Bribes from Kraft Employee Lets Tomato Vendor Sell Tainted Food
By Robin McDermott, on February 26th, 2010
The New York Times reports that Robert Watson, a top ingredient buyer for Kraft Foods, needed $20,000 to pay his taxes, so he called a broker for a California tomato processor that for years had been paying him bribes to get its products into Kraft’s plants. Days after the money was sent, federal agents descended on Kraft’s offices near Chicago and confronted Watson. He admitted his role in a bribery scheme that has laid bare a startling vein of corruption in the food industry. And because the scheme also involved millions of pounds of tomato products with high levels
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Let the US Dept of Justice know what you think about Agribusiness!
By Robin McDermott, on November 29th, 2009
ACTION ALERT!
This is the biggest opening in 30 years. The Department of Justice is on a fact finding mission about agribusiness and they need to hear from us!
Are you concerned about where your food comes from? Do you care about the working conditions of farmers and food workers? Is it inconvenient to get to the store? Do you have access to fresh produce in your neighborhood? Are you concerned about meat and poultry packing conditions that threaten your health and that of the workers? Are you worried that corporate giants like Monsanto control
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PLEASE HELP! Urge Senator Sanders to Push Hard for Needed Changes to S.510
By Robin McDermott, on November 12th, 2009
This just in from NOFA Vermont:
Urge Senator Sanders to Push Hard for Needed Changes to S.510 – The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, of which Senator Bernie Sanders is a member, will meet on Wednesday, November 18th to revise S. 510, the Senate version of major food safety legislation already approved by the House of Representatives.
The bill focuses on foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, not meat and poultry which is regulated by USDA.
Little Guys Prevail over the USDA!
By Robin McDermott, on September 24th, 2009
This just in from Tom Stearns, owner of High Mowing Seeds – Congratulations Tom – Thanks for your hard work on this lawsuit!
Hello friends of organic and local agriculture,
I am thrilled to announce that yesterday the 9th Circuit Court in California ruled in our favor in the High Mowing Organic Seeds lawsuit against the USDA regarding the premature deregulation of Monsanto’s GMO sugar beets. We’ve won!!! We were joined in the suit by the Center for Food Safety (CFS), Organic Seed Alliance and the Sierra Club and were represented by CFS and Earth Justice attorneys.
This ruling means
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Shopping Guide to non-GMO Food Shopping
By Robin McDermott, on September 17th, 2009
When I looked at this guide, I was shocked at all of the sneaky ways that GMO products get into our foods. Whether you are for or against GMOs, I believe that you have a right to know what you are getting in your food. Check out this buying guide – as a fellow Localvore points out, page 13 (titled “invisible GM Ingredients”) is particularly interesting.
The guide starts out…
Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called
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Food Inc. Director Robert Kenner Clip on The Daily Show
By Robin McDermott, on July 4th, 2009
An inside look at Food Inc. and the problems that cheap industrial food is creating for the US and the world from the director of the film. Worth the 6 minutes to watch it. According to Claudia at The Big Picture, the film will be coming to the theater, but it might be a little while.
Robin
Posted via email from mrvlocalvores’s posterous
Buyer Beware – Horizon to Offer “Natural Milk” (AKA conventional) in Addition to Organic
By Robin McDermott, on July 2nd, 2009
Dean Foods’ WhiteWave division has announced it will release a new non-organic “natural” version of its popular Horizon dairy products. Horizon is the largest organic dairy brand in the marketplace, and many consumers will likely alternatively purchase the Horizon “natural (conventional) ” brand at a premium and at a time when organic dairy farmers are already experiencing record losses.
Also of interest:
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Who is Spending What on Lobbying?
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The following totals are for the first quarter of 2009:
1) $42 Million: Health Care, Health Insurance,
Continue reading Buyer Beware – Horizon to Offer “Natural Milk” (AKA conventional) in Addition to Organic
US Beef Recall – 18 Illnesses Suspected
By Robin McDermott, on June 28th, 2009
More scary news from the industrial food system.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A Colorado meat company is expanding a recall of beef due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after an investigation found 18 illnesses may be linked to the meat, the U.S.
Agriculture Department said on Sunday.
Greeley, Colorado-based JBS-Swift Beef Co is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include about 380,000 lbs of assorted beef products, USDA said. The original recall was for 41,280 lbs. The affected beef was produced on April 21 and was distributed nationally and internationally.
E.coli O157:H7 is a potentially deadly
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Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough Recall
By Robin McDermott, on June 20th, 2009
Beware of e-coli in those little cookie dough balls you have been popping in your mouth raw!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness).
The FDA advises that if consumers have any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their home that they throw them away. Cooking the dough is not recommended because consumers might get
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