Hamilton joins 30 other councils who don’t fluoridate

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Hamilton Council’s announcement yesterday to become fluoride free has attracted praise from Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
“Hamilton joins the 30 other regional councils in New Zealand out of a total of 75 that do not fluoridate,” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

Eighty-eight percent of the 1567 submissions received from the public and interested parties advocated for fluoride to be removed from Hamilton’s water supply.

”Fluoride has been linked with underactive thyroid and therefore weight gain, lowering IQ levels, and dental and skeletal fluorosis,” she says.

The Fluoride Action Network states that most developed nations in the world do not fluoridate their water supply. Only 11 countries in the world have more than 50% of their population drinking fluoridated water: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Guyana, Hong Kong, the Irish Republic, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States and New Zealand. Sixty-two percent of drinking water in New Zealand is fluoridated and ninety-six percent of toothpaste sold nationwide is as well.

”The biggest secret about fluoride is that it only works topically; ingesting it causes harm not good, says Swanwick.

Science supports her concerns. In 2001, the Union of Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Headquarters Office in Washington D.C. stated: “we hold that water fluoridation is an unreasonable risk.”

”It is about time that New Zealand fell into line with the rest of the world and stopped this practice. It’s as simple as turning a tap off at our public water works. Whether or not people believe in the science, our government should allow people to make their own choice on this matter, not mass medicate without their consent when many members of the public are ill-informed on the subject,” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health – Organic NZ is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai, oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook Page and subscribe http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

References

(1) http://www.fluoridealert.org/issues/health/
(2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88pfVo3bZLY
(3) http://www.fluoridealert.org/issues/health/
(4) http://www.healthfreedom.co.nz/latest-news/113-fluoridation-free-nationa…

Food co-operatives in NZ on the rise

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“The increase in food co-operatives in New Zealand is enabling communities to take back control of their food supply, improve relationships between community members and achieve better health outcomes” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
Food co-operatives provide better quality food, mostly organic, at a cheaper price.
“Stories of the average New Zealander’s desire to remove contaminants in their food (GE, pesticides and additives) by establishing an organic food co-operative in their region will feed the next generation well. New Zealander’s seem to have picked up on this worldwide trend at a great rate” says Swanwick.
Franklin’s recent success with The FROOB LTD (The Franklin based Real and Organic Organised Buyers co-operative) is a testament to the effectiveness of the societal model that is growing local economies. Franklin is one of Auckland’s largest food bowls that grows most of New Zealand’s onions, potatoes and green vegetable crops.
The Froob is dedicated to buying organic produce, preferably locally grown, that is Fair Trade at a price slightly higher than wholesale and re-selling it to their 300 members at a less than retail price. It is forecast that their turnover this year will exceed a million dollars. “The impact of this on the local economy is huge” says Debbie. Backyard growers are also encouraged to sell their excess produce to the co-op which is encouraging the development of gardens in the region.
Debbie Swanwick will be speaking at the Green Living Show, ASB Showgrounds Greenlane West on Saturday 29 June at 3pm. The subject will be ‘How New Zealand Communities are taking back control of their food supply’ and she will discuss how you can establish a food co-operative in your region. The board of The Froob will be available to answer questions.
Soil & Health – Organic NZ is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook Page and subscribe http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ
References
1) http://www.growtogether.org.nz/community-gardens-and-other-projects/food…
2) http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/features/your-world/7910705/B…
3) http://good.net.nz/magazine/7/features/good-food-no-worries
4) www.thefroob.co.nz

real food real people

Jannai Tantrum CEO of The Franklin Real and Organic Organised Buyers (The Froob) says “Real People deserve Real Food”

