FDA Recalls Romaine Lettuce

Thanks Monsanto for using e coli to genetically modify corn thus introducing it to the food system, Michael Taylor (FDA) for making sure Monsanto’s GM corn made it into the food system without being tested and Tom Vilsack (USDA) for flying around on a Monsanto jet for 30 years convincing us there was nothing wrong with GM corn when you knew it wasn’t safe.  Ooh, and a special thank you to President Barrack Obama for turning the nation’s food safety over to these guys in exchange for campaign contributions.

FDA News Release

For Immediate Release: May 6, 2010
Media Inquiries: Michael Herndon 301-796-4673, Michael.Herndon@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Supports Freshway Foods Voluntary Recall of Lettuce

Freshway Foods¹ of Sidney, Ohio, announced today a voluntary recall of certain romaine lettuce products because of the possible connection between the recalled romaine lettuce and an outbreak of foodborne disease. FDA supports this action by Freshway Foods. The outbreak, which is still under investigation, involves cases in Michigan, Ohio, and New York of illnesses due to infection with E. coli O145, a harmful bacteria.

On May 5, 2010, the New York state Public Health Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, in Albany reported finding E. coli O145 in an unopened bag of Freshway Foods shredded romaine lettuce being recalled.

A Freshway Foods press release says the recalled shredded romaine lettuce was sold to wholesalers, food service outlets, and some in-store salad bars and delis in the following areas: Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Symptoms of infection with harmful E. coli may range from none to mild diarrhea to severe complications. The acute symptoms include severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody. Patients may progress to serious complications, such as kidney damage. FDA and CDC encourage anyone with the symptoms listed to contact his or her health care provider immediately.
The recalled shredded romaine lettuce has a “best if used by” date of May 12 or earlier. The Freshway Foods press release advises restaurants, distributors, and retailers to throw out or refrain from using shredded romaine lettuce from Freshway Foods with these “use by” dates. Additionally, Freshway Foods is advising consumers not to eat “grab and go” salads sold in-store salad bars and delis at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets, and Marsh stores.

Shredded romaine lettuce from Freshway Foods with “use by” dates after May 12 are not involved in this voluntary recall. Romaine lettuce and other types of lettuce and leafy greens from other producers are also not affected by this recall.

Multiple lines of evidence have implicated shredded romaine lettuce from one processing facility as a source of infections in a multistate outbreak to which this recall may be related.

To date, 19 confirmed cases of E. coli O145 illnesses have been reported from Michigan, Ohio, and New York. These illnesses include 12 individuals who have been hospitalized, and three with a potentially life threatening complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is a serious condition in which the body’s blood-clotting mechanisms are altered, causing blocked circulation or bleeding in the brain or kidneys.

The evidence includes preliminary results of product traceback investigations that indicate:

• The shredded romaine lettuce consumed by ill persons in three states originated from one processing facility
• preliminary results of a case-control study in one state that found a statistically significant association between E. coli O145 infection
• and ingestion of lettuce from the same processing facility; and recovery of E. coli O145 from an unopened package of shredded romaine lettuce from the same processing facility that was obtained from a food service entity associated with the outbreak.

For more information on the outbreak of foodborne illness to which this recall may be related, please see http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/ ². The FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and state public health officials in Michigan, New York, and Ohio continue to investigate that outbreak and will provide updates as more information is available.

For more information on foodborne illness: http://www.foodsafety.gov.

New Cookbook To Aid Clean-up of the Gulf Oil Spill.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“THIRD COAST CUISINE” HIGHLIGHTS CULINARY HERITAGE OF THE GULF OF MEXICO.

Celebrity Chef Stuart Reb Donald Pledges A Portion Of The Proceeds Of His Latest Cookbook To Aid Clean-up of the Gulf Oil Spill. 

Mobile, AL – Award winning food writer and chef Stuart Reb Donald has once again opened his culinary bag of tricks for his latest cookbook Third Coast Cuisine: Recipes from the Gulf of Mexico.

Donald, long established as one of the most passionate food writers in the blogosphere, offers a over 150 recipes, 11 essays and 70 color photos of the diverse foods to be found along the Gulf of Mexico.

According to the author, “The Third Coast is an area of amazing diversity. From the Yucatan to the Keys you can find any number of indigenous and immigrant cooking styles like Mexican, Cajun, Native American and even Soul Food.” The Third Coast is a popular nickname for the states along the Gulf of Mexico as well as parts of Mexico and Cuba. “The people that live here are amazingly resilient and that resiliency has been on display for most of this century. Ivan, Rita, Katrina and dozens of other storms plus the oil spill have taken their best shots at us but we keep bouncing back. The Deep South has a culinary tradition unmatched in the New World. Dixie is to America what Tuscany is to Italy, what Provence is to France, it is the nation’s gastronomic heart and soul.”

