nEWKEWLER bREAKFAST

Chicken Canibalism and Salmonella

2010-08-31T21:40:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I learned that the majority of chicken sold is recycled chickens! What? A large portion of "nutrition" in a CAFO chicken diet is chicken parts (feathers too!). Now it makes sense, the salmonella "outbreak" I mean. Remember Mad Cow disease? That was cows eating cows that were infected the disease.

Here's an ingredient list I found on lionsgrip.com. Note the chicken content. I don't know what most of this stuff is...

INGREDIENTS: Ground Grain Products, Soybean Meal, Meat and Bone Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Dehjydrated Alfalfa Crumbles, Cane Molasses, Granite Grit 1/2% maximum, Salt, Poultry Fat, Ethosyquin Preservative, Vitamin A Acetate, D-Activated Animal Sterol (Source of Vitamin D3), Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Methionine Supplement, Propionic Acid (Mold Inhibitor), Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Copper Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

CAFO = Confined Animal Feeding Operation

The Boston Tea Party

2010-01-19T21:18:00.001-05:00

Thank you Massachusetts!

Organic VS. Conventional - The battle of the ages

2009-07-27T21:03:00.002-04:00

The article title should be a link to the article.

Three cheers for fresh, crunchy cukes from my garden! Mmmmm, yummy food.

Panel Finds Fault With FDA Conclusion on BPA

2008-10-29T23:18:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON -- A panel of science experts challenged the Food and Drug Administration's conclusion that a chemical widely used in plastic food containers is safe, saying the FDA should have paid more attention to studies suggesting the contrary.

The FDA in August issued a report saying the chemical biphenol-A, or BPA, is safe at current levels found in plastic baby bottles and canned foods. The report prompted criticism from lawmakers and scientists because it relied largely on industry-funded studies and contradicted over 100 studies suggesting BPA is harmful to humans.

I don't know what to think about BPA. It's hard to trust the FDA when they rely on data from the corporations that stand to make a profit if the FDA says their products are safe.

Think Twice Before Using That Air Freshener!

2008-07-25T21:47:00.002-04:00

If you believe ignorance is bliss you may not want to read this article. Otherwise, follow the link.

It is a great big toxic world out there, yes indeed. So here's to the marketing professionals that get us to buy air fresheners and laundry products that may actually harm us. Why do we pay so much attention and invest "so much" into breathing pleasant smelling air? Give me some of that good, old fashioned country air. You know, air that's been cleaned by the trees and grass, mixed with cow farts and some rotting worm guts.

Cross-disciplinary research reveals low-level pesticide exposure linked to myriad of learning, behavioral and medical problems.

2008-07-01T22:40:00.002-04:00

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20080627/n1
I just learned something disturbing about the EPA and how it tests pesticides and herbicides.

Dr. Porter cites two independent studies that determined the "inactive" ingredients in Round-up make it twice as biologically active and, therefore, twice as potentially toxic as the potential of it's "active" chemical parts. Unfortunately, solvents and surfactants are not tested as part of the EPA registration process. "For example," says Porter, "the EPA registers glyphosate, the chemical considered an active ingredient in Round-up, not Round-up itself."

This article was found on the Rodale Institute web site. What really makes me angry about all these toxic chemicals that most farmers use is that they can use them without telling their neighbors or people downwind,

"hey, I'm spraying petsicide/herbicide/fertilizer (anhydrous ammonia) you might want to put on biochemical warfare protection..."

So, has anyone noticed fields of young, green corn spotted with dead, crispy weeds? If you noticed, did you wonder how weeds can be dead but corn looking fine in the same field? I didn't have to wonder long. My stomach turns when I see it because that field was probably sprayed with RoundUp and that corn is genetically modified to be RoundUp resistant. But when was it sprayed? were my kids outside then?

Check out the article for yourself; don't take my word for it. You may end up deciding to never buy non-organic produce again.

Chemical Used to Make Teflon Shown to Have Correlation With Human Health Problems

2008-07-01T22:19:00.004-04:00

Using part of a $108 million class action law suit settlement from DuPont, scientists at West Virginia University are studying the effects of PFOA; a forever lasting chemical used to make Teflon and other non-stick products including stain resistant fabric. Their initial research suggests a correlation between PFOA and: immune weakness, thyroid function, liver damage and high cholesterol in children. Please read the article to inform yourself.
http://www.ewg.org/node/26517

The Benefits of Saccharin?

2008-02-11T12:59:00.001-05:00

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-sci-dietsoda11feb11,1,395760.story

How could I try persuade you to eat healthier and not mention this news? Rats that were fed saccharin in a controlled study gained more weight than rats that were fed sugar. Huh? The saccharin rats ate more of their regular food.

Where is Monsanto hiding in the midst of this debate? My guess is they fund the "industry research" groups that work for CoCa Cola and Pepsi Co. They have the most to lose if people decide to release their mouths from the artificial chemical dispensing breast of Monsanto.

Monsanto invented saccharin. Way back in the 1940's, if am remembering that right from their website history. It is funny to me that Monsanto cannot seem to stay out of the bad-news news.

''Milk from rBST Free Cows'' Label Now Allowed On Milk in PA

2008-01-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

I was happy to read a similar story in my local paper today but this Pitsburgh Post Gazette story is more informative. Apparently many people care about how the cows are treated and are willing to pay a premium for a more natural product.

Opponents of consumer choice point out that rBST, the artifical growth hormone marketed by Monsanto as Posilac, is not detectable in milk so it impossible to know if milk labeled "hormone free" actually came from hormone free cows. They also point to studies that suggest there are no known adverse health risks to consumers from rBST. They claim rBST just artificially boosts the level of an already existing hormone in the cow so it produces more milk and that there are no adverse side effects to the cow.