monsanto march

New Zealanders protest for better food for world citizens

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New Zealand was one of 52 countries around the world that protested on Saturday against genetically modified food that big agritech giant Monsanto produces.
The worldwide “March against Monsanto” is the first global protest against genetically modified food.
“The level of participation in New Zealand in these marches is evidence that New Zealanders want what we offer – real food for real people,” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.
Thousands of concerned citizens marched in Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Rotorua, Wellington, New Plymouth, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.
“GE is but one issue that compromises the nutritional value and goodness of real food – pesticides and additives are others. In addition to protests consumers are voting with their wallets” says Swanwick. “Last year organic sales in New Zealand increased 8% and between 2007 and 2012 the total land area in New Zealand under organic certification increased by 67%.”
Genetically engineered plants are designed to resist insecticides and herbicides and it is suggested they increase yields but the 2009 Failure to Yield report by the the Union of Concerned Scientists proves they do not. They are also producing super weeds and super insects who have developed a tolerance and increasing the use of dangerous chemicals. Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs. Last year 80% of American corn was also compromised when the BT rootworm, that attacks it, developed a tolerance to the insecticide.
“GE crops always cross contaminate. Having only one crop is agricultural suicide if it fails, as America experienced last year with their BT corn crops, and US farmers have learnt from that experience. Many are choosing not to replant this year, but by far the greatest danger of GE crops is the threat they pose to human health,” says Swanwick.
“People need nutrients in their food, not chemicals,” says Swanwick “and it is long overdue that we took a stand against companies that breach our code of human ethics. If your policy is to compromise the food that we feed our children our policy is to compromise your profits by buying organic. Thankfully New Zealanders have never been afraid to speak their truth in that way. We made world history when we declared ourselves nuclear-free and yet again, we are setting the benchmark for the rest of the world who already admire us for our clean, green image,” says Swanwick.
No GE crops are grown commercially in New Zealand.
Soil & Health – Organic NZ is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook Page and subscribe http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

References (Links accessed May 2013)
1) http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/1…
2) http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/8719648/Protesters-join-…
3) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1088…
4) http://www.oanz.org/casestudies/OANZ-full%20report%202012.pdf
5) http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/failure-to-y…

Toxic time bomb could blow apart our health and wealth

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A toxic heavy metal we have been putting on our farms for decades could jeopardise our agricultural exports and our health. The Soil & Health Association is calling for maximum residue levels of cadmium in fertilisers.

“Sooner or later our export markets will start rejecting our dairy products because of unsafe levels of cadmium,” says Debbie Swanwick, spokesperson for Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

“Furthermore, the health of Kiwis will get worse and our public health bill will increase unless we switch to organic and more sustainable farming methods.”

Two million tonnes of superphosphate fertiliser containing 30 to 40 tonnes of the heavy metal cadmium is put on New Zealand soils every year. Standard farming practice over the past 70 years has involved the use of superphosphate, especially in dairy farming, which has resulted in dangerously high levels of cadmium in our soils and consequently our food.

In the Waikato for example, 160,000 hectares should now be officially labelled as contaminated were it not for the fact that changes to legislation in 2012 removed agricultural land from any contamination classification.

Cadmium accumulates in the kidneys and liver, and is linked with breast and testicular cancer. Kidneys from sheep older than two and a half years are not permitted for human consumption because of the cadmium levels, but may be used as offal in products such as blood and bone to be used in home or market gardens or in pet food.

“Your children and family pet may be paying the ultimate price for New Zealand’s desire to continually increase farming productivity” says Swanwick. “Cadmium levels in NZ soils are far higher than what is allowed under European standards. Levels here are what Europeans would deem dangerous for children,” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

Organic farms don’t use superphosphate, but often use reactive phosphate rock (RPR), which also contains cadmium, albeit in lower levels than superphosphate. There are chemical methods to reduce cadmium levels but they also reduce the effectiveness of the RPR. Researchers are trialling various bacteria and plants to clean up or accumulate cadmium and remove it from soil. But the most effective measure that must be taken as soon as possible is to introduce maximum residue levels, as other countries have done.

“It is imperative that regulations are introduced to reduce cadmium inputs on our farms in order to remove dangers posed to human and animal health, the threat to our export markets and to ensure that land values do not drop if land is no longer viable because of cadmium contamination” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai, oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

To view online click here www.organicnz.org.nz/node/652

 

References
1) http://www.3news.co.nz/The-dangers-of-Cadmium/tabid/367/articleID/293891…
2) Organic NZ Magazine May/June issue
3) http://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/60810/opinion-long-term-poisoning-o…

chocolate burmese

“The high incidence of renal failure, especially in cats, suggests that cadmium may to be blame” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ featured with her chocolate burmese – Bailey.