Chef Donald will be donating a percentage of the sales of Third Coast Cuisine to assist in the recovery from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

For review copies, personal appearances and/or author interviews, contact the author HERE.

About Stuart Reb Donald
A 24 year veteran of the restaurant industry, Stuart Reb Donald has worked every position from dish washer up to chef. Most recently he was the Executive Chef at Mars Hill Café in Mobile, AL. In 2003 he combined his love of food and gift for writing to produce his first cookbook Amigeauxs – Mexican/Creole Fusion Cuisine (4 Star Publishing). He has written hundreds of articles for both print and electronic media including interviews of noted chefs like Bobby Flay, Ted Allen, Michael Symon, Tory McPhail and Susan Irby. He is the author of WannabeTVchef.com and ThirdCoastCuisine.com – the companion site to the cookbook. Stuart has been a regular guest on TV shows along the Gulf Coast and often uses his culinary skills for good by helping to raise money for organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Bay Area Food Bank.

Oil Spill Threatens Third Coast Livelihood

On April 21st the British Petroleum oil rig, Deepwater Horizon, exploded.  Though 126 people were saved by a coalition of rescuers lead by the US Coast Guard, sadly eleven people were lost.  But that does not appear to be the end of this tragedy as an oil slick is threatening the coast lines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida's Panhandle.  This is the same area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Ivan in 2004.  Needless to say, this area is not ready for another disaster coupled with an unresponsive government.

Unfortunately, it looks like that is exactly what is happening.

READ MORE

Factory Food

By Hannah Fairfield of the New York Times:

No country has embraced the movement toward commercialized, prepackaged food as much as the United States.

Americans eat 31 percent more packaged food than fresh food, and they consume more packaged food per person than their counterparts in nearly all other countries. A sizable part of the American diet is ready-to-eat meals, like frozen pizzas and microwave dinners, and sweet or salty snack foods.
"Americans tend to graze rather than sit down and eat a full meal, so the food is tailored for convenience," said Mark Gehlhar, who has studied global food consumer preferences at the Economic Research Service of the Agriculture Department. "And Americans do not seem to be as discerning about quality.

T. Colin Campbell, a nutritionist at Cornell University, said that "there is a lot of money tied up in the industry because it is profitable for companies to make these foods." He added that "Processed foods contain large amounts of fat, salt and sugar, and Americans have become addicted to them."

CONTINUE

Food Network Going Off The Air

Scripps Pulls the Plug on Food Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
04/01/10

POPULAR FOOD NETWORK TO BE CANCELED AT MONTH’S END

New York City – The E.W. Scripps Company announced today that after 17 years in production their popular Food Network will cease programming at the end of this month. The move took many in assembly by surprise. The press conference was held at Chelsea Market on 75 9th Avenue, home of the Food Network Studios.

Milton Funderburk, Acting Assistant Vice-Chairman of Cable Programming for Scripps was asked why the media conglomerate was closing the doors on its most popular cable franchise, “The time is right. After all when we purchased TFN back in ‘97 we thought it would fail miserably.  That was the plan.

“We acquired the Network as a tax right off. We never dreamed anyone would actually watch it. Our thought was why would anyone want to watch someone else cooking on TV? I mean if they wanted to see someone cook, they could just go cook something.  Apparently we under estimated the American public’s desire to live vicariously.”

READ ON

New Apple Forgotten Fruits Manual Now Available Free Online

RAFT Alliance Launches National Initiative to Recover Endangered Heirloom Apples and Bring More Varieties Back To Our Plates

BROOKLYN, New York – March 16, 2010 - The Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT) alliance (http://www.raftalliance.org) today announced the launch of its "Forgotten Fruits" initiative. The inaugural project will focus on apples earmarking at least 90 endangered apple varieties in each region for recovery to our orchards and farms, so they can again be enjoyed in restaurants, cideries and kitchens.

In addition, RAFT has christened 2010 as the "Year of the Heirloom Apple" to engage food communities in the restoration of apple varieties and culinary traditions specific to their regions. A key component of RAFT’s apple initiative is release of The Forgotten Fruits Manual & Manifesto – APPLES, a brochure that builds upon the collective knowledge of more than a dozen of America’s most experienced heirloom apple experts. The brochureis now available as a free download at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/raft_detail/resources/.

