Archived Information, News & Views From Kombu...

This page contains all archived Food News articles. It is sourced from a variety of news sources and is shared on this site as part of our policy of proactively working to create a better world for us and our children. Links to some of the sites from where we access our news can be found on our Useful Links page.
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South Australia to remain GM Free

Greenpeace has congratulated the South Australian Government on its decision to maintain its ban on genetically engineered (GE) food crops. The NSW and Victorian Governments must now follow suit and keep Australia GE free.

The South Australian Government has understood the value of the state’s clean and green GE free status. It has recognised that its key export markets would be at risk if it adopts GE canola. However, the state now sstill faces potential contamination from New South Wales and Victoria because GE canola crops can spread across state borders.

The South Australian decision comes as Canadian farmers are on their way to the state, to warn farmers of the Canadian experience of growing GE canola. Segregation of non-GE and GE canola crops failed in Canada after just a few years, resulting in the collapse of conventional and organic canola markets. Canada also lost its European canola seed market entirely to Australia.

The SA Premier Mike Rann said that a number of key market signals had occurred since it conducted an inquiry into its moratorium that led it to believe that maintaining the moratorium is the responsible thing to do.

Over 250 Australian companies have spoken out against GE foods since the Governments of NSW, SA and Victoria instigated inquiries into whether to lift their GE food crop bans. These include the largest end user of canola Goodman Fielder, the largest lamb exporters Tatiara Meats, and the supermarket chains Coles, Woolworths and Foodland.

Our key export markets such as Japan, have also spoken out against GE crops, with Japanese meat exporters reaffirming that they don't want meat from animal fed GE feed. Consumer groups representing 2.9 million Japanese consumers also visited Australia last year to urge the State Governments to extend their GE food crop bans.

Greenpeace is calling on the NSW and Victorian State Governments to reverse their decisions and extend their GE food crop bans for at least five years; and for all states to adopt liability legislation to protect farmers and consumers from unwanted GE contamination.

Source: Greenpeace Australia

How Do you Recognise GE Food?

So you are looking at two tomatoes. Both are nice and red, and appear plump and juicy. You're thinking lycopene and randomly go for the one on the left. But wait. Is this a genetically engineered food (GEF)? How can you tell? Does it have a special marking on it if it is GEF?

The problem, of course, is that the answer is no. You can't tell, just by looking, if a food is genetically engineered. If you could, would you be willing to buy it? In other words, if the tomato in front of you MOSTLY looks like a tomato, but is a little odd looking, are you going to buy it? Not likely. So GEF needs to look like non-GEF in order to compete in the marketplace.

Which brings us to another issue: competition. The fact is that GEF does not need to compete in the marketplace. Most of what we buy is GEF. This is why most of what we buy is nutritionally supplemented. Most of the vegetables we buy come from genetically modified hybrid seeds. How can you know this? Try planting a tomato plant from a seed you got from the Beefsteak tomato you bought the other day. It won't work. The seed is inert and useless.

So now we start to wonder. Is is true that GEF is not very good for you? Are those studies that show that immune systems may weaken due to GEF intake true? Unfortunately, yes, it appears to be the case. GEF does not have what normal organic food has. It is not in its natural state and it appears that despite our best efforts, humans simply cannot copy creation.

So now you need to try to tell if one tomato is organic and the other is, by simple extension, GEF. Check the label on the bin. Choose the one that is organic. Better yet, grow your own vegetables organically. Use Heritage Seeds, so that the seeds of your veggies will breed true.

In the end, how can you recognize GEF at your grocery store? Simply assume that unless it says otherwise, it is. Then buy non-GEF and start writing letters to your representatives, pressuring them to get after the issue of useless GEF. Oh, and growing tomatoes is easy.

SOURCE: helium.com

China competes in organic produce market

The organic export market is set to become more competitive, with China now a dominant force.

Australian National University research scientist, John Paull, says the cost of organic produce is likely to reduce significantly.

And he says Australia's conventional farmers are likely to be the worst affected.

"China can produce organic food cheaper than Australian farmers produce chemical food", he says.

"I think this is a wake up call; if this colossus that is China, is moving towards organic agriculture, why would we in Australia stick with chemical agriculture, when China is moving in the other direction?".

