Will A Lowly Weed Take Down The Giant Monsanto?
Can a Humble Weed Take Down the Giant Monsanto?
I’m not sure whether to find this disturbing, funny or hopeful:
“‘Superweed’ explosion threatens Monsanto heartlands.”
Apparently a new “superweed” called Evil Pigweed has evolved to resist Monsanto’s Roundup.
“Superweeds” are plaguing high-tech Monsanto crops in southern US states, driving farmers to use more herbicides, return to conventional crops or even abandon their farms. Farmers abandoned 10,000 acres in the heart of the superweed explosion, and other farmers report hand weeding their fields.
The gospel of high-tech genetically modified (GM) crops is not sounding quite so sweet in the land of the converted. A new pest, the evil pigweed, is hitting headlines and chomping its way across Sun Belt states, threatening to transform cotton and soybean plots into weed battlefields.
Cover crops might help suppress weeds in areas that haven’t been hit (or haven’t been hit hard yet) with this superweed. But Monsanto’s got other suggestions for the farmers:
Indeed, according to Monsanto press releases, company sales representatives are encouraging farmers to mix glyphosate and older herbicides such as 2,4-D, a herbicide which was banned in Sweden, Denmark and Norway over its links to cancer, reproductive harm and mental impairment. 2,4-D is also well-known for being a component of Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide which was used in chemical warfare in Vietnam in the 1960s.
Why do we consider these chemicals acceptable to use at all let alone on our food???
In 2007, 10,000 acres of land were abandoned in Macon country, Georgia, the epicentre of the superweed explosion. Superweeds have since alarmingly appeared in other parts of Georgia, as well as South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, according to media reports. Roundup contains the active ingredient glyphosate, which is the most used herbicide in the USA.
How has this happened? Farmers over-relied on Monsanto’s revolutionary and controversial combination of a single “round up” herbicide coupled with the fact that the aggressive pigweed seeds are now immune to the glyphosate in Roundup. (Lambsquarter seeds can lie dormant for 10 years and still sprout.)
“Farmers are taking this threat very seriously. It took us two years to make them understand how serious it was. But once they understood, they started taking a very aggressive approach to the weed.” “Just to illustrate how aggressive we are, last year we hand-weeded 45% of our severely infested fields,” and the fight involved “spending a lot of money.”
This might be the David who slays Goliath!
.
414 words . 3 views . Will Pigweed Take Down Monsanto? .
Leave a comment 
Olive Oil Fraud Rampant as Demand Skyrockets
Italian extra-virgin olive oil has become so lucrative that adulterated olive oil has become the biggest source of agricultural fraud problems in the European Union.
Read more:
Olive Oil Fraud Rampant as Demand Skyrockets
Read article in the New Yorker:
Slippery Business
The trade in adulterated olive oil.
by Tom Mueller
Swine Flu Hoax?
Swine Flu Hoax?
So who are the swine behind the swine flu? That’s what I wanted to know.
Whenever I begin to see blaring headlines regarding the word “pandemic”, I make a call to Dr. Lorraine Day, the former chief of Orthopedic Surgery at USF. Not one to mince words, and a dogged researcher, I can count on Lorraine to give me the big picture behind the headlines. I made that call yesterday. Her first words, underscored with a hearty laugh, were “It’s just another hoax!”
Here’s the long and short of it according to Lorraine. First, the government is continuing on it’s path to incite panic so we will ideally demand to have protection from these ‘killer virus’ via vaccinations. This would help avert a less popular mandatory vaccination program, which is what the Elite would like to see happen. Lorraine is also quick to point out that truly noxious vaccines are being developed in laboratories that combine human and animal virus’ that can seriously compromise our immune systems if we allow them to be administered to us.
Secondly, she said that the Center for Disease Control needed to move their stockpiles of the flu drug Tamiflu, which didn’t make it out to the masses during the last panic, which was the ‘bird flu’. I find it interesting that Tamiflu was supposedly created as the antidote to bird flu, but the CDC now says it actually works just fine for swine flu too. It would appear that the stuff is quite non-specific in nature for what is considered to be a very specific strain of flu. Hummm. Anyway, pharmacy chains such as CVC are now stocking up in preparation for the “pandemic”.
As an aside, it may not surprise you to know that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is a major stockholder in Gilead Sciences, a California bio tech firm that owns the rights to Tamiflu. A CNN report from 2005, when we were were being threatened with the bird flu, put Rumsfeld’s holdings somewhere between $5,000,000 to $25,000,000. This is the same gentleman who brought us the excitotoxin Aspartame, now known to cause serious neurological problems in humans. But, less I digress…..
Lorraine went on to say that 12, 60, even 120 deaths from flu do not make a pandemic. More than 500,000 people a year die from various flu virus’. There are still active flu strains out there from all of the usual sources. In fact, it was just reported that 2 young people in the Sacramento area were tested to have been infected with the swine flu virus, but, no worries, they recovered from their flu in 24 hours. Sounds just like the flu that’s been going around through my friends and other acquaintances over the past few weeks in Sacramento.
To further the story, she said that Prince Charles recently pushed for the subject of Developmental Sustainability be pushed to the top of the G-20 agenda. Developmental Sustainability is the code word for de-population according to Dr. Day. As you may recall, Charles’ father, Prince Phillip, when asked what he would like to come back as if he had another life, said “A virus.” The idea was that he would then be able to kill off the useless members of society. What a gentleman.
