Food

1. Only 1% of imported food is inspected. Because the federal government refuses to implement a country-of-origin labeling program for meat and produce, consumers don’t have the facts they need to avoid low-quality food from overseas.

2. Despite new research that shows that artificial hormones may contribute to a five-fold increase in twin pregnancies for American women, the federal government still allows them in dairy products. They are banned in Canada and Europe.

3. Instead of forcing meat producers to fix serious sanitation problems at factory farms and slaughterhouses, the federal government allows them to take dangerous shortcuts like pumping livestock full of antibiotics, dipping carcasses in toxic disinfectants, and irradiating meat.

4. Although mad cow disease presents a lethal threat to public health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has blocked meatpackers from implementing their own mad cow testing programs.

5. The Bush Administration and its allies in Congress want to weaken the Safe Water Drinking Act, which may lead to more cancer and disease-causing contaminants in the tap water of millions of Americans.

Beware Food Imports From China

Milk products manufactured in China and tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical, killed and injured thousands of children this year.

If you live in the US, you need to know that your government is not protecting you from these products.

Policy

The New York Times | Politics and Hunger
http://www.truthout.org/article/politics-and-hunger
The New York Times writes, "One might expect that food riots in Egypt and Haiti would convince the world's wealthy nations of the need to do more to feed the world's poorest. If not, maybe the threat of 100 million more people falling into poverty due to soaring food prices would spur them to help. Yet at last week's United Nations food summit, the world's more-developed nations proved, once again, that domestic politics trumps both humanitarian concerns and sound strategic calculations."

The Food Crisis

Study of GM foods indicates danger.

Against the grain: 'Economics, not common sense, drives GM crops'

Monsanto's Harvest of Fear Vanity Fair 5/2008
Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele write for Vanity Fair, "Monsanto already dominates America's food chain with its genetically modified seeds. Now it has targeted milk production. Just as frightening as the corporation's tactics - ruthless legal battles against small farmers - is its decades-long history of toxic contamination."

Dr Michael Antoniou argues that genetically modified crops are dangerous and unnecessary
Interview by Nick Jackson The Independent, 27 September 2007 _http://news.independent.co.uk/education/higher/article2999527.ece_
(http://news.independent.co.uk/education/higher/article2999527.ece)

References from: Monsanto: Visionary or Architect of Bioserfdom? A Global Socio-Economic Examination of Genetically Modified Organisms - Andrew Hund 10dec99

Frankenwine? Wines made with GMO yeast hit the market this year 20 Dec 2006 The United States' first wines made using a genetically modified wine yeast will be released this year, but critics say the GM yeast has not been properly safety tested and could contaminate non-GM wine crops.

Food

US Congress Seeks To Cut Food Stamp Program (11/24/2011)

Congress Protects Pizza As a Vegetable In School Lunches (11/15/2011)

Links

Recipes

Michael Pollan on Food

Five Things you need to know about food safety

Beware Food Imports From China

Policy

The Food Crisis

Study of GM foods indicates danger.

Against the grain: 'Economics, not common sense, drives GM crops'

Bibliography