Another Reason to Eat Organic – The Water Supply in the Midwest is Becoming a Serious Health Risk

Written by Max Goldberg on May 16, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

I got a comment from someone the other day who said “Why should we care about GMOs (genetically-modified organisms)? Let them grow what they want. It doesn’t impact the people who eat organic.”

Unfortunately, this individual could not have been more wrong.

GMOs impact everyone, including people who eat 100% organic, and a recent study from the Pesticide Action Network confirms this.

Water sampling results from communities across four Midwestern states — Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota — indicate Atrazine is present in drinking water at levels well above those linked to birth defects and low birth weight.

WHAT IS ATRAZINE AND WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Present in 94% of our water supply, Atrazine is a toxic weed killer and 76 million pounds of it is dumped onto our farms each year, mostly for corn.

And the health effects of Atrazine?

- The Pesticide Action Network reports that it has been linked to endocrine disruption, reproductive problems, and cancer. Read More »

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LABEL IT NOW e-Book: The Most Important $3 You Can Spend

Written by Max Goldberg on April 12, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you know that aside from writing about organic products, restaurants, and trends, I dedicate a good amount of time to what is happening politically in regards to the organic industry.

The reason I do this is the because genetically-modified foods (GMOs) are an extremely serious threat to both the long-term viability of organic and the health of our fellow citizens.

Furthermore, it is a topic that does not receive accurate or adequate coverage in mainstream media.

The unfortunate reality is this.

A very high percentage of the U.S. population does not know what GMOs are and does not understand the very grave health risks that GMOs pose. Even worse, they don’t realize how our government is not protecting our health nor upholding our rights as American citizens.

For those of us who live in the U.S., we have a fundamental right to know if the food we are eating is genetically-modified or not. Read More »

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Just Label It Campaign Secures One Million Signatures. Now What?

Written by Max Goldberg on April 3, 2012. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

A week ago, the Just Label It campaign announced that it had secured 1 million signatures, the highest ever for a food-related protest to the FDA.

In case you are not familiar with the Just Label It campaign, here’s a quick summary.

Last fall, a petition was filed with the FDA to mandate that genetically-modified foods (GMOs) be labeled. For several months, people could comment on this filing and a nationwide campaign was established (Just Label It) to help raise awareness, build support, and gather signatures.

The window to submit comments to the FDA closed last week, and we were able to submit a record-setting 1 million signatures.

Why is this initiative so important? Read More »

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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 »

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Frito-Lay Faces Class Action Lawsuit for Using GMOs in Tostitos and Sun Chips

Written by Max Goldberg on December 23, 2011. Follow Max on Twitter: @livingmaxwell.

As I have been predicting, the class action lawsuits would continue against major food companies for using genetically-modified ingredients (GMOs) and/or synthetic substances in their “all-natural” products.

The trend started first started with Con Agra then moved to Kashi and Naked Juice. Now it is against PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay.

In a class action lawsuit filed (PDF) by law firm Milberg LLP against Frito-Lay, the claim states that the company markets its Tostitos and Sun Chips products as “made with all natural ingredients” when in fact they are not “all natural”.

The lawsuit contends that the ingredients are not “all natural” because the corn and vegetable oils (soybean, corn and canola) that they are using are all genetically-modified. Therefore, they are not “all natural” and are counter to what Frito-Lay is marketing them as. Read More »

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