In short, Lorraine says do not worry. Just do your body a favor by eating a good clean diet full of fresh vegetables and fruits, get some sunshine and fresh air, turn to your spiritual practice, relax and, under no circumstances, allow yourself to be vaccinated. We’re all exposed to flu bugs, but if you can keep your immune system strong, you have nothing to worry about and the only swine involved here are those who are trying to keep us in fear.
POSTED BY CONSCIOUS MEDIA NETWORK AT 11:28 AM
More on H.R. 875
Letter From CSA Member for Action on H.R. 875 Bill
If we don’t take enough action to defeat this, I guess we deserve what we get. Next they will be telling us which pets we can own and what color roses we can grow in our gardens! This needs a HUGE outcry from all of you, even if you don’t grow organic foods and even if you don’t buy organic foods. It is about freedom vs. greed and corruption!
UNREGULATED HOME GARDENS SOON TO BE ILLEGAL THANKS TO DEMOCRATIC BILL. IS THIS THE CHANGE WE HOPED FOR?
Ultimate Civil Liberties Threat! American’s to Become Serfs on the King’s Estate!
United States Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (whose husband works for Monsanto!) has proposed legislation, H.R. 875, which would literally prohibit Americans from raising food for themselves, their families, or even for their animals, without the national government’s permission! Extreme statement? NO! H.R. 875 makes Americans serfs on their own land! Read on; this one bill could wipe the United States, as a free nation, from the face of the Earth! We urgently need your help to kill this extremely dangerous bill!
H.R. 875, the so-called Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 (FSMA) sounds innocent enough at first blush, with language purporting to “protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes.” In reality, the FSMA is an extensive and all-controlling abomination that must be stopped!
The FSMA mandates registration of every “food production facility,” which the bill defines as “any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation;” and every “food establishment,” which the bill defines as “a slaughterhouse…, factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.”
H.R. 875 makes NAIS look tame. This bill will not just sweep up commercial food operations. The fine print of the FSMA will subject hobby gardeners, home canners, anyone with a few chickens, or anyone who “holds, stores, or transports food” - including mushrooms or wild berries gathered in the wild - to registration, extensive management, and inspection by a huge new bureaucracy, the Food Safety Administration (FSA)- even if the food items will only be consumed personally. And registration must be via “an electronic portal,” which will be costly and difficult for those without computers.
H.R. 875 exponentially advances the “Foodborne Disease Surveillance Systems” required of member states of the World Health Organization (WHO), which includes the United States. “Food establishments” will be required to adopt preventive process controls, including implementing record-keeping and labeling of all food and food ingredients to facilitate their identification and trackability, including instructions for handling and preparation for consumption. This might sound rather reasonable… until you remember the definition of a “food establishment” above.
Imensely telling of how seriously this bill does not take “food safety,” though, is Section 204(2)©, which promises the Administrator will identify the “5 most significant (food) contaminants", and “not later than 3 years after a contaminant is so identified, the Administrator shall promulgate a performance standard…” Gee whiz, what’s the rush?
Perhaps the Administrator’s promulgation timetable has little to do with acting quickly and decisively to protect U.S. citizens (or even “all people in the United States” as required by the FSMA) and much, much more to do with the World Health Organization’s stated desire in its 2004 report entitled “FOODBORNE DISEASE MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS” that “the objectives and strategies (of food borne disease surveillance systems) established by each country should be acceptable to all member countries (www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/006/j2381e.htm),” which doubtless would take time.
Perhaps it is because “studies linking pathogens in food to the disease in humans would help quantify the risk of food borne diseases.” In other words, no entity, not the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and not the WHO, can prove a significant problem exists in the United States.
The FSMA will not even quickly implement protections for Americans from contaminated foreign foodstuffs. The bill states, “(n)ot later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act” imported food products shall be certified safe “by the accredited foreign government (think CHINA!) or by an accredited certifying agent….” Again, what’s the rush?
Maddeningly, the FSMA expects Congress to again approve a far-reaching bill without knowing the details. In this case, Congress will find out much later: what federal resources would be dedicated to foodborne illness and food safety research; what transfer of agencies, personnel, assets, obligations, and consolidation, reorganization, or streamlining of agencies will be involved; and the details of regulations the new Food Czar (Administrator of the FSA) will promulgate after enactment of the Act.
Among the statutory foundations the FSMA claims for guidance and authority is the National Animal Identification System, which HAS NEVER BEEN ENACTED INTO LAW BY CONGRESS!
But beyond the mandated violations of our civil liberties in the FSMA - registration, traceability, inspections, seizures, etc. (all without court orders or search warrants), - the truly chilling language lays out civil and criminal penalties of up to $1 million per day, per infraction, and imprisonment of five or ten years, or both, depending how serious the violation(s).
Additionally, “(a)n order assessing a civil penalty against a person… shall be a final order unless the person– (A) not later than 30 days after the effective date of the order, files a petition for judicial review of the order in the United States court of appeals… (and) (t)he findings of the Administrator relating to the order shall be set aside only if found to be unsupported by substantial evidence on the record as a whole.” The FSMA is so over-the-top in its overreach that the bill’s language states, “(t)he validity and appropriateness of the order of the Administrator assessing the civil penalty shall not be subject to judicial review.”
