Monday, August 22, 2011

GM Salmon

Salmon inquiry focuses on fish farms and disease

Possible links between fish farming, disease and the collapse of the 2009 Fraser River sockeye salmon run will be the focus at the Cohen Commission hearings this week in Vancouver.

On Wednesday, Fisheries and Oceans scientist Kristi Miller is slated to testify about her studies suggesting some sort of virus may be killing salmon before they reach the spawning grounds.

Miller's long-awaited testimony is expected to be controversial, following allegations the federal government attempted to prevent her from discussing her work with the media.

The inquiry will also hear about fish farms and their impact on wild salmon, including testimony from outspoken fish farm opponent Alexandra Morton of the Raincoast Research Society.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/08/22/bc-cohen-commission-salmon.html

http://forum.canadianactionparty.ca/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/files/genetically_modified_salmon.pdf

Genetically Modified Salmon - Coming Soon?



If the Food and Drug Administration approves AquaAdvantage salmon, it could be the first genetically modified animal product you eat. Watch more Earth Focus at
http://www.linktv.org/earthfocus

According to Aquabounty Technologies, the Massachusetts based company behind the transgenic salmon - the fish can grow to market size twice as fast as regular salmon. Industry experts say this will give consumers a healthy source of protein while reducing pressure on ocean salmon, whose stocks are already dwindling. The lack of conclusive evidence that the salmon is safe is not the only troubling thing about AquaAdvantage. While aquabounty claims the fish would be grown only inland and only sterile females will be sold, limiting any ability to reproduce, environmentalists fear that there are no guarantees and that if transgenic fish escape they would undermine the population of the already vulnerable wild salmon. Environmentalists also fear that the FDA's approval of transgenic salmon would lead to other genetically modified animals produced for human consumption.


US debates genetically modified salmon

Hearings are underway in Washington on whether to approve the sale of genetically modified salmon.

Dubbed "Frankenfish," there are concerns about whether its safe to eat them.

Al Jazeera's Rosiland Jordan reports.



Frankenfish: Genetically engineered salmon
Genetically engineered seeds are not breaking news; however a biotech company called AquaBounty has been working on genetically engineered salmon. The fish will be a combination of Atlantic salmon and part Ocean Pout. Jeffrey M. Smith says that it is ridiculous to evaluate the safety of this food with no long term feeding studies six and refuses to consume this genetically engineered salmon, if approved.



Genetically Modified Salmon Coming To Your Dinner Table! ALARMING!!!

Biochemist says Nutrition down due to speed growth Our Nutritional value of fruits, veggies is dwindling Chemicals that speed growth cited as reason Please read article
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37396355/

The FDA is going to approve genetically modified fish call them to block this.
1-800-216-7331 email consumer@fda.gov
Aol Article
by Clare Leschin-Hoar, Posted Sep 8th 2010
As we reported back in June, genetically modified Atlantic salmon are on the fast-track to your dinner plate. Massachusetts-based biotech company, AquaBounty Technologies is expected to get the final FDA nod of approval for a salmon that has been genetically tweaked to boost productivity thanks to a growth-hormone gene from a Chinook salmon and a genetic "on switch" from an ocean pout.

If approved, the salmon would be the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. A coalition of environmental groups, including Food & Water Watch and Center for Food Safety, say the move is alarming and are strongly urging the FDA to reject the fish.

Last week, government scientists spurred debate over genetically modifying animals for food by going on record to say the AquaBounty salmon was safe to eat and posed no threat to the environment, according to a Washington Post article.

The FDA's briefing report says scientists "have found no biologically relevant difference between [the AquaBounty salmon] and conventional Atlantic salmon based on the criteria evaluated."

On Sept. 19-21, the FDA will hold public meetings to address science-based issues surrounding the genetically modified salmon, including environmental concerns, and AquaBounty's claims that the salmon grow faster than conventionally farmed Atlantic salmon.

The safety of the fish for human consumption is not the only issue causing concern for consumer and environmental groups -- there is also hand-wringing over labeling requirements once it reaches the market, and the race to develop other genetically modified animals, including pigs and cattle.

Read more:


Frankenfish: Tampering with nature
On September 20 a debate on whether the US Food and Drug Administration should approve the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption, a fast-growing salmon, will take place. The Atlantic salmon is being developed by AquaBounty Technologies and has an extra gene that makes it grow twice as fast as normal farm-raised salmon. George Hemminger, the founder of Survive and Thrive TV, said this is a bad development for those who favor organic and raw foods. He also said he expected the FDA to approve the fish.



Genetically Modified Salmon Soon Available?
A salmon that grows at twice the normal rate is set to be the first genetically modified animal available for human consumption.