SOURCE: ABC Rural

Organic produce moves from trendy to mainstream

THE popularity of organic food, it seems, can no longer be considered a market glitch. Australians are beginning to believe that organic really is better - better taste, better for health and better for the environment - and are shopping accordingly.

Dr Andrew Monk, director of the Biological Farmers of Australia, says organic food is the future. "It has been a very sustainable growth and it's going up healthily. Some of these curves going up parabolically can fall over, but we have had sensible growth."

New stores, products and producers are buying into the unprocessed food trend; more people bought organic in 2007 than ever before.

Monk says the popularity of organic food is growing in conjunction with the slow food and locally grown movements.

"Consumers are getting sick of not knowing where their food comes from, or knowing and not being happy. There is a drive for knowledge about the farmer and the farmer's story."

There are no government regulations on the organic industry in Australia, Monk says, so consumers need to make sure that they choose certified products only.

SOURCE

NZ organic soft drink producer confronts cola superpowers

The Soil & Health Association of NZ is impressed with the Phoenix Organics ‘Think Before You Drink’ anti-aspartame campaign, which reveals the dubious merits of the artificial sweetener on every bottle.

"Having 20,000 bottles of Phoenix Organic Cola with labels highlighting concerns with aspartame, is a great counter to Coca-Cola’s ‘Make Every Drop Matter’ pro-aspartame campaign, said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning.

Soil & Health wants Diet Coke out of all schools in 2008 as a step towards withdrawing aspartame out of all New Zealand food and drinks, and the certified organic Phoenix drinks show there are wholesome alternatives.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) continues to claim that aspartame is one of the most studied substances in the world, yet conveniently brushes aside the fact that while all industry-funded studies do not show a problem, the overwhelming majority of independent studies do.

Ditching Diet Coke, enjoying organic juices and getting genuine independent research is a great new resolution for New Zealand consumers.

Aspartame (951, Equal, Nutrasweet) is an artificial sweetener found in over 6000 products including diet drinks, sugar free products, dietary supplements, sports drinks and medications.
Aspartame has been linked to many health symptoms, including those expressed as ADHD, anxiety, depression, irritability, confusion, memory loss, insomnia, dizziness, migraines, cramps, abdominal pain, numbness or tingling of extremities, rashes, chronic fatigue, and sight and personality changes. Organic standards worldwide do not allow Aspartame in certified organic foods and drinks.

To read the full press release and related news visit the NZ Soil & Health Association website.

Organic Meat Reduces Cancer Risk

Findings from a co-joint report by the World Cancer Research fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research of a "convincing link between processed meats and colorectal cancer" is good news for Australian organic meat retailers.

The report states there is solid proof that high levels of processed meat containing nitrite and other preservatives increase the risk of cancer in the colon and rectum; two key organs of the digestive system.

Nitrites are barred from use in the processing of organic meat.

Sodium Nitrite is added to conventional processed meat for preservation purposes and is the reason meat retains its recognisable red colour.

It is particularly high in foods such as ham, bacon, pastrami, salami, sausages and frankfurters; and fast foods. The report found the consumption of red and processed meats to increase with income and particularly high in western countries.

Australia’s consumption of cured ham and bacon has almost doubled from 4.6kg to 8.7kg per person in the sixty years up to 1999, according to the last official records.

Organically cured meat means Australians can bring home the bacon, minus the carcinogens.

Indian Government Advises Against GM Cotton

The government of the Indian state of Maharashtra has recommended that farmers in its cotton belt of Vidarbha stop growing Bt cotton and switch to an alternative crop. This is because Bt cotton cultivation has proven unviable due to its high costs and unsatisfactory output. The take up of Bt cotton has been greater in Maharashtra than in any other part of India, and the state government previously played a big role in hyping it to poor farmers. As a result, farmer suicides have gone through the roof.
More Information

Indian Demand for Organic Food Grows

Organic food is now no more a privilege of people of developed countries or elite. Though it costs more, it is gaining popularity. The reason is growing health consciousness among people. As a result, not only the rich but also higher middle class in the metro cities of India are going for organic food. The most important reason for preference for organic food is concern for the health of children. In the developed countries over 66 percent people prefer organic food to non- organic food.

A recent survey has brought out the fact that India was among top ten countries where health food, including organic food, was in demand. People are willing to pay premium for the organic food just for the sake of better health of their children. Consequently, the number of stores selling organic food is also increasing.

