FW: NEWS TIDBITS: A Rundown of this Week's Most Interesting Food and Consumer News (Organic Bytes #49)

Organic Bytes #49
Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge!
1/28/2005
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ALERT: NEW EPA DEAL LETS FACTORY FARMS POLLUTE AIR WITHOUT RESTRICTION
The day after the inauguration, January 21, the Bush Administration signed
an agreement that allows factory farms to freely violate any and all clean
air standards for the next two years, and forgives these same companies from
paying fines for past air pollution violations. In exchange for the freedom
to pollute without any restrictions, the deal "requests" that factory farms
agree to monitor their air pollution and provide that data to the
government. Bush's "Dirty Air" agreement is outrageous, given that the Clean
Air Act already requires factory farms to provide air pollution data, while
also requiring facilities to adhere to clean air standards. One of the
companies that will benefit the most from this arrangement with the Bush
Administration is Tyson Foods, who also happened to be one of the largest
donors to the Bush inaugural festivities. Fortunately there is a 30 day
public comment period. Please make your voice heard. Take action here.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/epa3.htm

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A QUICK LOOK AT HOW SOME COUNTRIES ADVERTISE FOOD TO KIDS
Ireland: All television commercials for fast food and candy are banned.

Sweden/Norway/Austria/Luxembourg: All television advertising to children is
banned. 

Belgium/France/Portugal/Vietnam: All marketing is banned in schools.

United States: Spending more per child than any other nation in the world,
the U.S. plugs $15 billion per year into marketing food to kids, which is
more than what it would cost to provide health insurance for all uninsured
children. 

Sources: New York Times 1/12/2005
<http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/spongebob011805.cfm> , Children's
Defense Fund 5/14/2003 press release
<http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/0514-06.htm> , USgovinfo SCHIP Program
<http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa011100a.htm>
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INDUSTRY LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN TO PROMOTE "HEALTHIER" JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOLS
In response to efforts to rid schools of junk food, the Vending Association
has launched a new marketing campaign using color-coded stickers to indicate
to children the relative "healthiness" of the vending machine snack. A red
sticker indicates the snack should only be chosen rarely, yellow is "choose
occasionally," and green means the snack is healthy and should be chosen
frequently. An example of a snack that will receive a green sticker is Teddy
Grahams, a product that comes in varieties such as sugared cinnamon,
chocolate, and creme-filled. The Vending Association announced this new
campaign with a press conference, urging parents and children to exercise
more frequently by doing sit-ups and push-ups during TV commercials. Learn
more... 
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THICKBURGERS, WAL-MART, & COKE: THE 10 WORST CORPORATIONS OF 2004
The Multinational Monitor has released its annual list of the "10 Worst
Corporations of 2004." Among the "winners" of this prestigious award are
Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart and Hardees. Coca-Cola made the list when documentation
surfaced revealing the company was involved in 179 human rights violations
at its bottling plants in Columbia, including allegations of involvement in
nine murders of union leaders. Wal-Mart was caught manipulating the tax
system in order maximize profits at the expense of taxpayers. In fact, it
turns out that each of Wal-Mart's 1000+ stores are costing taxpayers nearly
half a million dollars per year. Hardees made its debut on the "Worst
Corporations" list for its overtly aggressive advertising of its new
product, the "Monster Thickburger." The 2/3 pound sandwich is 1,420 calories
and equivalent to eating five standard sized hamburgers. Learn more...
  
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SPEAKING OF MEAT... BAD NEWS FOR MAD COWS
Mad Cow disease may be far more widespread than scientists had previously
thought. This week the journal Science revealed that prions, the mysterious
misshapen proteins that are responsible for spreading the fatal disease, may
be found throughout the infected animal, contrary to prior theories.
Researchers from Zurich, the Institute of Neurology in London, and Yale
University School of Medicine confirmed study results showing prions are not
restricted to areas of the animal body like the spinal column, nervous
tissue and the brain, but may also exist in muscle tissue (the meat). This
means that infected meat and blood may be currently entering the human food
supply, at least in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Mexico,
where comprehensive, universal testing for the disease is not required.
Given the serious public health implications of these findings, researchers
are calling on the global community to take action. No case of Mad Cow has
ever been detected in an animal raised its entire life on an organic farm.
Organic farms prohibit the feeding of blood, manure, and slaughterhouse
waste to animals. Learn more...
<http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/higher012405.cfm>

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PESTICIDE INDUSTRY DECLARES WAR ON GREEN-MINDED CONSUMERS
The pesticide industry is accelerating its attacks on the organic lawn and
garden movement. The "green industry," as conventional lawn treatment
companies refer to themselves, have launched "Project Evergreen," a
marketing campaign to better their image. A new ad in trade magazines from
the group says, "Yes, legislation and regulations have been throwing the
green industry some rough punches, and we're about to start fighting back."
The ad is in reference to the growing trend of communities banning certain
types of lawn pesticides and synthetic fertilizers that have been shown to
be toxic or negatively affect local waterways. Allen James, the president of
the industry's lobbying group spoke out about these ordinances, saying,
"Local communities generally do not have the expertise on issues about
pesticides to make responsible decisions." Learn more...
<http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/beyondorg012005.cfm>
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