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Facts of Life for Now
Someone is messing with our Roots,
our Seeds, and it is time to pay attention
to the laws heading our way.
We are intended to be once again
a nation of Gardeners, and this is our moment
to Wake Up to the power in a trowel,
and the joy of growing some of our own food.
A good life, as good neighbors, awaits us.
Vote now for the Future of Healthy Food
Safety you want for yourself.
Date: 8/17/2009 11:11:23 AM ( 15 y ) ... viewed 1898 times
9:04 AM
August 17, 09
Thank you to the
ROOTS SUSTAINABLE FOOD PROJECT
of SAN DIEGO for motivating this
PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG.
BRIEF SUMMARY
There are bills moving through congress now
that have the potential of greatly influencing
the health of our Farmers Markets and small
organic and sustainable agriculture.
A massive education program is needed
in Washington to educate legislators about
the health farming and healthy food safety.
Many legislators are responding to the need
to create bills that would address concerns about
contaminated food, but the bills, described
as a fast train moving through congress
are not being discussed fully on the floor.
At the same time, public awareness needs
to be increased about these bills.
One Bill, called The FOOD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT
ACT (FSEA #HR2749) passed the House under suspension
July 29. About one hour was given to discuss a bill
that has more than 133 pages and combines other
parts of previous bills. Including are tagging systems
for animals, and further outlawing raw milk.
There has been a sense of outrage on the internet
and many legislators and those giving testimony
at hearings voiced concern. The bill failed on July
28 to pass the house. The Energy and Commerce
Committee when into session and added a few amendments
to appease dissenting voices, but much still needs
to be addressed to create a clear climate that
would be favorable to organic and small farmers.
The Bill, called S 510 now goes on to the Senate
and will be taken up after the August recess.
Please communicate to legislators.
Let them know you feel that this bill needs
to be fully discussed, not rushed through.
It is important that all supporters
come to understand that Healthy Food Safety
depends on small decentralized diverse farming
practices. The issue of contaminated foods
leads to industrial farming practices. The bill
as it now stands, is still vague in many parts.
There has been great concern that it would place
increased red tape demands on local farmers
who are already have outstanding oversight
from local and state agencies.
The FDA, at the present time, is looking
at Leafy Green Guidelines. Please
read other background below
and then take some actions.
ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE NOW
IN SUPPORT OF HEALTHY FOOD SAFETY
DECLARATION OF HEALTH FOOD
AND AGRICULTURE
This is an outstanding document
you can read, sign, and send to others.
You can cut and paste portions of this
and send to your legislators.
HERE ARE PHONE NUMBERS YOU CAN CALL
beside your own REPRESENTATIVE:
http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mcapdir.html
PHONES of AG COMMITTEE HOUSE MEMBERS
http://curezone.com/blogs/c/fm.asp?i=1463600
LINKS TO REP OFFICES
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml
ACTION ALERT!
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMER NOW
Ask the Senate to Amend
THE FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT,
S-510 THAT COMES IN SEPTEMBER.
ASK FOR A THOROUGH DISCUSSION OF
FOOD SAFETY and an EXPLORATION
of HEALTHY SMALL DIVERSIFIED FARMING
PRACTICES that aid HEALTHY FOOD SAFETY.
THE FOOD SAFETY ENHANCEMENT ACT,
known as #HR 2749 passed the
House July 29. It seeks to GIVE THE FDA
more REGULATORY POWERS OVER LOCAL
AGRICULTURE.
Sign a petition Online created by
the FARM to CONSUMER LEGAL DEFENSE FUND.
Express your concerns.
This Petition automatically fills
in your Representatives and Senators names
and allows you to modify the existing
suggested words of the petition.>
Bills desiring to legislate Food Safety
need to be fully discussed,
not rushed through the legislative process
into Law.
THE FDA is also busily at work now
created bringing guidelines into law
that will adversely effect diversified
and sustainable farming practices.