Better food in hospitals will save money in the long term

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“It is about time hospitals in New Zealand administer the basics well. Food is medicine and it needs to be better in New Zealand, not cheaper,” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

Her comments follow the recent announcement that the government is considering outsourcing hospital food to save ten million dollars.

“If they do, NZ taxpayers will end up paying the price in both their health and out of their back pocket,” she says. “Last year each New Zealander paid $2,500 to support the sick in this country. (3) We forecast that a government directive to put food on the menu of NZ hospitals that is over a week old and not locally sourced would increase those costs,” (4) says Swanwick.

In 2012 14.2 billion dollars was spent on healthcare in New Zealand (1).
In the latest OECD Health Data 2012 report, 83.2% of health spending is funded by the taxpayer. This is well above the average of 72.2% in other OECD countries. (2)

“We need a holistic approach to these problems. Taking money from one department whilst increasing the overall expenditure every year to care for our sick is short-sighted. Your diet should always be the first place you look for good medicine and the NZ public should have the best available, especially when they are sick. That food should be fresh, GE-free, pesticide and additive free and labelled organic, and locally sourced where possible. We call that good healthcare. It is also responsible management of taxpayer funds,” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook Page and subscribe http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

To view online click here www.organicnz.org.nz/node/623

References

(1) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10808180

(2) http://www.oecd.org/newzealand/BriefingNoteNEWZEALAND2012.pdf

(3) http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/tools/population_clock.aspx

(4) http://www.3news.co.nz/Concern-over-hospital-food-plans/tabid/1607/artic…

Free range eggs

Organic certification labeling the best available for consumer

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In New Zealand ‘certified’ organic food is the best labelling system available for the consumer,” says Debbie Swanwick, spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

Her comments follow recent media attention around food labelling.

Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye signed off changes to legislation this week that producers cannot claim health or nutritional value on their labels unless they meet standards set by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The change is designed to help consumers make healthier food choices.

Two hundred pre-approved standards will be the only health claims allowed by producers, under the new system. (2)

“Whilst we agree that many producers have misled consumers in the past by making bogus claims of their products, and legislation around this needs to improve, these changes don’t go far enough,” says Swanwick.

“In New Zealand the best food labelling system is ours – organically certified products guarantee that a product is free of pesticides, synthetic additives and genetic engineering,” says Swanwick. Non certified products, conventional and GE products cannot claim this. (3) For consumers who do not wish to introduce contaminants into their bodies via their food, certified organic products are their guarantee that this is so.

The four organic certification bodies in New Zealand are BioGro, Demeter, OrganicFarmNZ and AsureQuality and their products are labelled as such. These certification agencies provide rigorous third party audits that meet international organic standards, and consumers can have confidence that organic products with their logos are healthy, environmentally friendly and have high standards for animal welfare.

A study published this month by Cornell University’s Food and Brand Lab researchers showed that an organic label can also influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food is labelled “organic”.

One hundred and fifteen people were asked to evaluate three pairs of identical products – yoghurts, cookies and potato chips – but one of each pair was falsely labelled organic. Consumers rated the labelled organic products better on many counts even though the product was identical. (1)

“That is what we would expect and proves that the consumer is aware that organic products taste better are healthier and often lower in calories,” says Swanwick. “Consumers seem to be well aware that organics that are  labelled and certified do have merit. It is a disgraceful however that Cornell have misled the public to prove the point.”

