Toxic Sludge in Your Food?

one of the most shocking things i've been hearing this week is about the use of toxic sludge (sewage, chemical waste, pharmaceutical waste, etc) as fertilizer and in low-income neighborhoods. since the outlawing of dumping waste into the ocean in 1992, it seems that the new solution is to dump the wastes elsewhere, and someone thought that dumping it onto our crops seemed like a good idea.


Toxic Sludge Being Marketed as Fertilizer Utilizing Low-Income Americans as Guinea Pigs - this shocking article is from early 2008 and covers the controversial "study" of whether using toxic sludge on lawns with high lead prevents lead poisoning in children when eaten.
    "The idea that sludge - the leftover semisolid wastes filtered from water pollution at 16,500 treatment plants - can be turned into something harmless, even if swallowed, has been a tenet of federal policy for three decades."

Sludge Spread on Fields is Fodder for Lawsuits - an article from 2003 about the use of toxic sludge in fields and the harm it has done to people and animals alike.
    "One Georgia farmer, H. J. Peterson of Stockbridge, sued DeKalb County in 1995, saying 61 of his cows died after eating hay grown using sludge"

Infidels? no shit! - a first hand account on Carol Langley's experience living beside toxic sludge.
    "now I'm getting ready for the nosebleeds to start, the headaches are starting, II'm hoping I don't get paralysis and chest pains like last year."

Tell the "World's Greenest Mayor" to Stop Poisoning His City with Toxic Sludge - article on the use of toxic sludge in San Francisco as well as the rest of the US, and includes links to take action on this subject.

EPA Requests Feedback on Plan Analyzing Impact of Hazardous Waste on Disadvantaged Communities - a slightly more hopeful article from January 2010 on what the EPA is looking to do to fix the problem of toxic dumping on low income families.

Sludge News
 

learn more

Interview with Eric Holt-Giménez part 2 from East Bay Pictures on Vimeo.

this is a pretty long video (about twenty minutes) but it's well worth the watch. Eric Holt-Giménez breaks down the food industry and the way it is working in the united states and explains simply enough why it is not working. sadly there isn't too many documentaries i've been able to find dealing with the darker side of the food industry, but here are some that are definitely worth the watch.

the Future of Food - this was the documentary that essentially opened my eyes to this whole issue and got me thinking about it. it's completely amazing. it's from 2004 and focuses mainly on the agricultural part of the food industry. and it's on hulu so you can watch it for free. it is definitely worth the time.

Food Inc. - if you haven't seen it, you have to. i admit, it took me a while to actually go out and see this movie since i had already seen the Future of Food, but when i finally did i wished i had seen it sooner. it touched on everything, from the meat to the agricultural part of the industry and i found out more than i though i would.

the Botany of Desire - not one hundred percent about the food industry, but one segment mentions it. and it gives you a lot of food for thought about the plants we live beside every day. Michael Pollan picks out four of the most successful plants and shows how we are working for them just as hard as they're working for us. also, it's a PBS documentary so it is absolutely beautiful

if you know of any more, please let me know and happy viewing!

breaking down the supermarket

I've been spending a good portion of ten months trying to navigate myself around all the gimmicks of the grocery store. Blindly trying to figure out was organic really worth the extra two dollars, and was there really Genetically Modified ingredients in non-organic food that i had to worry about. It wasn't until I started the research for the united states of Kraft project about a month ago that I really was able to sort through all the marketing and get to the facts. But along the way I've started to find some great websites that help.


9 Food Label Lies - a great article that breaks down step by step the most common "healthy food" phrases that are really just marketing exaggeration.
    "the government doesn't regulate the use of the phrase "free range" or "cage free" on eggs. Legally speaking, it's meaningless"


Mass Production of Food is Ruining Our Health - a pretty lengthy but very smart article that touches on every reason why you should be upset with the disaster that is going on behind your food.
    "If you could witness how most of our food is produced, you would not eat it; you would be outraged. We are so far removed from our food."

CSPI's Food Additive Chart - the center for science in the public interest put together this really great chart that lists a whole bunch of food additives, breaking them down to say a little bit about them and how safe they are.

Huge List of Genetically Modified Frankenfoods - the origin of this list I haven't been able to locate, and there is chance that this is long outdated (it's from 2004). But it's a great list to read and just keep those products in mind... especially considering this is the only GM product list I have been able to find thus far.

Genetically Modified Food - this article not only has a list of what crops are genetically modified, it also gives a background on genetically modified food.


and for people who want to take matters into their own hands Sustainable Seed Co and Bountiful Gardens are both online sellers of heirloom seeds. Which means, not only are they "organic", but they are also GM free and not a monoculture. I've only bought from Sustainable Seed Co at this point in time... but they were a great company and I look forward to buy more from them and try out Bountiful Gardens as well.
 
 

it's just business

it's looking like this previously criticized corporation is slowly being tolerated as consumers are left in the dark about what Monsanto really has to do with your food. Monsanto was named Forbes' company of the year for 2009, not based upon how they do business, but simply on the amount of money they bring in. we have to keep consumers aware and upset by their plans for replacing most natural crops for GM ones or else we will never really know what is going on with our food.


The Planet Verses Monsanto - Forbes company of the year article on Monsanto.
      "economic achievement is not the same thing as public adulation. Over most of the time that Monsanto has been working to make humanity better fed, it has been the object of vicious criticism."