See information links below.
THIS IS THE PAGE
WHERE COMMENTS ARE
RECORDED ABOUT THE
LEAFY GREEN GUIDELINES
NOW BEING CONSIDERED BY
THE FDA
You are commenting on a NOTICES:
Draft Guidance for Industry: Guide to Minimize
Microbial Food Safety Hazards of Leafy Greens;
Availability (Document ID FDA-2009-D-0348-000
Availability (Document ID FDA-2009-D-0348-000
ACTIONS WE NEED TO
FORTIFY OUR OWN GROWING MOVEMENT
of SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
KNOW YOUR GROWER.
BEGIN to Grow some of your own food.
Strive to be on a first name basis with the
the farmers growing the rest of
your food.
Find ways to grow food together.
Join with like minded neighbors to grow food together.
Think in terms of Victory Gardens.
Think in terms of Food Not Lawns.
Gain a sense of your Roots and what connects you
to the Beat of Life. Growing just one beet
in a pot makes you a gardener.
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1209704
Become aware of the impact of
Fast Food on Health--consider Slow Foods
and returning to a more leisurely meal plan
high in friendship. GMO's are now in 80% of our
food supply in the US, and the list is growing about
the negative health impact
of Genetically Modified Organisms
in our food supply.
LAWS MOVING TOWARD US
Be Aware. While there is a trend among more and more
people to go in the direction of becoming a nation of
gardeners once again, There is an international body
of Regulation and Rule Makers, sponsored by the
U.N. and working with the World Health Organization
that has been meeting since 1962. This group,
called the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is now
identified at a Food Safety International Body.
Codex creates Food Codes and aims to standardize
food growing. Many of their Food and Other Codes
are now in place. More are coming.
Codex and its more than 150 organizations set
standards for international Trade. Codex is not
democratically run. Much that is going on now
that concerns a sincere desire to bring us better
Food Safety, is underneath, about TRADE.
CODEX LEADERSHIP is
not DEMOCRATIC
CAC and It's prime director, Dr ROLF GROSSKLAUS,
has stated that nutrients are toxins,
that there is no relationship between nutrition and health,
and pharmaceutical drugs are the main tool
to prevent and mitigate disease.
Codex is backed by large multinational industries
that lean toward GMO agriculture, the lowering
of dosages for nutritional supplements, and the dilution
of organic standards. This organization is not
democratically run.
GET TO KNOW
THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION
and WHAT THEY ARE CHARTERED TO DO
Excellent Intro here to Codex
OUR FDA aspires to HARMONIZE
US with the CODEX. They work together.
Our own FDA is one of our lead agencies
that aspires, under the guidance of our new
food czar, MICHAEL R TAYLOR, to bring us in
alignment with the Codex Alimentarius Commission
guidelines.
Our FDA issued LEAFY GREEN GUIDELINES
July 31 that are now asking for comments.
The trend is toward acceptance of farming practices
that do not support biodiversity on the farm.
These practices learn toward sterilization and hygienic
approaches in the name of food safety that
are now being moved toward implementation.
Their are numbers
of articles that have come out about the
practiced that the FDA would like nationalized.
In his testimony before the Leafy Green Guidelines hearing
July 29 Michael R. Taylor wrote:
MR MICHAEL TAYLOR UPDATES US ON CODEX
ALIMENTARIUS IN HIS TESTIMONY JULY 29
In addition, FDA is leading an effort
through the Codex Alimentarius Commission,
the international food safety standards body,
with support of the Food and Agriculture Organzation
lWorld Health Organization, to develop commodity-
specific annexes to the Codex hygienic code
for fresh fruit and vegetable production,
starting with an annex for fresh leafy
vegetables and herbs. In June 2009,
FDA conducted the first Codex international elechonic
working group with members of the Codex Committee
on Food Hygiene (CCFÐ to advance the drafr Annex
for Fresh Leafy Vegetables to the next stage of completion.
