Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Don Fletcher — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:26:02 GMT

I am aware that the fertilizer component ammonium sulphate, the sulphate part comes from metal mining/smelting where the ore is a sulfide or sulfate.

And getting out all of the metal is problematic.

Leaving the sulfur in a pit or a big pile, or shipping it off to the oceans appear to be our alternatives, rather than using it to create fertilizer. So the problem appears to be that we are doing the mining and smelting. Once we do that we have no acceptable way to dispose of that sulfur, plus several other components.

Large areas of the great inland seabed are seriously deficient in sulfur. The soils will be saline to alkaline as well. So it is predictable that sulfate fertilizers will be wanted. The fact that these are created with an ammonia ion is understandable because those soils are also helped with a nitrogen source. Those soils in most areas have difficulty growing crops that will provide their own nitrate fertilizer. They may or may not be able to grow white blossom sweet clover. It does not grow wild by nature. And growing sweet clover does nothing to supply sulfur to the soil, and it does not lower the high pH of the soil.

The simple solution to all these problems is to stop using those very extensive lands to grow food, or go back to prairie grass pasture that does well enough without pH amendment. After all, the world does not need the grains grown there.

But hungry people are likely going to want those grains even if I do not.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

tanya_marquette — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:23:23 GMT

i dont know if anyone will read this since this blog stops in february. but just in case, let me weigh in on some of the comments about feed for animals. i live in a big farm area--apples and corn are the larger

farm products. across the river it used to be dairy cow farms most of which has sold out to big houseing develoment. we have several brands of farm eggs sold around here that purport to be from free-range hens that are fed vegetarian diets. i called one chicken farm which ws located in new jersey. they told me flat out that their feed was not organic. said that it would be impossible to do that. there wasnt enough organic corn to feed the chickens. so when at a local farm market last week where the growers all were organic, i asked a couple of them if they fed organic feed to the chickens. the answer was the same no. one csa polled its members to see if they wanted organic feed for the laying hens even if it meant raising the price of eggs. people said yes. eggs woudl cost $5/dozen. they are already up to $4-4.50/ dozen without the organic feed. and it has to be assumed that non-organic grain feed is gmo.

there are over a dozen small organic farms in my area and it is putting pressure on the supermarkets to carry organic food, so the big name brands are beginning to show up there in order to compete. but there are regions in this country where small organic farms seem not to exist. i am in touch with a military wife in the south who claims there are no farms around her. i have to wonder about that. but her comments reflect, to me, the isolation that people caught up in the military institutions are subjected to regarding the real world around them.

there was a lengthy article this past week listing the large number of body care products sold in health food stores that contain carcinogenic chemicals. there is no regulation on these products and the bottom line is money, money, money. caveat emptor as they say!

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

dslvdg — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:21:46 GMT

In defense of Wal-Mart's organic food, it seems the primary brand they carry in veggies is Earthbound Farms which is the brand I see in health food stores. It is less expensive and my research has shown Earthbound to be a good company (unless they did not tell me the truth).

I'm in one of the nations most productive farming areas (corn and soy beans) and still have to travel 50 miles for organic veggies if it wasn't for Wal-mart. Organic fruit and vegetables must be widely available and less expensive if it really makes an impact. I send my patients to Wal-mart...just wish they had a greater variety. Don

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Stephaniered87 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:16:23 GMT

I think it's terrible that companies would take advantage of people and try to fool us all with their cheap "organic" products. As far as I'm concerned though, I really don't bother with eating organic unless it's the fruits and vegetables. And I hope the standards are never lowered for organic food because for some of us, our lives depend on it.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

www.chi-mester — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:50:30 GMT

I remember Dr Bob Beck mentioned on his underground seminar that We should expect a sort of population control soon. Well, I think we dont need to wait for any phony Ebola outbreak or similar, because in my opinion the population control has been started by dumbing down this society long ago and poisoning the food so they make sure by controlling food quality they controll your health.

Bottom line is, they gonna try to get us in any way they can, and the more money is involved in this 'slaughtering the humanity campaign' the nastier it gets.

I mean, dont people realize what is going on here?

They coming out with all kind of bullshit everyday . I,m scared to read my morning news because I,m sure there will be some new law they working on how to sneak some deadly toxin in you food .

