Of course all of our food is basically organic, it is carbon-based and was once alive. That makes it organic, but what is the labeling "organic"?
(1)
The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.
From the FDA:
(2)
All agricultural products labeled organic must originate from farms or handling operations certified by a state or private agency accredited by USDA. Farms and handling operations that sell less than $5,000 worth per year of organic agricultural products are exempt from certification. Farmers and handlers have 18 months to comply with the national standards.
But "organic" doesn't always mean grown naturally:
(3)
USDA regulations prohibit the use of toxic synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge and genetic engineering in anything labeled organic. Farmers are also required to pasture livestock, refrain from treating them with antibiotics and hormones and sustain them only with organic food.
Though these standards work well most of the time, not everybody is playing by the rules. “Ninety-nine percent of the organic market is clean,” said Minowa. “(But) there are a few abusers out there.” Unfortunately, it is those few companies that could have an impact on how well the organic standards are followed.
In 2006, the Organic Consumer’s Association boycotted the “shameless seven,” organic suppliers using practices that don’t conform to organic standards. Minowa said that the abuse of standards happens because there’s a breakdown occurring at the national level, where key decision makers are dragging their feet on closing organic standard loopholes.
One loophole is vague as to what qualifies as pasture, or the period cows should be allowed access to pasture. Under the current regulations, a short walk from a confined feeding area to the loading trucks could be counted as access. Brands such as Horizon and Aurora, two major producers of organic dairy products, are taking advantage of vague standards that apply to organic dairy, Minowa said. They sell milk labeled USDA Organic to consumers even though some or all of their milk is coming from factory farm feedlots where animals do not have proper access to pasture...{Also]Though organic food is typically more expensive than conventional food, major chains like Wal-Mart are offering organic foods at prices much lower than found in specialty stores. Wal-Mart is able to do this through economies of scale, but another tactic the big-box retailer uses is to purchase organic food from abroad. Minowa explained that it is not that U.S. farmers aren’t able to meet the growing demands of the organic food market, but that those who want to sell organic food at a bargain price can get it cheaper elsewhere.
Cheaper prices mean more people buy organic food, but organic food producers from other countries may not always abide by U.S. standards, said Betty Kanane, president of the Global Organics Alliance, a third party certifier of domestic organic foods.
Recently, investigations have been launched into companies that claim the food they have imported from China is organic when it isn’t, according to Andy LeVoir, produce manager of the East Lansing Food Co-op.
more excesses and abuses:
(4)
Organic Fraud: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Accused of Widespread Distortion
Nonorganic Food Products Misidentified as “Organic”
Contact: Mark Kastel, 608-625-2042
CORNUCOPIA, WI: When the staff at The Cornucopia Institute surveyed Wal-Mart stores around the country last September, analyzing the giant retailer’s pronouncement that they would begin selling a wide variety of organic food at just a 10% mark-up over similar conventional products, they were surprised to discover widespread problems with signage misrepresenting nonorganic food as “organic.”
Now, Cornucopia, one of the country’s most prominent organic watchdogs is even more surprised that more than four months after informing the company of the problems, which could be interpreted as consumer fraud, and two months after filing a formal legal complaint with the USDA, the federal agency regulating organic labeling, many of the deceptive signs at Wal-Mart stores are still in place.
“It is unconscionable that rather than correct these problems, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. instead responded to our concerns by attacking our comparatively modest public interest group in an effort to discredit our organization in the media,” said Mark Kastel, codirector of the Wisconsin-based Institute. “It is not as if a product recall or store remodeling would have been required to correct Wal-Mart’s deceptive consumer practices. They could have simply sent out an e-mail to store managers and corrected the problem instantly.” see: http://cornucopia.org/index.php/mislabeling-organic-food-at-wal-mart/ to see pictures of falsly labeled foods sold at Wa-mart-SHAME ON YOU WAL-MART!
(5)
Consumer Tip: The word "organic" is not as carefully regulated on personal care products (example: toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, makeup, etc.) as it is on food products-- UNLESS you see the "USDA Organic" seal. Only then do you know that the product has met the stringent federal organic regulations.
If the product does not have the seal and claims to be organic, it may have some organic ingredients, but it also likely has many nonorganic and synthetic ingredients. Our first piece of advice is to look for the USDA Organic seal. If you don't see that, be sure to read the ingredient label before purchasing.
"Organic" and genetically modified foods
(5)
Five of the twelve companies stated that the provisions they take to ensure their suppliers are not mixing genetically altered soybeans with ordinary soybeans is that they buy third party certified organic beans. Third party certification is when an independent agent inspects the farm and grounds. The farmer keeps records and a fee is paid for inspection. Certification is done by an agent who has been accredited by a certification agency. Two representatives stated that they receive written confirmation from their suppliers that they are not using GMOs. A general feeling of trust for growers and suppliers was expressed. Several companies said that they had worked with their suppliers for 15 to 20 years and felt they were similarly against genetically engineered foods.
Other companies (such as Wor-thington Foods) are either knowingly using genetically engineered soybeans or are using possibly tainted beans. The representative from Tofutti Brands, Inc. argued it was getting more difficult to secure their sources as GMOs are in widespread use. He said that GMOs are also very cost effective and that companies engineering them “drive everyone else out of business.”