In November 2009,
CCFH will consider how to proceed
with the next tier of priority commodities.
http://groc.edgeboss.net/download/groc/domesticpolicy/testimony.of.mr.michael...
FOR MORE on THE LEAFY GREEN GUIDELINES
and links to articles about HYGIENIC APPROACHES
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1464610
FOR A BRIEF INTRO TO
MICHAL R TAYLOR and his
history bringing us Bovine
Growth Hormones and paving
the the way for GMO's as
FDA supported policy,
go here
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1467132
#HR2749 PASSED THE HOUSE
JULY 29 and SIMILAR BILLS
GO THE THE SENATE
as S 510 THIS SEPTEMBER
Our FDA aspires to be given given more and more
regulatory powers. #HR 2749, The Food Safety
Enhancement Act passed the House of Representatives
July 29, and moves on to the Senate.
The bill passed the House under suspension.
In other words, in about one hour of discussion.
The day before, the billfailed to pass the House by a 2/3 majority.
Manygroups spoke out against #HR 2749 on the internet
and contacted their representatives.
The bill that passed was 133 pages long.
Few legislators had time to read it.
Between July 28 and July 29, during the time
it failed and then passed,
some Amendments were added to appease
small growers and others, but there are many questions
and concerns about the harm the bill will still do now
for the small growers.
Others say that while the bills speak to solving
problems of contamination, they do little to solve
the problems, while at the same time extended
the powers of the FDA to the local level.
RUSSELL LIBBY (MAINE ORGANIC FARMING and
GARDENING ASSOCIATION) VIEWPOINT
AUGUST 13, 2009
"Many issues raised by organic and sustainable
farmers went unaddressed"
UPDATE
AUGUST 13
http://www.mofga.org/Programs/PublicPolicyInitiatives/MOFGAPositionStatements...
"Last Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 2749 - The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009, by a large margin. The bill was substantially amended to reflect concerns from the Agriculture Committee, but many issues raised by organic and sustainable farmers went unaddressed, particularly: making sure standards are compatible with the National Organic Program; addressing conservation practices; and scale-appropriate standards and fees. On the floor, Congressman John Dingell, principal sponsor, agreed to address the organic standards and conservation practices in the final bill. Action now moves to the Senate, where S 510 - The Food Safety Modernization Act, will be the prime legislation. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released draft guidance documents for leafy greens, melons, and tomatoes on Thursday. These are open for comment for 90 days. MOFGA will organize a meeting to discuss them prior to submitting our comments.
There is a major emphasis on sanitizing washes in the leafy green standards -- essentially recommending dilute bleach to wash greens before selling them. This is an example of standards that need to be scale-appropriate. See amendments to H.R. 2749. See FDA guidelines. S 510 is not available for viewing online at the moment.
We already have ample regulatory agencies
giving oversight to local farmers and producers.
Many say the problems are with industrial farming.
The Bill, that moves toward the Senate
where S-510 is called the Food Safety Moderization Act.
It will come up in September, after the August break.
LIVE IN SAN DIEGO?
ATTEND THE HILLCREST FARMERS' MARKET TOUR
1-2 PM, AUGUST 23, 2009.
MORE DETAILS HERE
about THE EDIBLE CITY CELEBRATION
EVENTS August 23-27, 2009
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1471397
SHORT EDUCATIONAL FILMS
TO WATCH and SHARE WITH OTHERS
HERE IS a 12-MINUTE EDUCATION
OF ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
HEALTHY FOOD SAFETY.
THESE is the PROGRAM that
CZARINA KEEP the BEET
plans to take to the New FDA
and her Legislative Friends in D.C.
1.
"DON't PANIC! IT's ORGANIC!
says PHIL NOBLE.
A VIDEO OF SAGE MOUNTAIN
ORGANIC FARM, featuring KEEP the BEET
MEDIA STAR
SEE KEEP The BEET...for those over 21 please!!!
