Next week the polls will close on voting for Washington’s Initiative 522. This could make Washington the first state in the US to mandate labeling of GMOs, and it will be the pivotal moment in the struggle for the right to know. Labeling opponents have raised more than $21 million, the vast majority of which has been donated by biotech companies, including Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer, and members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA). The sum is the most ever spent to defeat a ballot initiative in the Evergreen State! Let’s not let this opportunity go by. We MUST win this one so other states can follow. It’s so important to get involved in I-522, and sign up to volunteer, here. Continue reading “The GMO Fight Escalates”
Month: October 2013
Uncovering the Fair Trade Mystique
Fair Trade is a label displayed on products that cost ever so slightly more than similar items. For the most part, these products are grown with organic methods and represent the most sustainable growing practices for producers in developing countries. Have you ever wondered just what is behind that label and what it means to purchase Fair Trade Products? There is a world of benefits for the producers behind the label.
Organic Farm Bill Ahoy!
A few weeks ago, Senator Debbie Stabenow announced that the Farm Bill would at last come to conference starting the week of October 28th. The conference members have been named from both the House and the Senate. This is as close as we have come in quite some time to making progress on a Farm Bill. Both houses of Congress passed separate versions earlier in the year and the differences between the two are vast. Reaching consensus on the two versions will be a monumental task. In the midst of the debate, the organic community must be ready to call their ships in and muster the organic fleet so our priorities are afloat in the final bill. Continue reading “Organic Farm Bill Ahoy!”
Opposing GMO labeling is bad for business
In this era of social media, opinions can travel swiftly. With the rapid-fire communication of current issues, businesses need to stay abreast of public sentiment and be mindful of the actions they take.
Public awareness and opinions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in our food supply has mounted over the last few years. A July 2013 NYT poll indicated that over 93% of Americans want transparent labeling of GMO’s products in their food- now. At last the companies that donate funds to oppose ballot initiatives requiring the labeling of products containing GMOs are facing new pressure from shareholders to stay out of future elections. Continue reading “Opposing GMO labeling is bad for business”
The global grab to control humanity’s food supply
Did you know that the agribusiness giants such as Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont have gobbled up most seed companies and control most of the agriculture in the US and Europe? It’s a fact that the world’s top three corporations control over half (53 percent) of the world’s commercial seed market and the top ten control over three-quarters (76 percent)! You can read more on this in my Blog “Sending you and SOS.” They have pretty much wrapped up the deal here in the northern hemisphere with very little expansion left. So now they are aiming to take over the agriculture of the global south, particularly Africa and Latin America. Continue reading “The global grab to control humanity’s food supply”