The large-scale loss of apple diversity is a threat to our cultural heritage, and negatively impacts our health and environment. RAFT partners are concerned by statistics such as the following, which illustrate the severity of the decline in apple culture and diver sity in America seen over the past half century:

• Of the 15,000 to 16,000 apple varieties named, grown and eaten in North American, only about 3,000 remain accessible through nurseries
• Roughly nine out of ten apple varieties historically grown in the U.S. are at risk of falling out of cultivation and falling off our tables
• One variety, Red Delicious, now comprises 41 percent of the entire American apple crop
• Eleven common varieties comprise 90 percent of all apples sold in chain grocery stores
• Much of the apple juice, puree and sauce consumed in the U.S. are now produced in other countries
• As the overall number of apple trees in cultivation declines to a fourth of what it was a century ago, the number of apple varieties considered threatened or endangered has peaked at 94 percent

Despite these statistics and the economic downturn, he irloom and antique apple varieties are being successfully marketed at many of the 5,000 farmer’s markets and 2,500 community-supported agriculture (CSA) projects across the U.S. As part of the RAFT initiative, heirloom apple varieties targeted for recovery have been identified in three out of six regions, and these lists will soon be available on the RAFT web site.

To find out ways you can support and celebrate the Year of the Heirloom Apple, visit http://www.raftalliance.org.

About Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT)

RAFT (www.raftalliance.org) is an alliance of food, farming, environmental and culinary advocates who have joined together to identify, restore and celebrat e America’s biologically and culturally diverse food traditions through conservation, education, promotion and regional networking. The RAFT Alliance is managed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Chefs Collaborative and Slow Food USA. The RAFT Alliance was co-founded by Gary Paul Nabhan, Ph.D.

Head USDA Scientist Questions Organic Safety?

Roger Beachy, as director of the USDA’s newly formed National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), is the lead researcher for the USDA.  He was appointed to his post by President Obama in October 2009.  Before taking this position he was the founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri where he’d worked since 1998.  From 1991 to 1998 Beachy was the department head of the Division of Plant Biology at The Scripps Research Institute.  From 1978 to 1991 he was a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.  Sounds like a qualified scientist right?


While at Washington University, Beachy worked on the Monsanto sponsored project that resulted in the first genetically modified food crop.  On the project tomatoes were modified for resistance to disease by adding genes from flounder.  The world’s first Frankenfood.

Beachy’s notoriety lead to his position at The Scripps Research Institute where he again worked on formulating plant genetics so they would be resistant to disease.    Scripps has worked hand-in-hand with Monsanto for years.  The Dansford Plant Science Center is funded by Monsanto and it’s mission is to, “improve the human condition through plant science.”  In other words it is charged with developing more GM produce.

What does this tell us about Roger Beachy?  That from 1978 until being appointed to the USDA in 2009, Beachy was an employee of Monsanto, the company responsible for introducing e coli into our food system.  Thirty-one years as an employee of a company that he is now responsible for making policy over.  Another trip through the Monsanto revolving door.

Just how dangerous are Beachy’s genetically modified Frankenfoods?  The US government has set up a web site (foodsafety.gov) to educate Americans about food borne microbials.  The site also tracks food illness outbreaks and recalls, most of which are the result of genetically tampering with food.  Among the recent outbreaks traced back to GM foods are the spinach e coli contamination in 2006, 2009’s Salmonellosis in peanut butter scare and just this week a massive recall of products containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein.

This week, Beachy is attending an international conference in Guadalajara, Mexico sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  When Beachy was asked by Tom Philpott of Grist Magazine, “Would NIFA be funding research for organic ag?”  Beachy’s reply stunned all in attendance.
Beachy arrogantly said, “I’m concerned about the safety of organic food.”  It also sent his his chief counsel, Rachel Goldfarb, scrambling to clean up the mess.  She immediately cut him off saying, “This is just the sort of thing he should not be discussing without approval,” which ended the conversation.

Check out Philpott’s first-hand account of the exchange HERE.

The irony and absurdity of the very scientist who developed the lethal genetic modification of produce calling the safety of organic farming into question is the Mount Everest of hypocrisy.  If you would like to share your displeasure with Mr. Beachy you can contact him via e-mail at rbeachy@nifa.usda.gov, by phone at (202) 720 – 4423, fax to (202) 720 – 8987 or snail mail to:
Roger Beachy
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue SW, Stop 2201
Washington, DC 20250.