How Safe Would Genetically Modified Salmon Be to Eat?




Franken Fish: Genetically Modified Salmon For Sale
FDA Won't Allow Food Producers To Label Food GM Free




AquaBounty Technologies AquAdvantage Salmon!
AquaBounty Technologies created the AquAdvantage Salmon through genetical modifications to already fertilized salmon eggs. Only things about it different from regular Atlantic Salmon is it's infertile, grows to adult size in half the time, and it will be farmed on inland pens not open water to prevent the GM Salmon from escaping. Might just be the first genetically modified animal approved by the FDA for the consumer's market!




We Have Not Seen the Last of the Genetically Modified Salmon

AquaBounty/AquaVantage and 37 OTHER industry heavyweights want to accuse the congress/senate of holding the “scientists at FDA” back from doing their jobs of approving this? They want to accuse the senate/congress of holding Science hostage to politics? Over this irrelevant, fraudulent piece of quassi pseudo science?


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Beet juice: It does a body very good

Beetroot juice is probably not part of your daily routine. Maybe it should be. The natural elixir has been getting a lot of press lately, both for its antioxidant properties and its workout-enhancement benefits.



Sunday, June 26, 2011

Press For Truth Presents: There's Something In The Water



The forced medication on the population through water fluoridation is a heated debate which is growing as more and more people learn about the dangers of Sodium Fluoride.

For more information visit:

Facebook Links:
Fluoride Action Network:

Lift The Ban on Bottled Water in Toronto:

For fluoride filtration devices please visit:


We Are Change Toronto:

For more information visit:


The World According To Monsanto - FULL LENGTH



There's nothing they are leaving untouched: the mustard, the okra, the bringe oil, the rice, the cauliflower. Once they have established the norm: that seed can be owned as their property, royalties can be collected. We will depend on them for every seed we grow of every crop we grow. If they control seed, they control food, they know it -- it's strategic. It's more powerful than bombs. It's more powerful than guns. This is the best way to control the populations of the world. The story starts in the White House, where Monsanto often got its way by exerting disproportionate influence over policymakers via the "revolving door". One example is Michael Taylor, who worked for Monsanto as an attorney before being appointed as deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991. While at the FDA, the authority that deals with all US food approvals, Taylor made crucial decisions that led to the approval of GE foods and crops. Then he returned to Monsanto, becoming the company's vice president for public policy.

Thanks to these intimate links between Monsanto and government agencies, the US adopted GE foods and crops without proper testing, without consumer labeling and in spite of serious questions hanging over their safety. Not coincidentally, Monsanto supplies 90 percent of the GE seeds used by the US market. Monsanto's long arm stretched so far that, in the early nineties, the US Food and Drugs Agency even ignored warnings of their own scientists, who were cautioning that GE crops could cause negative health effects. Other tactics the company uses to stifle concerns about their products include misleading advertising, bribery and concealing scientific evidence.

Learning to 'Live Free' comes from experience and personal growth ... Lets break our conditioning!





Farm-to-table strategy by food banks

http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/more-food-banks-offering-fresh-fruits-vegetables-31911/

A growing farm-to-table strategy by food banks delivers free fresh fruit and vegetables to the needy.

On a recent afternoon after school in Isla Vista, Calif., 35 children invited by the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County got lessons on healthy snacks, starting with the serving size for a bag of tortilla chips (10 chips). They helped the teacher make salsa (tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, limes, garlic and red onions) and they ate the chips and dip. Then they helped themselves to fresh pears, potatoes, cabbage and carrots from boxes on a table, and each student took a big bag home.

The program, called the Kids’ Farmer’s Market Program, operates in 10 locations once a month, drawing from local Boys’ and Girls’ clubs, YMCAs and schools. It recently won the “Child Program of the Year” award from Feeding America, the nonprofit network of 205 food banks in the United States.

It’s part of a growing effort to boost the distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables to people in need and teach them about food from the ground up. (And we should note that Sara Miller McCune, the founder of Miller-McCune, is a donor of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.)

Nationally, Feeding America aims to triple its distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables over the next five years to 1.5 billion pounds, or 40 percent of its total distribution, said Matt Knott, chief strategy officer for the Chicago-based organization. More than 6 billion pounds of fresh produce go unharvested or unsold in the U.S. yearly and could be recaptured for the poor, he said.

During the 2009-10 fiscal year, Knott said, Feeding America distributed 3.1 billion pounds of free food, an increase of 1 billion pounds over the past two years. Presently, fresh food makes up about 15 percent of national food donations to people in need. That’s a distinct change from 20 years ago, when canned and shelved food made up 100 percent of distributions to the needy.

