up."

"If a field contained GM and non-GM maize, cattle would always eat the non-GM first."
- Gale Lush, Nebraska

"A neighbor had been growing Pioneer Bt corn. When the cattle were turned out onto the stalks they just wouldn't eat them."
- Gary Smith, Montana

"While my cows show a preference for open-pollinated corn over the hybrid varieties, they both beat Bt-corn hands down."
- Tim Eisenbeis, South Dakota

Story 3
"According to a 1999 Acres USA article, cattle even broke through a fence and walked through a field of Roundup Ready corn to get to a non-GM variety that they ate. The cows left the GM corn untouched."

Story 4
"Bill Lashmett watched as two or three cows were let into a feeding area at a time. The first trough they came to contained fifty pounds of shelled Bt corn. The cows sniffed it, withdrew, and walked over to the next trough, which contained fifty pounds of natural shelled corn. The cows finished it off. When they were gone and released from the pen, the next group came in and did the same thing. Lashmett said the same experiment was conducted on about six or seven farms in Northwest Iowa, in 1998 and again in 1999. Identical trials with hogs yielded the same results, also for two years in a row."
________
The FDA does not require labels on GM foods because they claim, "bioengineering does not make a food inherently different from conventionally produced food.":

"Consumer: Why doesn't FDA require companies to tell consumers on the label that a food is bioengineered?"

"FDA: We are not aware of any information that foods developed through genetic engineering differ as a class in quality, safety, or any other attribute from foods developed through conventional means. That's why there has been no requirement to add a special label saying that they are bioengineered."
- FDA Consumer, "Are Bioengineered Foods Safe?", January-February 2000.

Somebody needs to inform the cows and hogs.
________Photos not representative.

Wild Geese Avoid Field Of GM Soybeans

Jeffrey Smith, in his book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating, recounts the story of the geese: (Read the stories of the cows here.)

"There's a farmer in Illinois who's been planting soybeans on his 50-acre field for years. Unfortunately, he also had a flock of soybean-eating geese that took up residence in a pond nearby.

Geese, being creatures of habit, returned to the same spot the next year to again feast on his soybeans. But this time, the geese ate only from a specific part of this field. There, as a result of their feasting, the beans grew only ankle high. The geese, it seemed, were boycotting the other part of the same field where the beans were able to grow waist-high. The reason: this year, the farmer had tried the new, genetically engineered soybeans. And you can see exactly where they were planted, for there is a line right down the middle of his field with the natural beans on one side, and the genetically engineered soybeans, untouched by the geese, on the other.

Visiting that Illinois farm, veteran agricultural writer C.F. Marley said, "I've never seen anything like it. What's amazing is that the field with Roundup Ready [genetically engineered] beans had been planted to conventional beans the previous year, and the geese ate them. This year, they won't go near that field."

Hardly scientific. Purely anecdotal. No placebo-controlled group for comparison. Nothing measured. But you have to ask ... What's going on here?
________
The FDA does not require labels on GM foods because they claim, "bioengineering does not make a food inherently different from conventionally produced food.":

"Consumer: Why doesn't FDA require companies to tell consumers on the label that a food is bioengineered?"

"FDA: We are not aware of any information that foods developed through genetic engineering differ as a class in quality, safety, or any other attribute from foods developed through conventional means. That's why there has been no requirement to add a special label saying that they are bioengineered."
- FDA Consumer, "Are Bioengineered Foods Safe?", January-February 2000.

Somebody needs to inform the geese.
________

Melamine In Organic Soymeal And Baking Powder

France Recalls Tainted Soymeal

"ALMOST 300 tonnes of soymeal from China, used to feed organic poultry in western France, were taken off the market on Friday after testing positive for a toxic chemical.

The soymeal contained melamine - the chemical at the heart of a scandal in China over contaminated milk - 50 times over the recommended limit."