Don’t Tax Sugar; Stop Taking Bribes!

Dear politicians, stop trying to legislate morality.  You’re not qualified.

Health study after health study tells us that sugary drinks are one of the primary causes of childhood obesity.  There is no refuting this fact.  Recently, one study came out and suggested the only way to stop children from consuming so many sugary beverages is to put a tax on them so their parents can no longer afford them?
Would it work?  Most likely.  Is it right?  Not even close, in fact it is criminal.  For the record I am against virtually all taxes.  I’m tired of having people steal money from me to fund something I have no input over.  Besides, the problem is a lot more complex than “sugary drinks are too cheap.”

First off, the phrase “sugary drinks” is not at all accurate.  If soft drinks were sweetened with actual sugar there likely wouldn’t be an obesity epidemic in this country.  They are sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a man-made sweetener developed by the chemical company Monsanto.  It is a chemical that is far more dangerous than alcohol or marijuana could ever hope to be.

So why is it legal?  One word: bribery lobbying.  Monsanto and their ilk throw enough money at our government to cure the budget deficit.  Why do they spend so much money on bribery lobbying?  Because they know their products are lethal.  Our politicians know these products are lethal too but they, whether Democrat or Republican, do not care.  Politicians only care about power and money.

From the lowliest mayor in the tiniest town all the way to the top our politicians are crooked.  They would gladly trade the lives of our children for a few extra green backs.  In fact they do it everyday.

So, politicians,  if you want soft drinks to cost more do not tax us for your transgressions.  How about paying the $7.5 billion in this year’s budget set aside for farm subsidies to the farmers they are intended for.  Currently this money only goes to farmers who produce untested genetically modified foods for big multi-national agricultural corporations.  In other words farm subsidies do not go to farmers, they go to Monsanto.
In effect what companies like Monsanto are doing is money laundering.  They take the $7.5 billion the US government gives them out of our paychecks and they hand it right back to individual politicians in the form of campaign contributions or bribes lobbyist gifts.  The politicians pocket that $7.5 billion.

So instead of strapping the American people with yet another tax how about canning the Monsanto moles the President has appointed to run the USDA and FDA (Tom Vilsak, Michael Taylor, Roger Beachy, et al).  Oh and maybe follow legitimate scientists recommendations of banning GM foods like HFCS at least until their effects have been studied.  Do this and soft drink manufacturers will have to go back to sweetening their beverages with actual sugar, while though still not great, it is far better than HFCS.  Not only will the price of soft drinks go up but child obesity go down.

The sad little hoki fish

By Sarah Gilbert for DailyFinance.

Though millions of you eat fish sticks, Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, and sushi made of this fish every month, it's a good bet you wouldn't be able to pick the hoki out of a creature-of-the-deep lineup; it's an even better bet you've never heard of the hoki, also known as the blue grenadier. So of course you don't know that the 200 million pounds of hoki -- about 50 million of the ugly little critters -- are at the center of a debate about sustainable fishery practices, a debate that illuminates the larger issue about what, exactly, makes an environmentally friendly fishery, and whether any fish can bear the enormous weight of our hunger.

You probably thought your fish sticks and fish sandwiches were made of cod, a whitefish that has had its ups and downs with sustainability (in 2006, for instance, scientists called for a complete ban on Atlantic cod fishing; but that same year, a "green" fishery off the coast of Alaska was granted a sustainability seal from the Marine Stewardship Council). Some of it still is, along with pollock and several other less well-known fish. According to Lisa McComb of McDonald's (MCD), of the approximately 100 million pounds of white fish the fast food chain makes into sandwiches each year, about 15 million is hoki. Gary Johnson told The New York Times recently that the quantity was dropping; to about 11 million pounds, 11 percent of the company's total fish purchasing.

MORE 

Jamie Oliver Speaks on Obesity

Norwegian Seafood Export Co. Misleading US Buyers?

Is the Norwegian Seafood Export Co uncil Selling Farmed or Wild Salmon?

The Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) is misleading U.S. consumers with the false impression that Norwegian salmon is wild, not farmed. Food & Water Watch, along with other consumer groups, have long been advocating for the consumption of wild salmon due to the health risks farmed salmon can pose for humans and the environmental dangers that it poses for ocean ecosystems. NSEC’s misleading advertising interferes with consumers who try to make informed choices about the fish they are purchasing and consuming.

Rick Moonen, a Las Vegas chef, restaurant owner, and early champion for sustainable fishing practices, is now an exclusive supporter of wild salmon.  Moonen initially endorsed Norwegian farmed salmon years ago, but has since learned the harm caused by the open net technology used in Norway and other places. As a result, Moonen requested that the company remove his likeness from a promotional video on NSEC’s Web site.