And if you’re by now thinking this is about as outrageous as this bill can be, you’d be very wrong. Section 406 clearly states, “(i)n any action to enforce the requirements of the food safety law, the connection with interstate commerce required for jurisdiction SHALL BE PRESUMED TO EXIST.”
Now, for those who noticed, and questioned, why “foodborne” is spelled as if we reside “on the Continent,” and why the United States government is attempting to implement a “solution” wanting for a “problem” - you guessed it - “Foodborne Disease Monitoring and Surveillance Systems” are a priority with the World Health Organization, to which our national government has committed us through its membership.
The 53rd World Health Assembly (a branch of the WHO) in the year 2000 adopted a resolution to recognize food safety as an essential public health function and called for the development of a Global Strategy for reduction of the burden of food borne diseases. The resolution (WHA 53.15) encouraged member states “to implement and keep national, and when appropriate, regional mechanisms for food borne diseases surveillance..” All this, despite the WHO admission in a 2004 report (www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/006/j2381e.htm) that “(t)he true dimension of the burden of food borne diseases is still unknown…”
The FSMA is a “government solution” in seek of a problem! In the year 1900 at least some cases in two of the ten leading causes of death might have been food related (diarrhea/enteritis, liver disease). But the twin leading causes were pneumonia, followed closely by tuberculosis.
In 2002, WHO listed the leading cause of death in the U.S. (www.who.int/whosis/mort/profiles/mort_amro_usa_unitedstatesofamerica.pdf) as ischaemic heart disease, killing ~ 514,000 people. The second greatest cause was cerebrovascular disease (stroke), killing ~ 163,000. None of the top ten causes bore any relation to foodborne illness.
In apparent support of all this brazen, strong-arm command and control attempt, the CDC reports its estimate that every year in the United States sees approximately 76 million cases of foodborne illness (www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/meat/safe/foodborne.html), with 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths (which equates to one death out of every 15,200 who become ill). Admittedly those 5,000 deaths are significant, and devastating to all those involved, but this figure must be put in perspective. We must consider the larger picture long before we even consider such draconian measures as those mandated by the FSMA.
Perhaps too little is known of reports that “iatrogenic events” - medical errors - kill almost 800,000 in the U.S. each year (www.whale.to/a/null9.html#Underreporting_of_Iatrogenic_Events_). That’s the equivalent of six jumbo jets falling out the sky each and every day. Those who track these events believe as few as 5% and no more than 20% of these deaths are ever reported.
Clearly deaths resulting from foodborne disease are exponentially lower than these other major causes, which begs an obvious question: If Congress is so very concerned about our health, why haven’t they felt inclined to tackle the much more significant incidence of iatrogenic deaths in this nation? Hmmm?
One need only consider the “Healthy People 2010″ goals (www.healthypeople.gov/About/goals.htm) to understand the true (A)genda behind this initiative.
ACTION TO TAKE
The FSMA is an extremely dangerous bill. We recommend a multi-prong attack, as the more salvos we throw at the FSMA the better chance we have of killing this abomination.
Contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, via phone: (202) 225-0100, or email: http://speaker.house.gov/contact/
Contact the House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, via phone: 202.225.3130, or email: www.majorityleader.gov/email_and_rss/email_the_leader/
Contact the House Republican Leader John Boehner, via phone: (202) 225-4000, fax: (202) 225-5117, or email: http://republicanleader.house.gov/Contact/
On March 11th Congress will hold its first hearing in many years on the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), conducted by the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee. It is vitally important you contact all the committees below.
Contact the Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Subcommittee members listed below. If one of the Subcommittee members is from your state, call that member.
Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Phone: 202-225-3261
Fax: 202-226-8485
Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
Phone: 202-225-6131
Fax: 202-225-0819
Jim Costa (D-CA)
Phone: 202-225-3341
Fax: 202-225-9308
Joe Baca (D-CA)
Phone: 202-225-6161
Fax: 202-225-8671
Betsy Markey (D-CO)
Phone: 202-225-4676
Fax: 202-225-5870
David Scott (Chair), (D-GA)
Phone: 202-225-2939
Fax: 202-225-4628
Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
Phone: 202-225-3806
Fax: 202-225-5608
Steve King (R-IA)
Phone: 202-225-4426
Fax: 202-225-3193
Walt Minnick (D-ID)
Phone: 202-225-6611
Fax: 202-225-3029
Frank Kratovil, Jr. (D-MD)
Phone: 202-225-5311
Fax: 202-225-0254
Adrian Smith (R-NE)
Phone: 202-225-6435
Fax: 202-225-0207
Tim Holden (D-PA)
Phone: 202-225-5546
Fax: 202-226-0996
David P. Roe (R-TN)
Phone: 202-225-6356
Fax: 202-225-5714
K.. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
Phone: 202-225-3605 or 866-882-381
Fax: 202-225-1783
Randy Neugebauer, Ranking Minority Member (R-TX)
Phone: 202-225-4005 or 888-763-1611
Fax: 202-225-9615
Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Phone: 202-225-5431
Fax: 202-225-9681
Steve Kagen (D-WI)
Phone: 202-225-5665
Fax: 202-225-5729
Contact your own Representative and ask him or her to approach the Subcommittee member to urge them to oppose NAIS. If you’re not sure who represents you, click here: www.congress.org/
We strongly recommend that you make at least your initial contact by telephone.
Additionally, H.R. 875 has been assigned to the committees on Energy and Commerce, and Agriculture.