According to the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD), about 2.5 million hectares of land was under organic farming in India in 2004. But now this figure is increasing many folds. In India, 2.5lakh farmers cultivate organic food. Amongst these states, Rajasthan stands number one with total 2.31lakh acres land under organic cultivations. The farmers from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh have also diverted from non-organic to organic farming.

Both consumer and farmers are now gradually shifting back to organic farming in India. It is believed by many that organic farming is healthier but critics also say that this food is luxury for the common man and they can not afford. They also claim that there are no scientific explanations about organic food. This is being promoted by vested interest. The time will say about the benefit of organic food. But it is proved that there is vast economic viability in this sector. The Government of India still not look in this area but NGOs in country work sincerely to promote this sector.

Mukesh Gupta CEO of M.R. Morarka GDC Rural Research Foundation of Rajasthan says that we succeeded to promote the organic agriculture and the income of farmers has been doubled just within the year.

SOURCE: Gujarat Global News Network

Indian Demand for Organic Food Grows #2

Is it a marketing gimmick or is it a back-to-the-roots movement that’s seeing urban India increasingly showing a penchant for organic food? As more and more people make a beeline for the shelves stocking organic food products, whether in boutique grocery shops or the large-format department stores, health considerations seem to be paramount in the minds of consumers. Rashi Sharma, a housewife living in Delhi’s Golf Links regularly picks up food from the Fabindia store in nearby Khan Market. She says: Given that organic food is grown without the use of any fertilisers or pesticides, it seems a natural, healthier option. I have also picked up herbal tea and organic spices from Delhi Haat, and keep a lookout for more options within the organic range.

Unlike regular food, those with an organic tag sell on the premise that it is free of any artificial enhancer be it chemical fertilisers, pesticides, growth hormones, genetic modifications or synthetic additives. The benefits seem obvious when you hear horror stories of what pesticide residues and contaminants can do.

The damages to the endocrine and reproductive systems in the long-term due to ingestion or exposure to harmful chemicals have been proved in studies conducted among animals. Given the epidemiological link between congenital defects and rural populations exposed to high levels of pesticides, organic foods definitely score better, points out Dr SK Wangnoo, senior endocrinologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi. With infant reproductive organs still forming and the brain developing through age 12, and with young livers and immune systems less able to rid bodies of contaminants, going organic is more important for children and pregnant or breast-feeding women.

SOURCE: Financial Express

Organic Farmers Worried About GM Food

The organic farming industry says it lacks the clout to fight a potential introduction of genetically-modified (GM) crops in South Australia, now that Victoria and New South Wales will allow them.

The Farmers Federation's grains council is pushing for South Australia to follow other states and end a moratorium on GM crops next year. A mid-north organic farmer, Gavin Dunn, says SA's organic food industry could face ruin if the ban is lifted.

He says cross contamination from GM crops could have widespread implications for the industry's profits and future. Mr Dunn fears the organic industry is too small to influence the decision-making on GM's future.

"It's just the way the world is going you know, corporate power is taking over and it's a real concern altogether," he said.

Source: ABC News

More on GM Crops in NSW and VIC

In just the last week, as you may have heard, the premiers of two Australian states, John Brumby in Victoria and Morris Iemma in New South Wales, have trashed Australia's GM-free advantage by allowing the states' GM canola (oilseed rape) bans to expire, threatening the whole of Australia with GM contamination.

Brumby is already facing a serious political backlash as a result. Less than four months into his premiership, Brumby has been hit by an unprecedented caucus revolt. Members of Brumby's team complain they've been rail-roaded, and "ignorant" and "short-sighted" are among the comments on the decision made by his own supporters.

Brumby and Iemma aren't alone in feeling the heat. When the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said recently that they'd ban labels that indicated that milk had been produced without Monsanto's genetically engineered cattle drug Posilac (rBGH/BST), all hell broke loose and they quickly announced a review of the policy. And there's been growing consumer pressure for rBGH-free milk across the country. And next year the U.S. natural food industry will remove all remaining genetically engineered ingredients from its products.

According to the author of Genetic Roulette, Jeffrey Smith, "Consumer buying pressure will likely force the entire food chain in North America to swear off GE within the next two years. Such a tipping point was achieved in Europe in April 1999. Australia should be taking notice of the response to GE foods throughout the world. It is certainly not the time to let the state bans expire."