On January 28, Moonen filed an official complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, asking them to take the appropriate measures to ensure that Norwegian farmed salmon is not deceptively advertised in the U.S. NSEC’s misleading advertisements have appeared on their Web site as well as in print, in Cooking Light magazine. 

On February 1, Moonen received a letter from NSEC apologizing for the error, claiming that the inclusion of his image in the videos "was an oversight on our part."  Perhaps, the indication that they distribute wild Norwegian salmon is an oversight, as well.

Their response is particularly relevant in light of Target’s recent announcement that farmed salmon will be eliminated from their more than 1,700 stores and only wild salmon will be sold. This decision to carry more sustainable products demonstrates how empowered consumers are to select healthier, more sustainable seafood – even when buying from a mega-store like Target.

Based on the issues you typically cover, I thought you might be interested in learning more about this issue and how Food & Water Watch is helping to bring it into the public eye. Consumers deserve accurate information about the fish they consume and its impact on their health and the environment. Food & Water Watch Fish Team Director Marianne Cufone is available to provide you with more details at 202-683-2511 or at Mcufone@fwwatch.org.
 For more information about Food & Water Watch, please feel free to contact me at 202-683-2457 or at RBindell@fwwatch.org.You can also visit our website at www.foodandwaterwatch.org.

Food & Water Watch is a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. Through research, public and policymaker education, media, and lobbying, we advocate policies that guarantee safe, wholesome food produced in a humane and sustainable manner and public, rather than private, control of water resources including oceans, rivers, and groundwater. The Food & Water Watch Fish Program promotes safer and more sustainable seafood for consumers, while helping to protect the environment and support the long term well being of coastal and fishing communities. For more information, visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.

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On the Plate, a Pinch or a Pound?

From the New York Times Column City Critic:
Ever since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced his salt reduction initiative this month, people on all sides of the issue have developed a case of high blood pressure. Some scientists have gone on as though that white powdery substance were the most dangerous biological weapon on the planet. Meanwhile, some chefs and diners have responded as though the city were stationing armed police officers in kitchens and bodegas lest anyone make a move for the Doritos.

People, relax. In the right amounts, salt is a fine thing. And as for the guidelines, which focus on “packaged and restaurant foods,” they’re voluntary.

Packaged foods are an easy target, often so gunked up by chemicals that it takes a pile of salt to get any flavor at all. As for restaurants, the salt initiative seems to be aimed at fast-food joints, but salt plays an important role in nicer kitchens, too — the kind where actual human beings cook actual food.

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Got Milk? Got Ethics? Animal Rights v. U.S. Dairy Industry

From ABC NEWS:

Undercover Videos Show Ugly Realities Behind the Scenes of 'Factory Dairy Farms'

By ANNA SCHECTER and BRIAN ROSS
Jan. 26, 2010 

 

Undercover videos produced by animal rights groups are fueling a debate over the need for new laws to regulate the treatment of American dairy cow.

The graphic videos include one made inside a huge New York dairy operation where cows never go outside, have the ends of their tails cut off in painful procedures without anesthesia, and are seen being abused by one employee who hits a cow over the head with a wrench when it refuses to move.

An investigator for the group Mercy for Animals worked at the New York dairy farm, Willet Dairy, one of the largest in the state, for two months as a mechanic. Willet supplies to Leprino Foods, based in Denver, which produces mozzarella cheese and other cheese products that are used at chains including Pizza Hut, Papa John's, and Domino's Pizza.

READ ON
 

White House Kitchen Garden a Facade?

First Lady Michelle Obama in the Garden

The White House has certainly touted it’s Kitchen Garden, even going so far as to having it featured as the “theme ingredient” on a special Iron Chef:America.  I am sure the first lady is passionate and devoted to the sustainable, local and/or organic lifestyle.  Mrs. Obama certainly seems sincere in her concerns for the enviroment and in rescuing our children from the obesity epidemic created by agribusiness juggernauts like Monsanto and their foot soldiers, the fast food industry.

I do not, however, believe her husband cares about these issues.  After all his actions suggest an ambivalence reminiscent of his predecessor.  Supposedly, pandering to big business is the realm of Republicans but President Obama has dangerously littered the government with agribusiness pawns.

