Choose the right words, and you can make most anything seem better than reality. A cramped, shotgun shack gets turned into a “cozy cottage.” Mercury amalgam gets spun into “silver fillings.” Now the USDA is getting into the act with its proposed rules for GMO labeling. If they get their way, we’ll be saying “goodbye” […]
GMOs
GMOs & the Question of Trust
If the thought of having your food created and modified by the world’s largest pesticide manufacturer creeps you out, you’re not alone. The report from a recent analysis performed by the National Academy of Sciences – a private nonprofit that provides advice from experts – isn’t likely to make you feel much better. Par for […]
Notes on the Changing Food Landscape
It was big news last year when General Mills announced that Cheerios would become GMO-free – even though it was a clearly a go at low-hanging fruit: the cereal hardly contained any GMO ingredients to begin with. But it was also a sign that consumer demand was having an impact. Since then, we’ve seen other […]
GMOs & Label Language
If you listen to many political debates in this country, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking that Americans can’t seem to agree on much of anything. But ask whether you think GMOs should be labeled, and you’ll find almost unanimous support. Ninety-three percent say yes. Yet last week, two more attempts to require those labels […]
The Great GMO Spin Machine
The word of the day is…euphemism: a word or expression used to avoid sounding harsh, rude or blunt – “toupee” for “wig,” “passed away” for “died,” “silver fillings” for “mercury amalgam fillings.” That kind of thing. And sometimes, it’s about politeness, attempting to spare hurt or embarrassment. Other times, it’s about whitewashing or manipulating opinion. […]
From GMOs to Mercury, Change Is Change
Like many, we were really pleased to hear the news earlier this year that General Mills was going GMO-free with Cheerios – one of its top brands. The difference-maker? Consumer pressure, especially through social media – people just like us voicing their opposition to genetically engineered food, demanding better. Of course, it’s only original Cheerios […]
9 Reasons to Demand Real Food
Our bodies are not designed to eat the kind of highly processed products sold by the giant food corporations, nor the synthetic chemical residues that cling to industrially raised produce, meat and dairy, nor genetically engineered foods that would never have developed in nature without human help. As one registered dietitian has put it, “The […]
11 Must-Reads on What Industrial Farming Has Wrought
GMOs are far from the only health and environmental risk industrial farming has wrought. The quest for profits through things like higher yields, faster and more dramatic growth cycles, and more uniform “product” has come with scant concern for how it might affect the overall health of plants or animals, quality of the food […]