GM Crops in NSW and VIC

The NSW and VIC governments have this week lifted their ban on the growing of GM crops.

At Kombu we are opposed to the introduction of GM crops into Australia. This is another step in the wrong direction and we are continuing to work hard to make sure that we do not sell any products at Kombu that contain GM ingredients.

We will also continue to work for a return to GM free status in VIC and NSW - though once the genie is out of the bottle it is hard to get it back in again...

Pesticide Levels in Fruit Could Harm Children: Study

Up to 220 young children a day may be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of pesticides just by eating an apple or a pear, say researchers in the U.K.

The charity Friends of the Earth based its calculation on government data on pesticide levels on fruit. However, the Food Standards Agency has insisted that pesticide residue levels are safe.

The study is published in the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health.
The pesticides found in this research all have the potential to cause damage to health. The researchers say internationally agreed safety levels on pesticides can be breached even when legal limits are met. They found imported produce was more likely than home-grown fruit to contain high pesticide levels.

The government regularly monitors pesticide levels in fruit - but tests blended batches, rather than individual items of produce. Friends of the Earth say research has shown that pesticide levels can vary widely from one piece of fruit to the next.

Report author Emily Diamand said: "Parents will be shocked to discover that pesticide safety limits set to protect young children can be exceeded just by a child eating one apple or pear.

Professor Andrew Watterson, of Stirling University who worked on the study, said: "Very little is known about the long term effects on the immune, hormone or nervous systems when young children are exposed to short term high levels of pesticides.

"But the pesticides found in this research all have the potential to cause damage to health."

Organic food does not contain pesticides.

Edited from an article on BBC Online News

Organic Milk Cuts Eczema in Children and Boosts Breast Milk

A newly published scientific study shows that the incidence of eczema in infants fed on organic dairy products, and whose mothers also consumed organic dairy products, is 36% lower than in children who consume conventional dairy products.

Whilst there is a significant body of evidence showing that organic food contains higher levels of beneficial nutrients than non-organic foods, this is the first example of a definite health impact (i.e. isolated from other potential beneficial factors) of organic food consumption being published in a peer reviewed journal.

Whilst the study confirms it is organic dairy consumption that protects against the development of eczema, the scientists could only hypothesise as to the mechanism which delivered this protection. Their hypothesis follows the established facts of increased levels of the beneficial conjugated linoleic acid isomers (CLA) found in milk from organically managed cows. A separate recent study confirms that higher levels of conjugated linoleic acids are not only found in cows’ milk but also in the breast milk of women consuming organic milk. This therefore underpins the hypothesis that the higher levels of CLAs in the breast milk of organic milk drinking mothers are a key mechanism in reducing eczema, as well as the organic dairy diet of the infants themselves.

Shane Heaton, nutritionist for the Biological Farmers of Australia said:
"Given the strong evidence that organic has more beneficial nutrients, and the absence of harmful additives, common sense suggests that organic food is better for your health. It's good to see this starting to be confirmed by scientific research."

Professor Carlo Leifert, at Newcastle University, leader of the EU's 80m euro Quality Low Input Food (QLIF) project, said:
"The Louis Bolk Institute together with medical schools in the Netherlands and the UK has published data which show that the composition differences between organic and conventional milk (as shown by the results from the QLIF project and other published studies) translate into higher levels of CLA in human breast milk and lower incidence eczema in infants. This is the first example of a definite health impact of organic food consumption being published in a peer reviewed journal."

Words of Wisdom from Indian Food Activist Vandana Shiva

This week we read the following quote from Vandana Shiva about chemical agriculture in India. Sobering words and enough reason in itself to eat organically grown food:

"The connections between the environment and agriculture, and food systems, and the issues of poverty really came home to me in the 80s... In December of 1984, we had the worst industrial disaster in Bhopal [at a pesticide factory], which killed 3,000 people in one night, 30,000 people since then, and I was forced to wake up and ask the question: why are we involved in an agriculture that is killing hundreds of thousands, that is so violent, and pretends to be feeding the world? And I started to do scientific research on this.

My book 'The Violence of the Green Revolution' came out of the research that I was doing at that point for the United Nations. And increasingly, I have realized that if farmers in India are getting into debt and committing suicide, it's because of these industrially driven agricultural systems that are also destroying the environment. If children are going hungry today and are being denied food, it's because the money is being spent on buying toxic chemicals and costly seeds rather than being spent on feeding children, clothing them, and sending them to school. So chemical agriculture really is a theft from nature and a theft from the poor."