Despite being given a list of 12 quailfied candidates (known as the sustainable dozen) for key positions in his administration, the President has made numerous suspect appointments to bureaus charged with protecting the public’s welfare.  No, suspect is not the right word, nefarious is more accurate.  The conflict of interest created by these appointments is borderline criminal, not unlike naming John Dillinger Secretary of the Treasury.

Take the President’s choice to head the Department of Agriculture (USDA), Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.  Vilsack has long been a champion of genetically modified (GM) corn and other grains.  Genetically modifying corn to be more resistant to herbicides was a process developed by Monsanto in the 1970’s.  But, as science has since proven, GM corn is the root cause of every e coli outbreak on record.  Ever.
Vilsack has such a notorious reputation for being a puppet for agribusiness mega corporations that a satirical PSA was actually commissioned by environmentalists.  That’s right, environmentalists are opposed to this Democrat.  Here’s the video:



After being pummled by his own supporters for selling out the USDA to Biotech, Obama did throw them a bone.  The President named Kathleen Merrigan, director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts University (and one of the sustainable dozen)  as his Sustainable Foods Czar.  Sure it is just a token gesture and the position is largely meaningless but it calmed the masses.  At least for a while.

Another one of President Obama’s appointments was naming Michael Taylor as special assistant to the FDA Commissioner for food safety.  Taylor will actually be making laws that affect the profitability of Monsanto, the primary client of his employer prior to joining the Obama administration.  Before working for Monsanto, Taylor was part of the George H W Bush administration, again making policy for the FDA.  Prior to that stint with the FDA, Taylor worked for Monsanto.  His resume is the very definition of “conflict of interest.”
Green publication The Huffington Post has called Taylor, “The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history,” here’s what else they had to say:

If GMOs are indeed responsible for massive sickness and death, then the individual who oversaw the FDA policy that facilitated their introduction holds a uniquely infamous role in human history. That person is Michael Taylor. He had been Monsanto’s attorney before becoming policy chief at the FDA. Soon after, he became Monsanto’s vice president and chief lobbyist.

Now Barrack Obama is not the first President to turn the keys to the nation’s safety over to Monsanto.  As mentioned above the first President Bush also employed Michael Taylor despite an obvious conflict of interest.  President Bill Clinton had a troubling number of his advisors moving into lucrative positions with Monsanto once his term was over, like Marcia Hale an assistant to the President for intergovernmental relations.  It’s certain that the so-called “Monsanto revolving door” is not one of Obama’s promised changes.

The President naming the head of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, Lisa Jackson, to lead the EPA  has raised an eyebrow or two.  Jackson does not have documented ties to big business like Taylor or Vilsack.  At the same time she has shown an alarming familiarity with lobbyists even going so far as to hire corporate lobbyists like Nancy Wittenberg to work on her staff.

While most feel Jackson’s tenure with the NJDEP was marred in ineffective leadership and finger-pointing, some environmentalist groups insist that her lack of production was not her fault.  Apparently the one thing that both sides agree on is that Jackson accomplished nothing during her term.

As his Surgeon General, President Obama has picked Alabama physician Regina Benjamin.  Dr. Benjamin was given the assignment of helping Americans get healthier.  Her work with rural, impoverished patients in the heart of Katrina country is quite noble.  But the well documented fact that she accepted $10,000 from Burger King just before joining the Obama regime is understandably curious.

The money was purportedly for serving on a nutritional advisory panel with the fast food giant.  There is something peculiar about the nation’s top doctor being on the payroll of a company that produces the Angry Whopper, a sandwich with 1120 calories (657 from fat), 175 mg of cholesterol, 73 grams of total fat, 25 of which are saturated, three are the heart disease causing trans fats.  Oh, and let’s not forget that virtually everything Burger King sells incorporates Monsanto’s Frakencorn into it, the bugers, the buns, even the soft drinks.

Though the national media have tried to potray these appointments as positive moves, farm-to-table advoactes do not share in the enthusiasm.  Sure there are a handful of White House orchestrated blogs like Obama Foodorama whose job is to spin these Presidential missteps, but most have found the business-as-usual appointments disconcerting.

If the White House Kitchen Garden inspires others to plant their own then that is outstanding.  Surely growing the vegetables that are used in the White House does slightly lower the burden on the over-taxed citizenry.  The first lady is setting a wonderful example.  And while it is a quaint idea, from the outside looking in it appears to be just another parlor trick.  Clearly the President’s stance on the enviroment lacks transparency.