“We would have question who is funding such research. It is also ironic that despite the millions of dollars that big agritech companies (such as Monsanto) spend each year in trying to sway the public that organics have no merit, they refuse to label their own GE products,” says Swanwick. Big Agritech is currently spending US$1 million a day to stop GMO labelling in the US (4) and in the past two years Monsanto alone spent $279 million on advertising and public relations to denounce organics and promote GMO’s. (5)

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai, oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food visit our Facebook page and subscribe _http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ_

Photo caption: “AsureQuality is one of the four organic certification labels in New Zealand, the others being Demeter, Biogro and OrganicFarm” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

To view online click here http://www.organicnz.org.nz/node/649

References
(1) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130401121506.htm
(2) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10876085
(3) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=108…
(4) http://riverhead.patch.com/blog_posts/label-gmos-a-million-a-day-and-77b…
(5) http://truth-out.org/news/item/15512-the-monsanto-protection-act-a-debate-on-controversial-new-measure-over-genetically-modified-crops

Free range eggs

Spencer on Byron

GMOs pose $59 billion threat to NZ economy

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Inevitable cross contamination by GE crops, if released in NZ, pose a 59 billion dollar threat to the NZ economy and ratepayers whose councils have failed to protect them against risk,” says Debbie Swanwick, Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

That is the total dollar value of our agricultural, forestry, fisheries and tourism sectors, agriculture being worth thirty billion dollars, forestry, five billion, fisheries, four billion and tourism twenty billion. (8) (9)

“Auckland Council is one council who has failed to protect ratepayers , despite an InterCouncil working party (ICWP) recommendation that suggests they adopt a plan change to include a precautionary approach to GMO release in their Unitary plan. (1) In contrast Whangarei District Council adopted the ICWP recommendations,” says Swanwick. (2)

The ICWP is made of up of Auckland Council, Far North, Kaipara, Whangarei District Councils and Northland Regional Council (who did not participate in this project). (4)

Based on eight years of public engagement, a section 32 analysis and legal opinion, the ICWP identified a total lack of liability provisions under current legislation. (4)

“Under Whangarei’s plan change, GE applicants who would easily clear the hurdle of the EPA in Wellington will have to prove financial fitness, post a substantial bond and be personally and financially liable for”unintended or unforseen” adverse impacts of EPA approved GE experiments,” says Swanwick.

“Auckland ratepayers will pay the ultimate price on behalf of councillors who have made this decision based on an issue (GMO’s) rather than a process. It is their remit that they protect ratepayers from risk regardless of the issue. That kind of decision making is not impartial or considered but leaky buildings all over again,” says Swanwick.

A 2010 Price Waterhouse report estimated between 42,000 and 89,000 homes in NZ would be categorized as ‘leaky homes’ costing between 11.2 and 22 billion to repair. (6) Roger Levie of the Home Owners and Buyers Association says they expect these figures are light and forecast that as many as 150,000 homes will be affected, costing over $35 billion.  “That equates to around $8,300 coming out of the pocket of each New Zealander because Government and Councils failed to protect them against this risk,” he says. (5)

A case currently pending in the Western Australia Supreme Court  involves an organic farmer, Steve Marsh, who lost his organic certification in 2010  when 70% of his farm was cross contaminated with his neighbors GE canola. Marsh’s legal fees are expected to cost $250,000 and he is requesting compensation for his economic loss in perpetuity. The case is expected to be decided in the next few months and could set a precedent in NZ law(3)

“As Monsanto are funding the GE farmer in this case (it is probable big Agri-tech will always fund these defences), and with the recent legislative change in the US dubbed the “Monsanto Protection Act’, in future councils and governments will be the only organizations that can be sued. (11) This behavior has already begun in Europe,” says Swanwick. (7)

In 2011 the legal organisation Justice & Environment sued the EU Commission over the release of the Amflora GM potato. (10)

In March President Obama signed H.R. 933, a continuing resolution spending bill that gives immunity to biotech coporations such as Monsanto, from litigation should their GE crops every be proved unsafe. (12) Senator Roy Blunt drafted the rider, the pro-Monsanto “Farmer Assurance Provision, Section 735” of the bill, in consultation with Monsanto. (14)

Says Zelka Grammar of GE Free Northland “We salute the strong leadership that Whangarei District councillors have shown in their decision. It’s unfair for those who want to experiment with GMOs to expect others to “carry the can” for the harm caused to other farmers, the environment or the public health.”
Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food and water free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food and water. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food and/or find guidelines on making a submission opposing Auckland Councils decision to not protect the region against GMO release visit our Facebook page and subscribe http://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

Submissions close on 31 May 2013.