Australia's Largest Food Manufacturer Supports GM Moratorium

Food giant Goodman Fielder has urged all state governments to continue their moratorium on GM food crops. In a letter to all state premiers, Goodman Fielder chief executive Peter Margin said consumers preferred GM-free food because of the uncertainty surrounding the long-term effects of GM crops on human health. He added that Australia's current competitive advantage on international grain markets because of its GM-free status, and uncertainty about the performance of GM crops compared to traditional crops, were further reasons to continue the moratorium. Margin told the state premiers, "Australia's current status as a GM-free producer gives the company an essential international competitive advantage."

More Information from GM Watch

France Bans GM Food

There was biotech industry outrage after France announced a ban on Monsanto's MON810 (Bt) corn, the only GM crop being grown in France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he would suspend the planting of GM pest-resistant crops until the results of an appraisal of the issue later this year or early in 2008. He also said he doubted the benefits claimed for them. Adrian Bebb of Friends of the Earth Europe commented that, "the precautionary shift now in Sarkozy's tone is a seismic one". France's policy shift is expected to have implications for the rest of the EU.

Organic Food IS Better For You: Study

We are celebrating at Kombu after the biggest study into organic food has found it is more nutritious than ordinary produce and may even help lengthen people's lives.

"It is great news that something we have believed in for years now has even more scientific evidence of its benefits to our health" said partner in the Bellingen-based store Kevin Doye.

The evidence from the $27million four-year European Union-funded project should end years of debate and is likely to overturn official advice that eating organic food is a lifestyle choice and that there is no clear evidence that it is "more nutritious than other food".

The study will be peer reviewed and published over the next 12 months. But already one conclusion is clear: organically produced crops and dairy milk usually contain more "beneficial compounds" - such as vitamins and antioxidants believed to help to combat disease.

Nutritionist and spokesperson for Australia’s largest organic body, the Biological Farmers of Australia, Shane Heaton, welcomed the study, saying, "This adds to the growing body of evidence from around the world that organic produce not only contains less of the things you don’t need, but also more of the things you do need in your diet."

"Of course, organic consumers have known this for years," Heaton adds. "This latest research should help everyone else, including some of our leading official advisory bodies, to be better informed and catch up with the organic movement."

The study found that organic fruit and vegetables contained between 20 and 40 per cent more antioxidants, which scientists believe can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease, Australia's biggest killers. They also had higher levels of vitamin C and beneficial minerals such as iron and zinc.

Carlo Leifert, co-ordinator of the EU-funded project, said the health benefits were so striking that moving to organic food was the equivalent of eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables every day.

"If you have just 20 per cent more antioxidants in every portion of vegetables, then it's simply a question of maths - eating four portions of organic fruit and vegetables is the equivalent to eating five portions of traditional fruit and vegetables," he said.

Researchers grew fruit and vegetables and reared cattle on adjacent organic and non-organic sites on a 293ha farm at Newcastle University, plus other sites in Europe. They found that:

- Organic milk has 60 to 80 per cent more nutrients in the summer than conventional milk, and 50 to 60 per cent more in the winter.
- Organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E.
- Organic cheese can have up to twice as many nutrients than conventional varieties.
- Organic tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, cabbage, onions and wheat have 20 to 40 per cent more antioxidants than conventional fruit and vegetables.
- Organic spinach and cabbage have been found to have more minerals, including iron, copper and zinc.

"Organic food isn’t a luxury," says Heaton, "It’s how food is meant to be."

GM Link To Illness

Report from the London Evening Standard:

The symptoms sound like something from The X Files - sufferers complain of a crawling sensation all over the body, egg-like lumps under the skin and, even more bizarrely, cuts which produce tiny red and blue fibres.

Many doctors, however, are highly sceptical - dismissing the symptoms as imaginary and patients as delusional.

But a growing number of experts believe the symptoms are genuine, and the US government's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating the condition - Morgellons disease - as reported in the New Scientist....

... at the State University of New York, Vitaly Citovsky, professor of biochemistry and cell biology, found that the lesions of Morgellons patients test positively for the presence of agrobacterium, a bacterium used in the commercial production of genetically modified food - but not normally found in skin sores. More Information from GM Watch