Vilsack/USDA Fail Again With Questionable Beef Processing

Great article from the New York Times’ Michael Moss exposing more USDA incompetence, this time with regards to the unsafe beef served in school cafeterias and fast food chains (yeah, I know.  Who’da thunk it?).  Apparently Tom Vilsack and crew have been so happy with the quality of processed beef that haven’t bothered to check it for e coli or salmonella.  Fortunately, others have.  Read what the government has been feeding your children.

Eight years ago, federal officials were struggling to remove potentially deadly E. coli from hamburgers when an entrepreneurial company from South Dakota came up with a novel idea: injecting beef with ammonia.

The company, Beef Products Inc., had been looking to expand into the hamburger business with a product made from beef that included fatty trimmings the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil. The trimmings were particularly susceptible to contamination, but a study commissioned by the company showed that the ammonia process would kill E. coli as well as salmonella.

Officials at the United States Department of Agriculture endorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli “to an undetectable level.” They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products.

With the U.S.D.A.’s stamp of approval, the company’s processed beef has become a mainstay in America’s hamburgers. McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food giants use it as a component in ground beef, as do grocery chains. The federal school lunch program used an estimated 5.5 million pounds of the processed beef last year alone.

But government and industry records obtained by The New York Times show that in testing for the school lunch program, E. coli and salmonella pathogens have been found dozens of times in Beef Products meat, challenging claims by the company and the U.S.D.A. about the effectiveness of the treatment. Since 2005, E. coli has been found 3 times and salmonella 48 times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which two 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-rooms trays.

In July, school lunch officials temporarily banned their hamburger makers from using meat from a Beef Products facility in Kansas because of salmonella — the third suspension in three years, records show. Yet the facility remained approved by the U.S.D.A. for other customers.

There’s more.  Click HERE to read it.

The $177,000 Tuna

Image From the New York Times

The New York Times (perhaps you’ve heard of it) is reporting that a single bluefin tuna recently fetched $177 Grand at a Japanese auction. That’s $345 for each of the giant tuna’s 513 pounds.
This isn’t the most expensive tuna to sell in Japan. In 2004 a 440 pound tuna went for a record $504.54 a pound, $220,000. Here’s the NYT story.

Corporations Caught Misrepresenting Caloric Information

An astonishing story published today by Associated Press revealing that several corporations have been misrepresenting the actual caloric content of their foods. Among the restaurants caught fudging are Ruby Tuesday and Wendy’s and several frozen food producers including Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers have been exposed as well.  This again raises concerns about the leadership at the USDA, to government agency charged with insuring that nutritional information is accurate.

From AP writers Michael Hill, Sue Manning, & Caryn Rousseau:

Dieters can’t believe everything they read: The food at many popular chain restaurants and in the freezer section of the supermarket may contain a lot more calories than advertised.
A study of 10 chain restaurants, including Wendy’s and Ruby Tuesday, found that the number of calories in 29 meals or other menu items was an average of 18 percent higher than listed.
And frozen supermarket meals from Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Healthy Choice and South Beach Living had 8 percent more calories than the labels said, according to the study, published in this month’s Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Read MORE.

FDA’s Michael Taylor Promotes Himself

On Jan. 13, 2010 Michael Taylor, who was only recently hired as Food Safety Czar by President Obama, has now promoted himself to the new title Deputy Commissioner for Foods. He created this position to head his newly created Office of Foods for the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

According to an FDA press release Taylor’s new mission is, “to develop and implement a prevention based strategy for food safety, plan implementation of new food safety legislation, and ensure that food labels contain clear and accurate information on nutrition.” The web site also goes on to suggest that Taylor is a nationally recognized food safety expert. Of course legitimate nationally recognized food safety experts point out that he is anything but.

As part of Taylor’s credentials the press release cites his previous experience in the FDA and USDA. It also attempts to add authenticity by mentioning that he has served on several National Academy of Sciences expert committees. What it fails to mention is that he has spent most of the past 30 years as a lawyer and lobbyist for the nefarious Monsanto Company. It was Monsanto’s genetically modified corn process that introduced humanity to e coli. And they used your tax dollars to do it.

So while the FDA’s web site tries to convince people that Michael Taylor is the right person to have governing their food safety, the reality is that he is likely just securing more amnesty and tax dollars for Monsanto. That, after all, was the result of the his previous tenures in public service.

The Huffington Post has called Taylor, “The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history,” and that tends to be the consensus throughout the food safety world. Only the future knows how many more Americans will have to die before Taylor is done. One thing is for sure, no good will ever come of this.

Attack of the Killer Corn!