“There’s been a lot of effort to diversify,” said Michelle Marshall, director of nutrition for Feeding America. “When people think about food banks, they think about a place where you see macaroni and cheese. We still offer that, but it’s not everything.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly 15 percent of U.S. households were “food insecure” in 2009, meaning that they were sometimes forced to cut the size of meals for lack of money or skip them entirely, or they couldn’t afford a balanced diet.

The San Francisco Food Bank is No. 1 in the United States in the push to increase the distributions of fresh produce to the needy: Fresh fruits and vegetables make up nearly two-thirds of what it gives away yearly. The produce is delivered farmers market-style to schools and churches so that people can “shop with dignity,” said executive director Paul Ash. UnderFarm to Family, a statewide program that the San Francisco Food Bank pioneered 10 years ago, food banks make contracts with California growers, in some cases paying pennies per pound for packing. They don’t ask agencies whether they “want” onions, broccoli, potatoes, oranges and kiwi fruit, or whatever is being harvested in a given week.

“We think fresh produce is the best thing we provide,” Ash said. “Often, what I see at the food bank is better than what I can buy at the little food market in my neighborhood. We just push it through, and our agencies agree to take an amount of whatever we have available. The benefit for growers is that they all would rather see the food they grow used than plowed back under or fed to animals. It’s cheaper to donate than to dump.”

To help get people in the habit of eating fresh produce, the San Francisco Food Bank holds cooking classes with five to 10 people once or twice a week for six weeks.

“What we found is that the casual efforts to teach people about nutrition are not very successful,” Ash said. “It has to be in-depth. Then we tend to see a change in people’s behavior.”

In agriculturally oriented Santa Barbara County, the Foodbank ranks seventh nationally in distributing fresh produce to people in need. Fresh fruit and vegetables make up a third of its deliveries. Foodbank vans take “mobile farmers markets” of fresh produce directly into low-income neighborhoods. Food pantries are being set up for parents picking up their children after school.

“We’re trying to get away from mass distributions,” said Erik Talkin, the Foodbank’s executive director. “If you stand in the hot sun to get some free food, that doesn’t really change your life. The next day, you’re back in the same situation again. We’re looking at building more of a relationship with clients. We’re trying to get people to take responsibility for the food they’re eating.

“We can’t end poverty, but we want this organization to end hunger, which is perfectly possible in this county,” he added. “We’re saying, ‘Yes, you’re in poverty, but you can look after your health better than you are now.’”


Program Opens Farmers Markets to Food Stamps

A program in a poor San Diego neighborhood shows how the fresh foods available at farmers markets can be accessed by those on food stamps.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/program-opens-farmers-markets-to-food-stamps-24990/


USDA Puts Food Deserts On the Map

It’s “soda, soda everywhere and not a vitamin in sight” across swaths of America identified in the USDA’s new online “food desert locator map.”

http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/usda-puts-food-deserts-on-the-map-30947/


The ‘Silent Tsunami’ Food Crisis in America

Even in an over-retailed America, there are still heavily populated areas that lack that basic service provider of urban life, a grocery store.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/business-economics/the-silent-tsunami-food-crisis-in-america-4533/


The Locavore’s Dilemma

In planning a diet based on global concerns, sometimes it’s better that there are miles to go before you eat.

You may have estimated your own carbon footprint, but do you know the footprint of that apple you’re about to buy?

Do you know its food miles?

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/the-locavores-dilemma-4320/


Good Intentions Always in Season at Farmers Markets

Although shopping at the farmers market may or may not reduce your carbon footprint, these community bazaars offer benefits beyond efficiency.

To hear some locavores talk, farmers markets sound like the be-all end-all of solving the Earth’s problems. Their logic: The food at these markets travels a shorter distance to get to your kitchen than the food on your grocery store’s shelves, which significantly reduces its (and your) carbon footprint. By supporting local agriculture, you’re pumping money into your local economy. And by eating locally available foods, you’re also eating seasonally, which is not only sustainable, but can have dietary benefits, too.

Farmers markets are sprouting like weeds: Since 1994, the number of farmers markets in the U.S. has increased from 1,755 to 5,274. There was a 13 percent increase between 2008 and 2009 alone.

It’s important to note, however, that farmers markets still represent a relatively small piece of the pie. In 2008, there were approximately 85,200 grocery stores nationwide (this number includes both supermarkets and convenience stores), which means that there are still more than 15 grocery stores for each farmers market in the United States.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/science-environment/good-intentions-always-in-season-at-farmers-markets-11036/




Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Saturday, June 11, 2011