Contact members of the Energy and Commerce Committee via phone: (202) 225-2927, or email: http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1313&Itemid=1.
Contact members of the Agriculture Committee via phone: 202-225-2171, fax: 202-225-8510, or email: agriculture@mail.house.gov. Committee members are listed here: http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/members.html.
If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans.
Food Safety Modernization Act (HR 875): Criminalization of Organic Farms
Bills are:
House H.R. 875
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875
Senate S 425
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-425
IF YOU LIKE A GARDEN OR BUY ORGANIC FOOD YOU BETTER GET ON THAT PHONE TO YOUR CONGRESS CRITTERS
NOW!
There is an enormous rush to get this into law within the next 2 weeks before people realize what is happening.
Main backer and lobbyist is (guess who) Monsanto
Bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to “make sure there is no danger to the public food supply".
This will include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales.
THIS IS DICTATORSHIP in any way you look at it.
If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans.
There is a video on the subject.
http://www.voteronpaul.com/newsDetail.php?Food-Safety-Modernization-Act-HR-875-Criminalization-of-Organic-Farms-222
The disarming name on this particular piece of evil corrupt crap is a lot like the “Gun Safety Act” that secretly meant “if we pick up all the guns then we will have gun safety".
The name on this evil food plan is
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
(Really makes it sound like the feds are trying protect us. LIES )
Let me be crystal clear here……
This has NOTHING to do with food safety.
This is only about TOTAL CONTROL by the feds in our lives.
Get on that phone Monday and burn up the wires. Get anyone else you can to do the same thing.
The House and Senate WILL pass this if they are not massively threatened with loss of their position…..and maybe pitchforks and torches.
Instead of having a Castro like takeover of our government, they are doing it piece by piece so that we will go along.
DO YOU VALUE YOUR FREEDOM OF CHOICE?????
Found this additional info at
http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/03/10/could-the-food-safety-modernization-act-of-2009-be-the-end-to-farmers-markets-and-organic-farms/
You may have seen this. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Monsanto-s-dream-bill-HR-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090309-337.html - Rosa DeLauro’s husband works for Monsanto.
Check out the Message on Congressman Ron Paul’s hot line or website today!!!!
PLEASE CALL CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL’S HOT LINE AND LISTEN TO THE MESSAGE. He changes his message every Sunday. Check them out. Also go to his website address: www.house.gov./paul, he will explain the situation better on his website.
Hiding the Ball on E. coli: What We Now Know About Spinach and Other Leafy Vegetables Grown in California
By Frank Pecarich
Retired Soil Scientist
In the three months since my last article and six months since the first report of the September, 2006, Monterey County spinach E. coli outbreak, not much apparently has been learned by government regulators, scientists and experts. Despite several California State Senate hearings attempting to fact-find and get information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the State Department of Agriculture and State Department of Health Safety, we basically end up with a lot of officials in suits shrugging their shoulders.
One thing they are pretty sure of however is that there will be another outbreak of E. coli in fresh leafy vegetables from the Salinas Valley in 2007. The fact that they are so sure that this event will occur and yet they have no idea of how it is occurring is a logic-leap that defies measurement.
I have written repeatedly and voluminously about the obvious smoking gun that exists by having 12,000 acres of vegetables – including leafy greens – overhead sprinkler irrigated with tertiary treated sewage water. I have gained the attention of food safety experts all over the nation who correspond with me and offer encouragement on keeping this information about pathogens in irrigation water in the foreground of our discussions. At the same time, virtually all of these experts have requested anonymity should their employers and financial benefactors become angry that they were consorting with someone who might reveal the secrets.
I started this article writing quest as a scientist interested in getting some rather obvious and yet important information to the media and public. I have found that there are many groups out there who do not want more sunshine on these facts.
Let’s Review
Undaunted by this resistance, I will retrospectively review in this article the highlights of what has transpired these past three months. Let’s first establish some important “givens” in these discussions.
To begin, let’s remember that E. coli 0157:H7 is one of the disease and death causing pathogens that can survive and pass successfully through sewage treatment plants and “escape” into the natural environment. Secondly, these pathogens are incredibly hardy in the environment and have successfully lived for weeks and months on vegetation, soil surfaces and in water.
The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has stated that twenty-two pathogen outbreaks have been linked to California-grown leafy greens in the past 12 years, and at least nine of those were traced to Salinas Valley produce.
There is a definite time correlation between the initiation of Monterey County’s use of treated sewage water as an irrigation source and the huge increase in pathogen outbreaks with Salinas Valley vegetables. About 384 outbreaks linked to produce occurred in the six years between 1998 and 2004, which is about twice the 190 that happened in the 24 years from 1973 to 1997. This information was provided by Dr. Michael Lynch at this week’s FDA hearing in Oakland, California. Lynch is a doctor with the Foodborne and Diarrheal Disease Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So in a period of six years there was a 200% increase in the number of pathogen outbreaks compared to the previous 24 years? I ask rhetorically, doesn’t that fact connote a problem? Isn’t it interesting that the year 1998, the beginning year of this 200% increase, is the same year that Monterey County initiated its sewage treated water irrigation program on 12,000 acres?
New Clarity in Connecting the Dots
In the press this week there were some important revelations. Because the food industry is continuing to play “hide the ball” with the facts, the interested public must pull pieces and bits of information together to get the whole story. In a Ventura County Star news article this week Len Richardson, editor of California Farmer Magazine was quoted raising several questions about the grower/food industry plan for voluntary self-regulation of leafy green vegetable production. Richardson said, “"At least they’re trying to come up with a plan, but it falls pretty short of being effective or scientific.”