Pff, I,m sick to my stomach with these corporations.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

feel_good_today — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:10:25 GMT

we moved to an farm-will raise our own everything

that way I know we are eating organic

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Tachia — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:08:21 GMT

Natural/organic cheetos, ha! Best thing: grow your own food.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Beccadog — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 23:06:57 GMT

As I've written previously, I am chemically sensitive and somehow have the ability to feel via the sensation on the roof of my mouth and around my face when a product may not be grown by the organic method. This is especially the case with produce, but increasingly with cereal grains also. Unless something else that is in the food I purchase is causing my problem (that I don't know about), I will blame mixing or using crops that may be always be organic. However, I'm not ready to throw in the towel on organic. Most of the foods I eat, I have no problem with. But, if I eat cheap "food" from Sam's or Walmart (when eating out), I can "feel" the consequences within 12 hours; sometimes the effect is immediate.

We are not allergic to milk, but became allergic to the way milk was allowed (due to lack of federal regulations) to be transported nearly a decade ago BEFORE we first started buying organically produced dairy; this was before rBGH.

It was then I learned that conventional milk was transported in tank trucks, which had previously carried hazardous wastes and were supposed to be cleaned out prior to returning for food stuffs, but were not. There was a major congressional hearing and the practice was halted by both parties in Congress.

We started buying Horizon milk because of its availability. However, my husband complained that it smelled and tasted to him like "a barnyard." When, Organic Valley became available, I switched and have been more comfortable with this company. It is my understanding that the OV coop receives milk from many smaller farms across the country. Whatever. It just tastes better than the previous milk we had consumed, and any congestion allergies we had have disappeared.

I need cleaner food and have not given up on food grown by the organic method. I avoid instant foods whenever possible, but still purchase organically produced.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Beccadog — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:38:20 GMT

Do you wonder why you haven't heard much about the hazards of our food in the mainstream press?

Perhaps, it's because of this administration's practice of locking down information for internal review before it becomes available to the public. I wonder if the Bush Administration has placed this under national security, also? That is, the security of the businesses involved...

www.nass.usda.gov/.../UnderLockKey_reprint.pdf

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

HilaryB — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:58:39 GMT

While I'm thinking about it - here's a good resource for organic milk - it's a scorecard that helps you figure out how organic your "organic" milk actually is:

cornucopia.org/.../index.html

I used to think that I didn't care if the cows were let out to pasture ... over time I changed my mind. I will say though that I don't think I would have bought a cow share for raw dairy if I hadn't had some stepping stones to get me there.

I went from regular grocery milk to drinking Horizon "organic" milk and my allergy symptoms as a result were less. Then I switched to a local brand called Rebeka Grace that is a low temp pasturized, real organic, non-homogenized milk and my allergies were less. Then I switched to the raw dairy through my cow share and had no reaction to the milk. That doesn't mean I stopped having allergy problems all together but I had no negative reaction to the milk.

It's an educational PROCESS for many people. Most people just don't understand overnight what's better or what's best for them. And I do also believe that there is SOME better and best based on the individual as well. There are some people who work really well on a 100% raw vegan diet with many supplements because of how they personally metabolize food... others that's just not going to be a good way to get proper nutritional balance for them.

I was a little late last year to get on a CSA when I found out about them. This year I plan on getting a CSA and also trying to grow a small backyard garden.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

rehtaeh — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:58:01 GMT

FINALLY!

ORGANIC CHEETOS!

Heather :)

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

HilaryB — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:51:41 GMT

Sigh - I just want to note that there have to be some STEPS to the changes our society will make. Natural doritos and cheetos are BETTER than the traditional.

I'm not saying that they are going to make you a better healthier person than eating organic fruits and veggies but it's still a step in the right direction. If you actually take the time to compare the two products (traditional doritos vs the "natural" doritos) the natural has no MSG, no hydrogented oils, no artificial colors. This is BETTER than scarfing down some traditional doritos when you decide you really really want to splurge on some junk food.

The entire population is not going to give up their junk food overnight. I know you talk about EFT to control cravings and change your life but honestly I still don't understand it (and the general public hasn't even heard it) so most people going cold turkey from everything bad for them is not likely to happen. Products that make an honest effort at being better, as long as it's not completely false advertising, is a good thing. Now I know you'll argue that labeling them "natural" is false advertising but it's more of a matter of POV - I argued this on the raw forums (where they say raw is uncooked where marketing sometimes uses it for raw materials such as sugar in the raw.)

The problem is that there needs to be more clarity in certain marketing terms.

Certain products being labeled "mineral makeup" does make me mad but at the same time they have every right since yes, talc is a mineral even though it's one I want to avoid in my makeup.

