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10 Organic Food News Stories to Know About
These 10 organic food news stories over the past week or so really caught my eye.
1) GMO-LABELING IN OREGON HEADING TO A RECOUNT
If you haven’t heard by now, we came in 812 votes short in Oregon’s GMO-labeling ballot initiative, which means this slim margin automatically triggers a recount.
Please consider donating money for the recount because Monsanto is stepping up its efforts to defeat us in this final stage. The recount will take place between December 2-12.
2) STARBUCKS PUTS MAJOR SPIN ON VERMONT LAWSUIT Neil Young launched a boycott of Starbucks because the company is part of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the trade organization that is suing the state of Vermont to overturn the GMO-labeling bill there.
Starbucks has since put out some MAJOR spin trying to separate themselves from the controversy. However, it doesn’t take much to see that their response is nothing but hot air.
No, Starbucks is not suing Vermont directly. However, Starbucks does help fund and is a member of the GMA, which is suing Vermont directly.
The Organic Consumers Association has called for Starbucks to quit the GMA immediately.
3) ORGANIC BETTER THAN LOCAL? I’ve written in the past why I choose Organic over Local.
The New York Times went into this more and ran a great article on the downside of eating “too locally”. I am sure half of Brooklyn is up in arms over this one.
4) McDONALD’S BOYCOTTS GMO-POTATOES…….FOR NOW McDonald’s has agreed not to use the recently approved, genetically-engineered potato from Simplot.
However, there is no guarantee that this couldn’t change sometime in the future. One to keep an eye on.
5) TURMOIL AT THE SOIL ASSOCIATION IN ENGLAND Four trustees at the Soil Association, the major organic organization in the United Kingdom, have quit over a failed strategy.
The four people who resigned accused the Soil Association of avoiding the use of the word organic in preference of “nature-friendly” and “planet-friendly”. If true, this is an absolute disgrace.
But who are we to talk? We’ve had our own issues with the Organic Trade Association in the U.S.
6) WHERE’S THE RAIN? The drought in California continues to be a real strain for the organic dairy industry. This is getting very worrisome.
7) PUTIN HELPS ORGANIC While relations between Russia and the U.S. continue to be quite contentious, there is one winner here – organic farms.
Interesting piece in The New York Times on how organic farms in Russia have become a winner in Putin’s feud with the West.
8) BILL GATES AND STOLEN GMO-BANANAS? Fascinating article asking why and if GMO-apologist Bill Gates is backing red banana ‘biopiracy’.
9) INSIDE THE QUINOA BATTLE There is an influx of cheap Peruvian quinoa, which is riling Bolivia, a country that produces mostly organic quinoa.
10) THANK YOU, CHINA! How China is disrupting plans of GMO seed makers. Here’s one person who hopes the disruption continues.