Richardson then made a point I have stressed for these months by saying, “The new plan calls for the generic E. coli test, which is not nearly sufficient enough. You need the E. coli 0157:H7 test,” he said, adding “the cost of that test, considering how important it is, is not all that expensive.”
Richardson is pointing out that current regulations at the state and federal level do not require sewage treatment facilities or farmers to test for E. coli 0157:H7 so naturally, they don’t do it. When you read that the sewage treatment facilities are meeting federal or state standards it is because those standards are low and do not cover the pathogens infecting our populace in these outbreaks. What good, I ask rhetorically, is that assurance?
At the FDA hearing this week Dr. Lynch said, “outbreaks have definitely increased”. In this latest spinach outbreak, investigators collected about 850 environmental samples - including soil and water - but could not pinpoint the source of contamination in the spinach E. coli outbreak, said Barbara Cassens, of the FDA’s San Francisco District office.
Are the Innocent Being Blamed?
It was reported widely in the news these past weeks that “people involved in the investigation have said a pasture where the E. coli was located is in San Benito County, near fields of spinach grown by Mission Organics”. This 50-acre farm being so mysteriously referred to in the news is run by Otto Kramm, Mission Organics’ chief operating officer, and so far it’s the only field that has been publicly identified as a source of the specific strain of E. coli O157:H7 found among contaminated bags of spinach.
In an article by the Salinas Californian, Kramm was mystified as to why his farm was being isolated as the cause of the outbreak. Three other, unidentified ranches in San Benito and Monterey counties have been investigated and found to have strains of E. coli linked to the outbreak, federal and state health inspectors have repeatedly said. It was Kramm’s fields that caused FDA and state officials to triumphantly announce this winter that they had found cow pies and that wild pigs had somehow transported the E.coli from the cow pies to the spinach fields.
However, David Acheson, chief medical officer for food safety at the FDA, said last week that he doesn’t know exactly how the spinach became contaminated. “We can’t rule out the possibility the contaminated spinach came from more than one place,” Acheson said. Then he went on to confirm that the long promised FDA-State report on this outbreak was still a ways off from being made public. The news story said, “the FDA’s final report is due out soon, though Acheson said he didn’t know when”.
Meanwhile Mr. Kramm told the news reporter that evidence shows pigs headed south toward neighboring vineyards and likely never set foot on the parcel where his spinach was growing last August. “No tracks were found near spinach”. He went on to say, “pigs are drawn to those vineyards because they like to eat grapes, he said, and haven’t ever caused much damage to his crops. “I agree pigs ran through the ranch,” Kramm said, “but they didn’t run through the spinach field.”
So, the San Benito County resident farmer says that pigs didn’t do it and I believe him. (In spite of the ample opportunity here to come forth with “when pigs fly” humor, I will resist.) Let’s move on and look at some more of the bits and pieces of information revealed recently in the media.
It’s Going to Happen Again
Medical scientists have long known that the number of reported illnesses and even deaths attributed to E. coli 0157:H7 have been grossly underestimated and reported. This week at the FDA hearing some new light was shed on that issue. While it has been popularly reported that 200 cases of illness were reported in this outbreak, it turns out that the scientists consider the number to be far higher. Barbara Cassens said the spinach outbreak affected about 4,000 individuals although about 200 were ill enough to report their symptoms to physicians.
At the March 20 FDA hearing in Oakland, Dr. David Acheson said given the history of past food borne illness outbreaks, there are no guarantees that food safety efforts on farms and in processing facilities will prevent contamination of fresh produce in 2007. He said, “"Is the food supply any safer today than it was in September? No, I don’t believe it is. We are looking at a distinct probability of an outbreak linked to leafy greens in 2007,” he said. “I hope not, but I am a pragmatist. I would be fooling consumers if I said problems solved, don’t worry. Problem is not solved.”
That’s not good news for the rest of us but it is exactly what the FDA has been saying all along. That has to make us conclude that the FDA knows a lot more than they are revealing to the public.
Solution or Distraction?
Let’s take a look at news that just broke that is a good example of a distraction looking like a solution. In the March 22nd Sacramento Bee there was a story about UC Davis’ Dr. Trevor Suslow and his theory that the use of winery waste on farms, meant to prevent toxic outbreaks, may be doing the opposite.
The article pointed out that “Trevor Suslow, an authority on the region’s vegetable farming, said his suspicions grew from an experiment he conducted three years ago at the invitation of Salinas grower George Fontes.
According to the story, “State health investigators have implicated Fontes’ lettuce and spinach fields in three consecutive E. coli outbreaks.”
The article further stated. “Suslow found that the test plots Fontes treated with composted winery waste – a concentrate of grape skins, seeds and stems called pomace – consistently had the highest levels of bacteria compared with vegetable fields enriched with composted manure and those left untreated. “I felt (pomace) was a potential risk factor that needed to be looked at.” While none of the bacteria was of the deadly type – Escherichia coli 0157: H7 – Suslow suspects that the high residual sugars that make pomace especially good for plant growth also could promote growth of the toxin. E. coli 0157 doesn’t naturally occur in pomace. But it could be introduced to pomace in compost yards, which may include raw manure. The disease-causing microbe lives in the gut of cattle and other warm-blooded animals and is found in their feces.”
