IMPORTANT: Take Action to Protect Organic Food in the Very Important Farm Bill

Written by Max Goldberg on May 23, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Every five years, Congress votes on the Farm Bill, which dictates food and agriculture policy for many years to come.

Unless we get involved and demand that our representatives pass pro-organic policies, they will continue to give large bailouts to agribusiness companies and the country’s largest industrial farms at the expense of consumers, family farms, and the environment.

Needless to say, there is A LOT at stake here.

Yet, all that is required from you is signing an electronic form and making a few simple phone calls to your Senators in Washington D.C.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A number of amendments to the Senate version of the 2013 Farm Bill have been offered that would support the labeling of genetically-engineered food, support organic farmers, repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act,” protect honey bees, and numerous others. Read More »

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Exclusive Interview with Whole Foods Co-CEO Walter Robb, President A.C. Gallo: “All GMOs will be Labeled in Our Stores by 2018″

Written by Max Goldberg on March 9, 2013. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

Yesterday at Natural Products Expo West, the biggest organic trade show of the year, Whole Foods made a HUGE announcement.

The company said that by 2018, all products in its U.S. and Canadian stores must be labeled to indicate whether they contain genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

The importance of this announcement cannot be underestimated. Why? Read More »

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IMPORTANT: Synthetic Ingredients in Organic Food?

Written by Max Goldberg on December 11, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

One of the reasons that most of us buy organic food is because we are told that they are free from synthetic ingredients.

There is a dangerous loophole, however, in USDA organic regulations which allows companies to use synthetic ingredients in organic food products, and it must be closed immediately.

But we need your help to do this.

The loophole says that “Nutrients allowed [on the National List of Approved Substances] are not limited to the nutrients listed in section 104.20(d)(3), because section 104.20(f) provides that nutrients may be added to foods as permitted or required by applicable regulations elsewhere by FDA.”

In plain English, it means the following.

There is a list of allowed synthetic ingredients in organic foods because they are deemed essential for organic production, are unavailable from natural/organic sources, etc.

For the most part, they are “essential nutrients” for which the FDA has determined a Recommended Daily Intake (RDI): Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Biotin, Pantothenic acid, Phosphorus, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum and Chloride.

Yet, the organic regulations are written in a way that says as long as a specific nutrient is allowed by the FDA, it can be used in organic foods. So, all an ingredient needs to do is to get approval from the FDA for it to go into an organic product.

This is simply ridiculous and completely precludes the need to meet any type of organic standard. Read More »

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HUGE NEWS: Whole Foods Supports Proposition 37, the Mandatory Labeling of GMOs in California

Written by Max Goldberg on September 11, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

As I have been writing about lately, Proposition 37, the ballot initiative in California that would require the mandatory labeling of GMOs, will be voted on in November and is the most important event in the industry since the USDA approved the National Organic Program more than a decade ago.

Up until this point, however, Whole Foods has been very silent on this issue since the company generally stays out of food politics.

But just minutes ago I got an email from my contact at Whole Foods that blew me away.

Whole Foods has now come out and endorsed Proposition 37! Why? Read More »

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Organic Link Love – August 28th

Written by Max Goldberg on August 28, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

As Proposition 37 continues to dominate the headlines (and I expect it will continue to do so over the next few months), here are some other interesting and important organic food news stories from the past week.

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Farmers Markets across the U.S. will soon accept food stamps – WCYB

Etihad, which serves organic food, heads the list of the top airlines for food quality – Cruise Mates

Giant Food’s new supermarket will serve as prototype for future outlets and has a much bigger emphasis on organic – Baltimore Sun

New raw organic restaurant and juice bar opens in Portland, Maine – Portland Press Herald

Trade group funded by Monsanto creates children’s book to convince kids that GMOs are good – Truthout
Read More »

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