Photo caption: A Supreme Court ruling in October 2012 opened the way for commercial property owners to sue councils for leaky building syndrome.

The judgment was delivered in the Supreme Court in Wellington, holding the Court of Appeal shouldn’t have struck out a claim by the owners of the building Spencer on Byron in Takapuna, that the-then North Shore District Council only had a duty of care to residential buildings. The body corporate claimed the city had been negligent and was liable for the cost of repairs.
Chief Justice Sian Elias and Justices Andrew Tipping, John McGrath and Robert Chambers found in favour of the body corporate. (13)
To view online click here www.organicnz.org.nz/node/647

References

(1) http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/plansstrateg…

(2) http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/bay-chronicle/84488…

(3) http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201107/s3279923.htm

(4) http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/OurAuckland/medi…

(5) http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/tools/population_clock.aspx

(6) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=1084…

(7) http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2011/02/03/monsanto-vs-australian-organic-farm…

(8) http://www.fish.govt.nz/en-nz/Fisheries+at+a+glance/default.htm

(9) http://www.mpi.govt.nz

(10) http://gmwatch.eu/latest-listing/1-news-items/12854-eu-commission-sued-x…

(11) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/apr/04/monsanto-protecti…

(12) http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-bill-blunt-agriculture-006/

(13) http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/auckland-council-delays-bond-offer-after-co…

(14) http://www.workers.org/2013/04/07/monsanto-protection-act-chemical-monop…

Spencer on Byron

fat people

New movie explains why we are fat and starving

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“Hungry for Change is a new movie that unleashes the diet industry’s biggest secret – it is sugar that makes people fat and it is in everything especially low-fat diet products” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson – Soil & Health – Organic NZ. Most of the fructose from sugar is metabolized by the liver. There it gets turned into fat, which is then secreted into the blood. (3)

A recent University of Otago-led study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends cutting down on the sweet additive should be part of a global strategy to tackle the obesity epidemic. The study published in the British Medical Journal suggests sugar-laden drinks are of particular concern because of the ease in which they are consumed. (5)

More than $60 billion is spent each year on diet and weight loss products in the US alone yet America has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world. (1) Currently 35.7% of adults are obese, but The Center for Disease Control predict that by 2030 the obesity rate in the US will reach 44 percent. (2)

“Increasing obesity rates when we have such a huge spend on diet and weight loss products worldwide doesn’t add up until you learn what the food industry doesn’t tell you” says Swanwick.

Mike Adams, editor of the Natural News Network explains. “Our food manufacturers have designed food to be addictive. Artifical sweeteners whilst containing no calories stimulate your desire for carbohydrates and MSG, found in 80% of processed food, is well documented as the product fed to lab rats to make them fat”

Sugar, through its metabolisation by the gut and hence the brain, is extremely addictive, just like cigarettes or alcohol believes former head of the US governments most powerful food agency, the FDA, David Kessler. (4) Chef Jamie Oliver also has some emotive commentary to add. Talking about sugar in milk he says “any judge in the whole world would look at the statistics and the evidence and they would find any government of old guilty of child abuse. That’s my belief”. (6)

“This movie is a must see to get your health back on track and confirms our position on why you should eat organic whole foods” says Swanwick.

‘Hungry for Change’ is free to view until 31 March at www.hungryforchange.tv/free-screening.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

Photo caption: “Our children are predicted to have a life expectancy ten years shorter than our own because of the bad food in our modern society” says Debbie Swanwick – Spokesperson, Soil & health – Organic NZ

To view online click here www.organicnz.org.nz/node/623

References

(1) http://www.hungryforchange.tv/free-screening

(2) http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/18/us-obesity-us-idUSBRE88H0RA201…

(3) http://authoritynutrition.com/4-ways-sugar-makes-you-fat/

(4) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/why-our-food-is-making-us…

(5) http://m.otago.ac.nz/news/otago040898.html

(6) http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

fat people

GE labeling begins in the US

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Consumer demand has resulted in the eighth largest food and drug retailer in the US demanding GE food be labelled. Whole Foods Market, announced last week that their 5000 plus suppliers (6) will have to conform by 2018. (4)

In 2012 Whole Foods Market turned over US$11.6 billion.