I think we have all seen this ad:

The gist of this $25 million PR campaign by the Corn Refiners Association is that since the public doesn’t know the specific dangers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) then there must not be any.  The commercial even goes so far as to call HFCS natural.  Syrup is a processed food therefore by definition can not be natural.
The ad also states that it is no worse than sugar.  No worse than sugar?  First off sugar is pretty bad.  Secondly it is far worse than sugar.
The amount of research that proves HFCS is harmful to humans can be measured in volumes. The data reveals that this unnatural, processed food-product causes and/or contributes to several serious diseases.  Let’s examine some of the evidence.
From knowthelies.com:

In a recent chemical analysis of eleven carbonated soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), researchers from Rutgers University found very high levels of reactive carbonyls.

Reactive carbonyls, which have been linked to tissue damage and complications of diabetes, are elevated in the blood of people with diabetes. A single can of soda, however, has five times that concentration of reactive carbonyls. Old-fashioned table sugar, on the other hand, has no reactive carbonyls.

From Health Mad:

Since HFCS’s widespread introduction in the 1980’s North American obesity rates have skyrocketed. Obesity has been linked to many heath issues including heart disease and many forms of cancer. When HFCS is ingested, it travels straight to the liver which turns the sugary liquid into fat, and unlike other carbohydrates HFCS does not cause the pancreas to produce insulin; which acts as a hunger quenching signal to the brain. So we get stuck in a vicious cycle, eating food that gets immediately stored as fat and never feeling full.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist & author of Lick the Sugar Habit:

Consumption of fructose causes a significant increase in the concentration of uric acid; after ingestion of glucose, no significant change occurs. An increase in uric acid can be an indicator of heart disease. Furthermore, fructose ingestion in humans results in increases in blood lactic acid, especially in patients with preexisting acidotic conditions such as diabetes, postoperative stress or uremia. Extreme elevations cause metabolic acidosis and can result in death.

From Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy:

Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply

The Corn Refiners Association bills itself as a national trade association representing the corn milling industry but being based in Washington DC (where the are no mills) it is clear that what they are is a lobbyist group.  They do not represent farmers, millers or even unions as their name suggests.  They represent large agri-business corporations.  According to their own web site they lobby on behalf of:
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) – ADM has cost the American economy billions of dollars since 1980 and has indirectly cost Americans tens of billions of dollars in higher prices and higher taxes over that same period. At least 43 percent of ADM’s annual profits are from products heavily subsidized or protected by the American government. Moreover, every $1 of profits earned by ADM’s corn sweetener operation costs consumers $10, and every $1 of profits earned by its ethanol operation costs taxpayers $30. ADM is a partner of Monsanto.
Cargill, Incorporated – Cargill has recalled more than 20 million pounds of beef and poultry products tainted with E. coli and Listeria bacteria, respectively since 2000. This recalled meat has been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks, miscarriages, and several deaths. Cargill is a partner of Monsanto.
The list goes on – Corn Products International, Penford Products Co., and Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc.  All huge agri-businesses with ties to Monsanto.  Kind of blows that wholesome farmland image the Corn Refiners Association tries to portray.
Now take a look at this HFCS parody ad from Aaron Woolf, Curt Ellis, and Ian Cheney, creators of the documentary film KING CORN, then visit www.kingcorn.net

Food Hysteria

Food Hysteria is a blog devoted to issues that effect what we eat.  As Americans have become more knowledgeable about the things they put in their mouths the more they have sought to improve the quality of those things.  The growing community of foodies is shocked by the sheer volume of dangerous chemicals and processes that have been plaguing our food for the last 30 or so years.  We are alarmed by the orchestrated ignorance of the masses; several corporations and the federal government have worked in tandem to fleece the consumer.

The name, Food Hysteria, comes from an article by Caitlin Flanagan that oddly criticizes the American public for no longer blindly consuming processed foods.  In her article Cultivating Failure for Atlantic Magazine, Flanagan belittles farm-to-table advocates, particularly Alice Waters.  She also goes on to suggest schools that have a garden for children to tend is somehow doing a disservice to the children, their parents and immigrants everywhere.  Ms. Flanagan's point of view represents the crux of the issue - the government wouldn't allow the sale of food that was harmful to you so shut up and eat it.  The reality is that the government exchanged policing our food for campaign contributions some twenty years ago.

Some foodies obsess over local-sustainable-organic because their belief system compels them to be stewards of the land.  Their value-set is not unlike that of the environmentalist or the animal rights activist.  Other foodies subscribe to it because they want the foods they eat to be of the very best quality imaginable.  They want their food to both taste good and not kill them.  Is that too much to ask?