The USDA is Set to Approve a GM-Corn Resistant to 2,4-D, a Primary Ingredient in Agent Orange

Written by Max Goldberg on January 9, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Does our government have any interest in putting the health of its citizens ahead of corporate profits of the chemical industry?

Based on recent news, it doesn’t appear that this is the case.

The USDA is poised to approve Dow Chemical’s genetically-modified corn that is resistant to 2,4-D, a primary ingredient in Agent Orange.

In case you’re not familiar with Agent Orange, it was the code name for one of the chemicals used in Vietnam as part of a broad herbicidal warfare program.

Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a result of this lethal strategy.

But it wasn’t just the Vietnamese who suffered greatly. U.S. soldiers came back from the war and realized that exposure to Agent Orange had greatly impacted them as well. Read More »

  • Comment
  • Print

Infected Salmon Eggs are Found in the Proposed GE-Salmon — Safety and Credibility are Now Major Issues

Written by Max Goldberg on December 20, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

I have been writing about the genetically-engineered salmon issue for quite a while now, and last week I put up a story about how Congress held hearings for the first-time ever about this FrankenFish.

As I mentioned in the post, it was a great step in raising awareness of this abhorrent technology and hopefully it will never get approved.

AquaBounty, the company that is trying to receive FDA approval for genetically-engineered salmon, has been telling the public that this “fish” is safe – safe for humans and safe for the environment, both of which is completely absurd in my opinion.

Now we have documentation that calls into serious question the credibility of AquaBounty and its willingness to tell the truth.

According to recently released documents (PDF file), AquaBounty’s research site in Canada was contaminated with a new strain of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA), the deadly fish flu that is devastating fish stocks around the globe. Read More »

  • Comment
  • Print

Hurricane Irene Devastates Organic Farmers in the Northeast – How We Can Help and What it Means for Consumers

Written by Max Goldberg on September 2, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

For some people, Hurricane Irene has come and gone and we are back to living our normal lives.

Yet, for many organic farmers in the Northeast, the storm has been devastating.

The organic farmers hardest hit have been in Eastern New York, Southern Vermont, Western Massachusetts, Western Connecticut and Northern New Jersey.

THE DAMAGE

Along with losing their electricity, many farmers have had their properties completely flooded, which is a disaster for two reasons.

One, they have lost everything that is in the ground now. Read More »

  • 2 Comments
  • Print

What’s With These Holes in My Kale?

Written by Max Goldberg on August 22, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Ok. Let’s be very, very honest here.

How many times have you been at the market, looked at a piece of organic produce, seen numerous imperfections, and then searched for something that looked a little bit more aesthetically pleasing?

I’m certainly guilty of doing that.

But the question is: Why do we do this?

My sense is that we have this belief in the U.S. that fruit and vegetables are supposed to look “perfect”. And if they are not perfect, there is something wrong with them.

Yet, as organic consumers, this is something that we need to get beyond.

Take, for example, the kale (above) that I bought in Nantucket this past weekend at Pumpkin Pond Farm, a certified organic farm. Read More »

  • Comment
  • Print

The Economist Magazine is Wrong – Organic Food Can Feed the World

Written by Max Goldberg on March 7, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

The Economist magazine recently did a special report on the The Future of Food. I would characterize it as despicable, not surprising and shocking all at once. There are many different sections in the report and it is worth a read.

Organic food isn’t even considered as an option for feeding the world. The solution they propose is to boost yields through better genetically-modified seeds and to put more animals into restrictive cages so that they can grow faster.

This is the main problem we have in the organic industry. The media pounds on us that this is the only solution to feeding everyone. I hear it all the time.

What people need to understand, however, is that this is a completely flawed argument. Do not believe the hype for one second. Read More »

  • Comment
  • Print
« Older Entries