Some Food For Thought - a cute informational video from Monsanto about american farmers impact on the world. note the absence of any of the negative facts about GM crops/farming as well as the clever graphic design to make the entire video appear wholesome and "green".

Monsanto: The World's Poster Child for Corporate Manipulation and Deceit - part one out of a ten part article on the truth behind the Monsanto corporation.
      "his team asked Monsanto executives what their ideal future looked like in 15 to 20 years. The executives described a world with 100% of all commercial seeds genetically modified and patented. Anderson consultants then worked backwards from that goal, and developed the strategy and tactics to achieve it"

Monsanto Sues Farmers?? - The Truth Revealed! - and another video released by Monsanto five days ago explaining why they have to sue farmers, and claiming they have been misrepresented by the media.

Monsanto Makes Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For List - a short article with employee quotes on Monsanto ranking 59 on the Fortune's top 100 list
 

GM wheat is slowly growing

it looks as if GM crops keep slipping under the radar with Monsanto's newest 2009 plans for creating and marketing GM wheat within the next ten years. despite not only consumer concerns but scientific concern as well, WestBred, a wheat germplasm specialist to help aid them in their goal for more GM crops in our food system.


Monsanto Buys Wheat Germoplasm Specialist - an article from July 2009 on Monsanto's $45,000,000 investment in the wheat research company
      "the acquisition is a long-term investment for Monsanto, which does not expect the deal to be accretive to earnings for five to ten years"

Dr. Norman Borlaug speaks - a video released by Monsanto in april 2009 of Norman Bourlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, speaking about their new wheat campaign.
      "we've got work together to improve not one crop, but all the basic crops and animal products that uh, make our world better than it ever has been" - Dr. Norman Bourlaug

US Wheat Industry Welcomes Monsanto's GM Wheat Plans - an article further expanding upon Monsanto's plans for further wheat research and the acceptance of this by two major US wheat organizations.
      "Over the past months and years, we have repeatedly voiced our support for biotechnology and outlined appropriate conditions for commercialization"

The Case for Biotech Wheat - a PDF Released by the NAWG for why the wheat industry needs biotechnology. the article also claims that only 14% of US consumers want additional food information on labels, and only 1% wants biotech ingredients labeled.
      "Like any other business owner, farmers will produce the products that provide the greatest potential returns for the least amount of risk."

Stop Genetically Modified Wheat - an article and petition from 2002 in reaction to the first time Monsanto suggested the introduction of GM wheat. not one hundred percent sure the petition is still running (though I'm sure there will be another) but the facts still hold true

Crop Biotech Update: January 15 2010 - an update on the GM wheat test trials that they plan to be sown in the near future.

Wheat - an entry on Wheat in the GMO compass database.


WestBred Website
National Association of Wheat Growers Website
US Wheat Associates
 

art project : the united states of Kraft.

this is the project i am currently working on in order to spread more awareness to the subject of what really is inside our food.

i've been scowering the depths of the internet (books, interviews, documentaries...) for information on what is really in the ingredients of manufactured food when you really break them down. focusing at this point on the Kraft Food Inc, the largest food manufacturer in the united states, i've been picking one product at a time to break down the ingredients list as much as i could with the information i have found.

then i've beeen painting each of these singular ingredients individually in Kraft's colors (red, white, blue) onto food boxes which will eventually be mounted, framed, and each having it's own name plaque so they can be arranged in a loose family tree like way.

so far i have broken down Kraft's "Original" A1 Steak Sauce, and painted about half of the ingredients, and looked into 19 other products to be completed in the same way.

A1 Steak Sauce Ingredents
Broken Down List
Website (work in progress)

USDA lowering the standards of organic?

also received in my inbox was another alarming petition. the USDA was required to create an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for GE alfalfa that essentially was not thoroughly explored nor contained much regard for organic farmers or concerned consumers.


Tell the USDA That You Care About GE Contamination of Organic Food - an article explaining the issue with information on how to voice your concern before before February 16 to hopefully put a stop to this issue
      "[the] USDA is claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE contamination of organic!"

GE Alfalfa Draft EIS That Threatens Organic Integrity - essentially the same article as above, but with links to the EIS draft and supplemental documents.

GMO Update: November 16 2009 - a neat article on what is going on with GM beets, corn, and alfalfa

Alfalfa (GM) Fact Sheet - a PDF on GE alfalfa facts

Alfalfa - an entry on alfalfa in the GMO compass database.
 

eat cloned meat?

while checking my e-mail this morning I came across a shocking discovery. i was not aware of the FDA's lifting of the ban against cloned meat... and after quickly looking into it, it seems that this has been developing for at least the past year. how much cloned meat have we eaten without any knowledge? and how much testing has been done for safety in reality?


Keep Cloned Meat Off Grocery Shelves - a short article and petition for getting this meat out of stores.

FDA Admits Cloned Meat, Milk May Have Already Entered Food Supply - an article from January 2009 on the topic, and list of companies that say they will not use cloned meat in their food.
      "Research in the United States indicates that consumers are currently not receptive to ingredients from cloned animals," - Kraft Director of Corporate Affairs

FDA Approves Cloned Meat - and even earlier still, a short Washington Post article from 2008 on the approval of cloned meat.

Cloned Meat and Other Sci-Fi Foods - an interesting article on the strange plans for the future of modified foods.