The European Union (EU) is also testing baking powder:
EC Bans Chinese Imports Of Infant Food Containing Soya And Soya Products On Melamine Fears

"The EC also confirmed that all consignments of baking powder from China are to be tested upon entry into the EU after high levels of melamine were discovered in ammonium bicarbonate."

The EU is concerned about other imported soy products:

"In 2007, the EU imported about 68,000 tonnes of various soya products or products containing soya for a total value of about EUR 34 million. The list includes products such as soya beans, soya bean flour and meal, soya sauce and protein concentrates and textured protein substances."

Just what does "organic" mean these days?

Someone needs to check soy-based protein supplements in this country. I have strong suspicions.
________

There's A Hubbard In The Oven

This is a tribute to Family Nutritionist who has spoken highly of Hubbards, as well as souped them. Her accolades made me try one.

By Blue Hubbard (aka Grey Hubbard) standards, mine was miniature. In the photo to the right, the Blue Hubbards are at the bottom. They belong to a species of squash that can grow relatively large, exceeding 100 pounds. I was lucky if mine was 4 or 5 pounds. I culled no more than a cup of flesh for all my toils.

What I learned ...
It's blue on the outside, monstrous in the oven, and pretty succulent (pretty and succulent) when cracked open. I shouldn't say cracked ... if you cook it first, as I did (1.5 hours at 310ºF plus 0.5 hours with oven turned off), you don't have to wrestle it ... "sliced open" is more accurate. Actually, this squash was so moist I could hold it in my hands and nudge it open.

Hubbard ... moist, mild, and golden. I never would have guessed.


________Top photo from Karen Hitchcock's Flicker photo stream. Karen takes nice photos.
Bottom photos: Bix.

T. Colin Campbell Petitions Obama On Health Care

Below are excerpts from a recent blog entry by T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted. (He wrote this in October, before the election.)

Dr. Campbell is of the opinion that food, not drugs, should be the principal means to health:

"Drug activity is biologically targeted and opposes the natural order of things. Nutrition is biologically comprehensive and supports the natural order of things."

"The drug strategy depends on a yearning for acquisition of capital by the few. A nutrition strategy depends on a yearning for acquisition of health by the many."
- Health Care Made Real, Obama's Real Change, T. Colin Campbell, October 21, 2008.

What food? In this article Dr. Campbell champions the benefits of "reasonably intact and minimally processed plant-based foods." ¹
________¹ In my mind, a "plant-based diet" is not a euphemism for a vegan diet. It refers to emphasis.

Saying "No" To GMOs

On a personal level, you can buy organic. Organic foods are not allowed to contain genetically engineered foods. Here's a Shopping Guide from the Institute for Responsible Technology.

Buying organic doesn't work for all people all the time, though. A larger remedy is needed. I think that larger remedy is labeling. Education is ineffective if people can't use that education to make a decision. The biotech industry fears labeling and has lobbied hard to prevent it. So far, they've succeeded.

But the FDA and USDA can't ignore a large public outcry. In 1997, the USDA was about to rule that genetically engineered foods and irradiated foods could be classified as "Organic." The public was outraged. They wrote letters to their Senators, Congressmen, the USDA website. There were newsletters, brochures at stores, websites, all crying "Foul!" There was a real grassroots campaign to prevent the USDA's action .... and it worked! In 2000, the USDA defined an organic standard that outlawed GMOs and irradiation.

Let's get labels.
________

GM Food Safety: Whose Job Is It?

It's not Monsanto's job:

"Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."
- Phil Angell, Monsanto's Director of Corporate Communications, in "Playing God In The Garden," by Michael Pollan, NYTs Magazine, 1998.

It's not the FDA's job:

"Ultimately, it is the food producer who is responsible for assuring safety."
- FDA Federal Register, Statement of Policy: Foods Derived From New Plant Varieties¹, 1992, p. 22991

________¹ A document to which the FDA continues to make reference, as recently as October, 2008.
Cartoon by the Christian Science Monitor's Clay Bennett.