The Sacramento Bee said, “Fontes, president of Comgro Inc., said he has since improved safeguards against cross-contamination.” “We get better every year,” said Fontes, a fourth-generation farmer.
Then comes that “duh moment” when the Bee article says, “Suslow’s testing and observations underscore a key question that pops up ever louder with each new outbreak traced to “the nation’s salad bowl": Is there something specific to the Salinas Valley environment or farming practices that boosts or sustains fecal bacteria?”
“Is there something specific” and unique to the Salinas Valley environment or farming practices that boosts or sustains fecal bacteria? Duh…
The answer, of course, is yes and it’s not winery pomace. Let’s go look at the 2003 San Mateo County retirement facility spinach outbreak report written by the California Department of Health Services. In that report you’ll find information about Chinn Ranch #8 with the grower identified as Comgro, Inc., Mr. Fontes’ company. That report points out that composted grape pomace was spread on the fields and quoted Mr. Fontes as providing that information.
What the State report also said and missing from any discussion so far is that the irrigation water used on these plants was from the Castroville Sea Water Intrusion Project (CSIP). In fact, the report identifies the CSIP turnout used as # 266.
So, now we know that UC Davis’ Trevor Suslow has identified a potential growing medium for E. coli 0157:H7 in winery pomace and we know it is used as a soil amendment in some parts of Salinas Valley. Suslow admitted in the article that he found no E. coli 0157:H7 in the pomace but what if he had a source that could supply E. coli 0157:H7 every time the sprinker irrigation system was turned on? That E. coli 0157:H7 flowing out of the sprinkler head would receive a nice welcome in the pomace I suppose.
The pomace could provide what microbiologists call a “nutrient” environment. That would allow the E. coli 0157:H7 to survive for very long periods even though we know that it can survive long periods on a vegetable leaf particularly if it is supported in a biofilm environment.
It’s Not the Animals, It’s the People
The one constant in all of this is not birds, pigs, rodents, cows or wine pomace. The one constant is that Monterey County irrigates 12,000 acres of vegetables with treated sewage effluent that scientists say can carry E. coli 0157:H7 as well as many other toxic and pathogenic materials. We can scientifically look high and low but at the end of the day the simple truth is that the “given” in this scientific review is that we are contaminating ourselves with our irrigation water, pure and simple.
Frank Pecarich retired from the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the US Bureau of Reclamation in 1987. During his 26 year federal career he worked as a soil scientist with the USDA on the now- published Soil Survey for Monterey County. He lives in Ventura County.
Related articles that have been published by the California Progress Report by Mr. Pecarich include:
E. coli: Why Monterey County Made a Poor Decision on the Type of Water to Use for Irrigation of Their Croplands
E. coli: Is There a Cover-up of Poor Decisions on the Type of Water Used for Irrigation of Croplands in the Salinas Valley?
Why Do We Abandon Science in Favor of PR? Orange County Follies
Monterey Cover-up on Cause of Spinach and Lettuce Contamination?
Deadly Pathogens and Science vs. PR and Politics: Spinach in Monterey County
Arnold Schwarzenegger and the “I Heart Spinach” Program or Has the “Terminator” Become the “Germ-a-nator”?
Irrigating Your Vegetables With Treated Sewage Water? Still Not a Good Idea if You Are Concerned About E. Coli
Organics and E. Coli
In the wake of the E. coli debacle, is organic spinach safe to eat?
B Y C I S S Y B O W M A N
A bucket of greens
The big news this fall is spinach, salad mixes and E. coli. Retailers of organic products will need to be able to address this issue. In order to do so, staff must know about the sources of the contamination, what protective measures they need to take, and what practices are used on organic farms and in handling facilities to prevent E. coli O157:H7 from contacting organic foods.
There is good news that everyone needs to know: Organic food has not been linked to this outbreak. Many organic companies, however, reacted by stopping sales and recalling product. This was done to prevent problems, not because a problem had been found with organic farms or organic products.
I am sure that consumers have been asking the readers of Cooperative Grocer questions about the safety of organic greens. E. coli is not something to take a chance on. It can kill you.
What can retailers and consumers do to prevent exposure to E. coli? Know the possible sources of contamination. The FDA has a lot of information (see contact details at the end of this story).
Past cases have been related to undercooked or ground beef, alfalfa sprouts, unpasteurized fruit juices, dry-cured salami, lettuce, game meat, cheese curds, and raw milk. Young children and the elderly seem to suffer worse from exposure.
E. coli O157:H7 is more likely to contaminate fresh produce via exposure to raw or improperly composted manure, irrigation water that contains untreated sewage (sewage sludge is prohibited in organic production), or contaminated wash water. Chlorinated water might reduce the amount of pathogens and other microorganisms on fresh produce but cannot eliminate them. The best methods for reducing the risks of E. coli on produce is to prevent and control potential contamination through proper methods of production, harvest, handling and distribution.
E. coli is all around us, just maybe not the lethal type. According to the Center for Disease Control, O157:H7, the strain involved in the current outbreak, was first recognized as a cause of illness in 1982. That strain causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to the CDC. Cooked, canned and frozen spinach will not be a danger. Raw spinach and greens may be. But organic foods have the strictest manure-use requirements for such production.