Over 50 countries in the developed world require that GE food be labelled. (4) The US and Canada are amongst the few developed countries still denying consumers the right to know what is in their food. (3)

The campaign ‘Just Label it’ states that 90% of US consumers want GE food labelled. (5)

Despite this last year Proposition 37 in California lost at the polls by less than 3%, following a $45 million ad campaign paid for by Big Agri-tech and food giants opposing it. (2)

In 2012, ninety three percent of soy, 88 percent of field corn, 94 percent of cotton and more than 90 percent of canola seed and sugar beets planted in the United States were genetically engineered. (1)
“The move to label GE in the US signals the end days for companies like Monsanto who are losing their grip on control of our food supply. If they lose the US market, they will be knocking harder on our door, but New Zealanders will never sell out their values and allow untested, inferior GE crops, that consumers don’t want to be grown here” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson – Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

The US Organic Consumers Association is requesting that Whole Foods implement the change  by 2015. (3)

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

Photo caption: “An apple a day will keep the doctor away, but only if it is organic” says Debbie Swanwick, Spokesperson, Soil & Health – Organic NZ. “Food is medicine. Good food equals good health. The nutritional value of apple makes it useful for digestion, stomach disorders, anaemia, weakness, dental care, dysentry, heart disease, rheumatism, eye disorders, cancer, gout, and skin care”.

References (Links accessed March 2013)

(1) http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/03/whole-foods-to-require-labeling-of…

(2) http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27169.cfm

(3) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/geneti…

(4) http://www.rodale.com/whole-foods-and-gmos

(5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TghIpBG5o3s

(6) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVi3tH0Fqs

woman with dog

Organic farmers cope better in drought

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“The recent suggestion from Federated Farmers vice president William Rolleston to allow genetically engineered ryegrass into NZ to alleviate the drought is outrageous and factually inaccurate,” says Debbie Swanwick, spokesperson for Soil & Health – Organic NZ.

“Rather than going down the risky GE path, farmers will do better using sustainable organic practices,” Swanwick says. A 2007 study led by Ivette Perfecto, of the University of Michigan, showed that in developing countries, where the chances of famine are greatest, organic methods could double or triple crop yields. (1) This is also supported by a similar study conducted by the United Nations in 2010. (3)
“To take advantage of farmers in their time of need by force feeding them incorrect science is not protecting the interests of those that you are supposed to represent – it is betraying them,” Swanwick says.

GE crops have no proven resilience in drought conditions but instead introduce multiple risks and problems. Last year the failure of the genetically engineered Bt corn crop put over 70% of America’s corn at risk. The rootworm, now resistant to the Bt protein, prevents corn roots from absorbing water. “The situation became agricultural suicide in the middle of last year’s drought in the US,” says Swanwick. (2)
By contrast, Soil & Health – Organic NZ is getting reports that organic farmers in the North Island are generally doing better in the drought than their conventional counterparts. Armed with better soil structures and water-holding capacity, the use of a diversity of pasture species including deep-rooted species like chicory that withstand drought better, and tree crops and shelterbelts, they have been able to protect their animals and their incomes. Some are even capitalizing on their investments by selling baleage for additional stockfeed which is now in high demand.

“In the absence of Federated Farmers giving their members all the facts, we will. The success of NZ internationally is built on farming and our farmers and to undermine them and their investment is scandalous, especially when your remit is to protect this sector,” says Swanwick.

Soil & Health is one of the oldest organic organisations in the world and advocates for the consumer’s right to have fresh, healthy, organic food free of GE, pesticides and additives.  and their right to know what is in their food. Oranga nuku, oranga kai oranga tangata. To learn more about what is really in your food subscribe to their Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/OrganicNZ

References

(1) http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/organic-can-feed-the-w…

(2) http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/environment/item/12658-drought-and-su…

(3) http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/organic-can-feed-the-w…