So the bottom line is the bottiom line and our digestive tracks and indeed our complete health is compromised because someone gets to make more money that way.
In order to maintain my health, I do my best to use only whole locally grown foods, Mostly Chicken wild caught fish and vegetables, I also supplement-I am taking:
CellPower™
it makes over 34 quarts of healthy supplement to cover the basics, it is keeping my body in a normal Aklaline pH state, killing off viruses, bacteria, fungi, it also supp;ies some of the enzymes I need for great health and it is giving me energy. Also~FLAX SEED OIL
for my colon, but of course ~Glutathione-the master antioxidant is a great helper to counteract many diabetic complications.
I've also added D-3
~4 essential minerals for diabetics
~SELENIUMhelps immune system,fights infection and aids circulation
~MAGNESIUMhelps to relax you, aids stress and muscle relaxing
~CHROMIUMimproves insulin sensitivity, and helps lower blood sugar.
~ZINC especially to help you heal.
~coconut oil
for the Omega-3~6 balance and losing weight
*************************************
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-----THE GARDEN GNOME
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~~~Jokes and Inspiration~~~
Addicted to Coffee
You know you are addicted to coffee if ...
You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
You sleep with your eyes open.
You have to watch videos in fast-forward.
The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
You've worn out your third pair of tennis shoes this week.
Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
You chew on other people's fingernails.
The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.
You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
You can type sixty words per minute with your feet.
You can jump-start your car without cables.
You don't sweat, you percolate.
You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
People get dizzy just watching you.
Instant coffee takes too long.
You channel surf faster without a remote.
You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
You short out motion detectors.
You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
You help your dog chase its tail.
You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.
Your first-aid kit contains two pints of coffee with an I.V. hookup.
You ski uphill.
You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked.
You answer the door before people knock.
You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
~~~
the 3-legged dog who walked into a bar and said "I'm looking for the man who shot my pa".
~~~
Q. How do you turn a duck into a soul singer?
A. Put it in the oven until its bill withers
~~~
Committee--a group of men who individually can do
nothing but as a group decide that nothing can
be done.
-- Fred Allen
There's a fine line between genius and insanity.
I have erased this line.
-- Oscar Levant
The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.
-- Voltaire, Discours en vers sur
~~~
Two guys are out in the woods hiking.
All of a sudden, a bear starts chasing them. They climb a tree, but the bear starts climbing up the tree after them.
The first guy gets his sneakers out of his knapsack and starts putting them on.
The second guy says, "What are you doing?"
The first guy says, "I figure when the bear gets too close, we'll have to jump down and make a run for it."
The second guy says, "Are you crazy? You can't outrun a bear"!
The first guy says, "I don't have to outrun the bear. I only have to outrun you."
~~~
New Evidence
The day after a verdict had been entered against his client, the lawyer rushed to the judge's chambers, demanding that the case to be reopened, the lawyer argued: "I have new evidence that makes a huge difference in my client's defense."
Judge: "What new evidence could you have?"
Lawyer: "My client has an extra $10,000 and I just found out about it!"
~~~
A lead hardware engineer, a lead software engineer, and their program manager are taking a walk outdoors during their lunch break when they come upon an old brass lamp. They pick it up and dust it off. Poof -- out pops a genie.
"Thank you for releasing me from my lamp-prison. I can grant you 3 wishes. Since there are 3 of you I will grant one wish to each of you."
The hardware engineer thinks a moment and says, "I'd like to be sailing a yacht across the Pacific, racing before the wind, with an all-girl crew."
"It is done", said the Genie, and poof, the hardware engineer disappears.
The software engineer thinks a moment and says, "I'd like to be riding my Harley with a gang of beautiful women throughout the American Southwest."
"It is done", said the Genie, and poof, the software engineer disappears.
The program manager looks at where the other two had been standing and rubs his chin in thought. Then he tells the Genie, "I'd like those two back in the office after lunch."
~~~
The guy approached a beautiful looking woman in a mall and asked, "You know, I've lost my wife here in the mall. Can you talk to me for a couple of minutes?"
"Why?" she asks.
"Because every time I talk to a beautiful woman, my wife appears out of nowhere."
~~~
A Blonde is overweight, so her doctor puts her on a diet. He tells her, "I want you to eat regularly for two days, then skip a day, and repeat the procedure for
two weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least five pounds."
When the Blonde returns, she's lost nearly 20 pounds. "Why, that's amazing!" the doctor says. "Did you
follow my instructions?" The Blonde nods and answers, "I'll tell you, though, I thought I was going to drop dead that third day." "From hunger, you mean?" asks the doctor. "No", replied the Blonde, "From skipping".
~~~
Have a lovely, blessed and Healthy day.
SOURCES
(1)http://www.organic.org/home/faq#faq1
(2)http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2000/12/0425.htm
(3)http://www.ejmagazine.com/2007b/blurringthelines.html
(4)http://cornucopia.org/index.php/wal-mart-white-paper/
(5)http://www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/index.cfm
(6)http://www.satyamag.com/march99/sat.56.safe.html
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