Organic certification protects from E. coli contamination
It is important to know that organic farms are strictly regulated with regard to their use of manure and compost. Conventional farms are not. All fertilizers used on organic farms are scrutinized by certifiers. Accredited certifying agents are required to ensure that their clients comply with the regulations.
The regulations define and regulate the use of manure and compost. Under CFR 205, the “National Organic Rule,” we find the following:
Compost. The product of a managed process through which microorganisms break down plant and animal materials into more available forms suitable for application to the soil. Compost must be produced through a process that combines plant and animal materials with an initial C:N ratio of between 25:1 and 40:1. Producers using an in-vessel or static aerated pile system must maintain the composting materials at a temperature between 131EF and 170EF for three days. Producers using a windrow system must maintain the composting materials at a temperature between 131E F and 170E F for 15 days, during which time, the materials must be turned a minimum of five times.
Manure. Feces, urine, other excrement, and bedding produced by livestock that has not been composted.
205.203 Soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice standard.
(a) The producer must select and implement tillage and cultivation practices that maintain or improve the physical, chemical, and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion.
(b) The producer must manage crop nutrients and soil fertility through rotations, cover crops, and the application of plant and animal materials.
(c ) The producer must manage plant and animal materials to maintain or improve soil organic matter content in a manner that does not contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited substances. Animal and plant materials include:
(1) Raw animal manure, which must be composted unless it is:
(i) Applied to land used for a crop not intended for human consumption;
(ii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 120 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion has direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles; or
(iii) Incorporated into the soil not less than 90 days prior to the harvest of a product whose edible portion does not have direct contact with the soil surface or soil particles;
(2) Composted plant and animal materials produced though a process that
(i) established an initial C:N ratio of between 25:1 and 40:1; and
(ii) maintained a temperature of between 131 F and 170 F for 3 days using an in-vessel or static aerated pile system; or
(iii) maintained a temperature of between 131F and 170F for 15 days using a windrow composting system, during which period, the materials must be turned a minimum of five times.
(3) Uncomposted plant materials.
The language of the regulation is based on the EPA definition of the term “compost.” It was done this way as a food safety measure to prevent E. coli.
Organic certifiers are required to document that their clients follow these regulations. It’s a lot of record keeping, especially for small farmers who want to make their own compost as well as for those who make and sell compost to organic farmers. The USDA expects certifiers to monitor this.
As a certifier who is audited by USDA at least once a year, I can assure you that they look at these records. One of our smallest certified operations was making compost—and their records were excellent. But their inspection report did not reflect enough detail and we were required to provide more information. All worked out well but it did reflect on the thoroughness of the audit.
Where did the tainted food come from? Again, no organic operations have been linked to this outbreak. Recalls were done to protect against further damage while the details came in.
In the last decade, according to the FDA, this is the 20th food-poisoning outbreak related to spinach or lettuce. Eight of those 20 have been traced to produce from the Salinas Valley.
On October 2, 2006, the FDA announced that: …all spinach implicated in the current outbreak has traced back to Natural Selection Foods LLC of San Juan Bautista, California. This determination is based on epidemiological and laboratory evidence obtained by multiple states and coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Natural Selection Foods issued a recall of all implicated products on September 15, 2006. Four other companies have issued secondary recalls because they received the recalled product from Natural Selections.
Natural Selection Foods did recall all spinach products under multiple brand names with a date code of October 1 or earlier. Four other companies recalled product because they received Natural Selection Foods spinach.
Natural Selections, a San Juan Bautista plant that processes conventional products, also handles organic product certified by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
After the spinach problem there was concern about contamination in organic raw milk. The California Department of Food and Agriculture quarantined raw milk products from Organic Pastures in Fresno, California, after three cases of E.coli illness supposedly were caused by raw milk. Tests for E. coli were, again, negative, yet Organic Pastures was still forbidden to sell any product by the Fresno County health officials except for making cheese.
Response from organic community
Impressively, organic companies responded to and recalled millions of dollars worth of product in order to protect consumers and made sure to inform the public of their concerns.
Organic Valley stated: “On behalf of the 800 farmer-members of Organic Valley Family of Farms/CROPP Cooperative, we are alarmed and very sad to hear the news about the illness and deaths caused by recent E. coli O157:H7 contamination found in fresh spinach. Although Organic Valley does not currently market a spinach product at this time, we recognize the great importance of food safety and take every precaution to assure that only the safest…products are behind the Organic Valley and Organic Prairie labels.”
“As the founder of Organic Valley testing protocols, we have been very conscious of our obligations to the public. Organic Valley/
CROPP Cooperative has instituted quality programs above and beyond the federal and state recommendations,” remarks Louise Hemstead, Organic Valley’s Chief Operating Officer. “Organic Valley’s scrupulous testing protocols include analysis for E. coli as well as other pathogenic bacteria.”
Goodness Greeness warned consumers of the dangers on their website, stating they would “suspend sales and shipments of all bagged items containing spinach until we have further information and guidance from the FDA.”
California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) has very good information on their website at www.ccof.org.
FDA’s response website also offers information at (888) 463-6332 or www.fda.gov. They state that they “…will be holding a public meeting to address the larger issue of food borne illness linked to leafy greens later in the year once the current investigation is complete.”
There's Salt And Then There's SALT!