Read labels, become a smarter consumer, buy from local farmers you trust... then you don't have to worry as much about what these big businesses are doing.

I still think that the big businesses are at least taking CERTAIN steps in the right direction even if they haven't suddenly become true organic farmers overnight.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Beccadog — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:48:00 GMT

Plan(et)Science wrote: *..Sustainability Grown food is much more appealing to me than 'organic food'...**

When I was actively commenting on the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SANET), I posted replies to the comments of others who insisted that growing food by the conventional wisdom was sustainable. The conventional wisdom is recycling hazardous wastes into fertilizers and pesticides and labeling it inert. These chemical pesticides are sprayed or spread on agriculture, private and public properties including school yards and parks. They are poisoning our tapped water and the fish in the waterways, and are building up in the foodchains and human bodies all over the planet. www.rachel.org/.../index.cfm

Convention farming called sustainable believes in using sewage sludge as ingredients in fertilizers because of the "organic" matter within, and so forth. The original links are mostly dead now, but my cited info came from those links. Remember, this is from a site that claims that using Monsanto's Roundup and other manmade chemicals is SUSTAINABLE!!!

On sewage sludge: www.ibiblio.org/.../msg00141.html

The biological control, Bacillus thuringiensis [B.T.] was used sparingly by farmers using the organic method prior to the government allowing Monstanto to genetically modify the (good) virus and patenting for its own to be registered as an insecticide in potatoes, corn, and other crops, thus removing it from the hands of organic growers. Pure political greed on behalf of Monsanto. www.nysaes.cornell.edu/.../bacteria.html

If you are not buying organic, this is what you may be legally receiving.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Wilde1 — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:32:46 GMT

Many consumers think that when they purchase "free-run", the chickens are able to forage and roam at will. From my understanding, the only difference from conventional is that the cages are marginally bigger. The chickens are still subjected to inhumane treatment and fed potentially contaminated food fortified with the usual pesticides, hormones, anti-biotics and vaccines. As well, the label "vegetarian" feed means that the diet could consist of rapeseed (g.m.o. canola) which is the last thing any living creature should want to consume. "Free range" supposedly do have more freedom and are medication free.

In response to Beccadog's comment, it's true that animals such as chickens do consume some "meat" or bugs in their diet naturally, which is likely a basic requirement for sound health among their species. Carnivorous animals like cats, who mainly exist on flesh protein, still ingest other "food groups" when they hunt and kill in the wild, devouring whatever may be in the digestive tract of their prey. The practice of labeling "vegetarian" feed is likely used to attract the non-meat eaters to the product, as well as placate any fears of the animals being fed ruminants or rendered protein. As far as I know, in Canada at least, the recent regulations that restrict animal feed to cattle does not pertain to other livestock such as chicken or pigs.

re: Cracking Down on Organic Food Fraud

Beccadog — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:29:47 GMT

If you are considering throwing in the towel on food labeled as "organic", even USDA organic, consider this:

chemical fertilizer in the USA had the weakest regulations compared to other countries in the world that regulated fertilizer. And, the regulations that were in place prior to this administration, only came about after Duff Wilson, an investigative reporter previously with the Seattle Times, had uncovered what became an award winning series entitled Fear in the Fields. Wilson uncovered that legally hazardous wastes went into the silos as hazardous waste but magically came out as fertilizer.

His articles are still in the archives at the Seattle Times, but here is an article by Seattles Times reporter, Tom Brown that I happen to have found.

The date was Wednesday, July 23, 1997, and the article (in the Business section) was entitled:

Food Processors Ask State For Regulations On Toxins In Fertilizer - - Industrial Waste Puts `Public Trust' At Risk

**An association of 75 Northwest food-processing companies wants Washington state to regulate the practice of using industrial-waste products - some of which contain toxic substances - in the production of fertilizer....

"The Northwest Food Processors Association believes that the practice of using industrial byproducts to produce fertilizer should be regulated by the departments of Ecology and Agriculture," said Smith's July 17 memo to Pendowski. "While using industrial byproducts may serve an environmentally sound purpose, these products should meet a risk-based standard prior to being licensed for sale." ...

In stories July 3 and 4, The Seattle Times reported that fertilizers are so poorly regulated that substances containing such hazardous materials as cadmium, lead, arsenic, radioactive elements and dioxins are sometimes included in their manufacture...**

archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/.../display