2.
Take a look at this Humorous five minutes
about the ORGANIC REBELLION brought
to you by the ORGANIC TRADE ASSOCIATION.
STORE WARS
3.
JOIN THE MISSION ORGANIC 2010!
JOIN THE MISSION ORGANIC 2010!
SARA SNOW, TV Hostess raised on organic food
tells, it as she sees it.
REAL SCIENCE, REAL BENEFITS
LEAKY GREENS and E.COLI
Study by DR CHARLES BENBROOK
TOPICAL QUOTES
“If people let the government decide
what foods they eat and what medicines
they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry
a state as are the souls who live under tyranny”
--THOMAS JEFFERSON
"Those who would give up essential Liberty,
to purchase a little temporary Safety,
deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,
"The Earth and the Soul are Soilmates,"
KEEP The BEET MEDIA STAR
the World's FIrst Talking Beet Plant
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1209704
CROPS, PONDS DESTROYED IN QUEST
FOR FOOD SAFETY
Carolyn Lochhead, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Monday, July 13, 2009
Is it true that an organic farmer in CA
was asked to quarantine a part of his field
because a deer walked on the field?
Are there people suggesting
that children under five in diapers
should be kept out of growing fields?
From the story...
"He has since ripped out such plants in the name of food safety,
because his big customers demand sterile buffers around his crops.
No vegetation. No water. No wildlife of any kind.
"I was driving by a field where a squirrel fed off the end of the field, and so 30 feet in we had to destroy the crop," he said. "On one field where a deer walked through, didn't eat anything, just walked through and you could see the tracks, we had to take out 30 feet on each side of the tracks and annihilate the crop."
"They're used to working inside the factory walls," said Ken Kimes, owner of New Natives farms in Aptos (Santa Cruz County) and a board member of the Community Alliance With Family Farmers, a California group. "If they're not prepared for the farm landscape, it can come as quite a shock to them. Some of this stuff that they want, you just can't actually do."
"Auditors have told Kimes that no children younger than 5 can be allowed on his farm for fear of diapers. He has been asked to issue identification badges to all visitors.
Not only do the rules conflict with organic and environmental standards; many are simply unscientific. Surprisingly little is known about how E. coli is transmitted from cow to table."
IT's ABOUT TRADE
OLD PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOG
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1452740
OUCH!!!
USDA Says Biotech Is Compatible with Organic
The Unexplored Potential of Organic-Biotech Production
Global Agricultural Information Network
By Cyndi Barmore
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, 5/26/2009
Straight to the Source
OCA Editor's Note: This USDA report attempting to make the case for "organic genetically engineering" is part of a well-funded campaign coordinated by Monsanto and their governmental, corporate, and non-profit partners to legitimize a dangerous and untested technology. This is a campaign to impoverish farmers by making them dependent on expensive genetically modified seeds and the array of chemicals needed to grow them. It is also making guinea pigs of consumers who are being force-fed unlabeled genetically modified foods. Throughout the text posted here, OCA editors have inserted links to the truth about biotechnology. To learn more about the dangers of genetic engineering, go OCA's Millions Against Monsanto page. There are several important reports that rebut the USDA's specious claims of the benefits of genetic engineering, including: Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009) and Who Benefits from GM Crops? Genetically Modified Crops Increase Pesticide Use and Fail to Alleviate Poverty (Friends of the Earth International and the Center for Food Safety, 2008).
SCIENCE--the REAL DEAL
against BIOTECH
http://www.ijsaf.org/contents/16-1/lotter1/index.html
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18764.cfm
GOOGLE IS LOADED WITH
KEYWORDS
SUSTAINABLE BIOTECH
look out!
http://sustainablebiotech.wordpress.com/
RISK ASSESSMENT MODEL
is FLAWED
http://curezone.com/blogs/fm.asp?i=1477616
8:55 AM
ASugust 23, 09
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