I’m sure you’re all aware of the health damages of a high sodium diet. The medical facts are well established and irrefutable. However, it is crucial to note that these medical studies are referring to highly refined table salt that is almost pure sodium chloride. Refined sodium chloride does indeed throw off the body’s mineral balance because this salt is depleted of the minerals that the body needs. Toxic additives like aluminum hydroxide increase the potential for harmful effects from this type of salt even more.
Additionally, most sea salts on the market, including those that are used in various health food products, are still highly refined.
Eliminating refined salts from our diet is clearly necessary for good health. It is important to note however, that NO salt in our diet is actually BAD for our health. Hillel W. Cohen, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, conducted a 13 year study on 7,278 people. After assessing deaths from heart disease and any other cause during a 13-year follow-up, they found that the less salt (good salt not refined) people ate, the greater their risk of dying from heart disease.
So what to do?
The good news is that there is another type of salt. It is a life-enhancing unrefined, pure mineral salt called Himalayan Pink Salt. Modern scientific research indicates that the rediscovery of natural salt may become the most important health discovery of the 21st century
Clearly, to be healthy, we need salt in our diet, but not refined salt!
So what is Himalayan Pink Salt?
Himalayan Pink Salt is pure, hand-mined salt found naturally deep inside the pristine Himalayan Mountains. Harvested from ancient sea salt deposits, it is believed to be the purest form of salt available. The high mineral crystals range in color from sheer white, varying shades of pink, to deep reds, the result of high mineral and iron content. Himalayan Pink Salt has a rich mineral content that includes over 84 trace elements such as: calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron. This salt is recognized for its beautiful pink color, high mineral content, and its therapeutic properties. Regular consumption of Himalayan Pink Salt provides essential minerals, trace elements, balances electrolytes, supports proper nutrient absorption, eliminates toxins, balances the body’s pH, normalizes blood pressure, and increases circulation and conductivity. It can also assist with relief from arthritis, skin rashes, psoriasis, herpes, and flu and fever symptoms.
You can find this salt at most health food stores, however, you should know your source to be assured you are getting pure, uncut, unadulterated Himalayan Pink Salt. I have found a very reliable supplier of this product who sells it for an excellent price. However, he only has a limited supply so if you’re interested you should order soon.
At the local health food stores Himalayan Pink Salt is sold in 7 oz containers for $8.99 or more. That works out to $19.50 a pound. My supplier will sell TWO pounds of ground Pink Salt for $19.95 which is less than $10.00 a pound. On average the shipping fee is $9.00. The pound price then, including shipping, would be $14.50 a lb. Still a $5.00 per pound savings. Additionally, if you buy in groups and have it shipped to one location, the shipping cost will drop considerably.
CSA hosts may want to provide this for their members. Other North County members can do a group purchase through me and pick up in Vista. Contact me for more information.
I have been using Himalayan Pink Salt for years now and I just can’t use anything else. I carry some with me everywhere I go. It is absolutely fantastic and I highly recommend it.
To order: visit http://GodsBlessing.com/pricelist.php
FEED – Food & Environment Electronic Digest
FEED – Food & Environment Electronic Digest - January 2008
Read FEED online
Contents
1. Senate passes Food and Farm Bill
2. High yields from new breeding technique
3. Defending real food in An Eater’s Manifesto
1. Senate passes Food and Farm Bill
Wisconsin farmShortly before Christmas, the Senate finally passed its version of the Food and Farm Bill, the massive package of legislation that authorizes programs and funding for agricultural research, crop subsidies, food stamps, farmers’ markets, organic farming, conservation, and much more. Although the Senate bill did not include significant reforms, such as cuts to commodity crop subsidies to free up funds for conservation programs, the legislation features an increase in spending for organic agriculture and a number of other improvements over the 2002 Food and Farm Bill. The Senate bill differs significantly from the House bill passed last fall. Now that Congress is back in session, members of the Senate and House agriculture committees will negotiate their differences and hammer out a compromise to send to the president.
2. High yields from new breeding technique
Farmers don’t need genetic engineering to boost crop yields, according to professors from Kansas State University and the University of Minnesota. Using a sophisticated plant breeding technique called marker-assisted selection (MAS), the scientists are working to develop high-yielding varieties of corn, sorghum, wheat, and barley without inserting foreign genes. They have found that analyzing the entire crop genome (the full set of chromosomes), rather than just short segments of the genome, increases the efficiency of the MAS process. This important find, combined with the ever-decreasing cost of analyzing molecular “markers,” makes genome-wide marker-assisted selection an efficient, low-cost alternative to genetic engineering. Read more about marker-assisted selection and see a press release from Kansas State University.
3. Defending real food in An Eater’s Manifesto
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. These seven simple words of dietary advice are at the heart of journalist Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Having covered the ecological repercussions of our food choices in his bestselling The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan turns now to consequences for our personal health. He questions why decades of nutritional advice have left U.S. eaters fatter and less healthy than ever. His conclusion? In place of real food, Americans today are eating “edible food-like substances” that come largely from factories instead of farms. But we can, in Pollan’s words, “reclaim our health and happiness as eaters.” Read an excerpt from the book. Also, read Pollan’s recent article in the New York Times Magazine about what’s wrong with our food system.
The Union of Concerned Scientists relies on individuals like you to support our research and advocacy. Join us to promote practical, science-based environmental and security solutions.
https://secure.ga3.org/03/make_a_donation_activists/?source=wacucs_emaild
.
460 words . 1304 views . FEED – Food & Environment Electronic Digest .
Leave a comment
:: Next Page >>