Here's my take on this.

There is no ban on labeling foods "No Artificial Flavors" or "No Artificial Coloring" so why should there be a ban on "milk from rBST free cows"?
I don't trust Monsanto.
I prefer food products as natural as I can get them.
Monsanto sucks.
Just because I want a more natural product and am willing to pay more for it does not mean I am acting irrationally or that I have irrational fears about this artificial hormone.
Even if there were zero known side effects in all cows that are injected with rBST I would not want it used because it causes cows to do something unnatural. Natural milk production does not result in INCREASED risk of these problems as printed on every POSILAC package:

(click picture to enlarge the label)

For my own benefit I am embarking on a research journey about rBST. I want to hear from scientists that don't work for Monsanto or the FDA. Why is rBST illegal in Canada, the EU and Japan? Has Monsanto been forthright with sharing their own safety studies? How did rBST come to be approved by the FDA? I realize I have not been scientifically persuasive here but common sense tells me that this stinks and we may not know why for years.

Think Local | Buy Local | Be Local

2007-12-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

A friend just handed me a copy of the "Green Pages 2008" published by the SSBN (Susquehanna Sustainable Business Network). It contains an article I would like to post in two parts.

Why Buy Locally Owned?

According to Michael H. Shuman, author of the book Going Local:
“Going local does not mean walling off the outside world. It means nurturing locally owned businesses which use local resources sustainably,employ local workers at decent wages and serve primarily local customers. It means becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Control moves from the boardrooms of distant corporations and back into the community where it belongs.” We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and so merely ask you to think local first!

10 Reasons To Think Local — Buy Local — Be Local

1. Recirculate Money in the Neighborhood. When you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally
owned business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms — continuing to strengthen the economic base of our community.
2. Lesson Environmental Impact. Independent businesses make purchases that use less transportation, and local businesses tend
to locate in town centers that generally contribute less to pollution,sprawl, habitat loss, and congestion. Purchasing local food and products significantly reduces air pollution by reducing the freight shipments into our community.
3. Support Nonprofits. Charities and nonprofits receive an average of 350 percent more support from local business owners than from nonlocal owners.
4. Keep Our Community Vibrant and Unique. Lancaster and York Counties have a unique blend of lovely old architecture and new, interesting, one-of-a-kind businesses. As chain stores proliferate and move into our neighborhoods, they change the character of our cities, giving them a strip-mall blandness. Economic research shows that entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their distinctive character.

Five through ten will be posted the next chance I get or you may click this post's title to go to the Green Pages 2008 directory in pdf format.

PA Consumers Can't Know if Their Milk is Hormone Free

2007-11-28T23:23:00.000-05:00

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has banned milk companies from labeling their packaging ''rBST-free'' or ''BGH-free'' (The Morning Call, Nov. 14). Thanks to intense pressure by Monsanto Company, which manufactures artificial bovine growth hormone, the consumer is no longer allowed to make an informed decision about what kind of milk he or she wants to drink.
The sale of hormone-free milk has been on the increase, and Monsanto has responded to this consumer demand by attempting to keep the consumer in the dark. Apparently, we are not smart enough to decide what to put into our bodies.

Next, the Agriculture Department will outlaw labels that say ''preservative-free,'' lest those labels hurt the bottom-line of the chemical companies.

If Pennsylvania had meaningful lobbyist-disclosure laws, we would know whose pockets are lined with Monsanto money. I will continue to purchase rBST-free milk, despite attempts by Monsanto and the state to prohibit me from doing so.

Karen Ennis

Breinigsville

Here, here, Karen. I agree. I bet some the people leading the PA Dept. of Agriculture are former or current employees of Monsanto.

SUGGESTION: Hey, let's ask our grocery stores to advertise on their shelves which milk products are hormone free. I know there are some grocery stores that care about what their customers want. They could print it right on the price tag on the shelf.

Apple Juice Concentrate from China | update

2007-08-24T13:21:00.001-04:00

To be fair, Knouse Foods is not the only company importing and or selling apple juice concentrate from China. A trip to my local Giant Food Store revealed that all of the brands selling 100% apple juice from concentrate indicated they contained juice from China (among other countries). Many other juice products contain apple juice concentrate but blends containing more than one type of juice were not labled as to the country of origin of it's contents.

Some questions I have for Knouse Food's President, Mr. Ken Guise are the following:

1) You say you test the concentrate before it is used in your products; do you test for poisonous chemicals and heavy metals?

2) Has anyone employed domestically by Knouse Foods ever been to China (or the other apple juice concentrate exporting countries) to see the orchards from which the concentrate comes and talk to the people who grow the fruit?

3) As a fruit buyer, what quality standards does Knouse Foods hold it's produce to when inspecting them prior to processing?

4) Your website boasts about how Knouse Foods actually won an award for exporting some of it's products to other countries. In an email I received from your customer service department, you indicated that due to high demand domestically, it was necessary to supplement our domestic supply with foreign concentrate. Please reconcile these statements for me.

5) Do you really serve juice concentrate from China to your own family?

Mr Guise, I hope things are changing for the better with all the bad news coming out China. I hope the average US consumer is beginning to care a little bit about where their food comes from. I, for one, am doing all I can:

1) initiating conversations with my friends, co-workers and family about why they should care about their food

2) buying (as much as possible) food grown and processed as close to my home as possible

3) growing as much of my own food in my garden as possible

OAO

Lucky Leaf 100% Apple Juice from China?

2007-08-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

This is a BUYER BE WARE post.

Either they are hoping you won't notice or you won't care. I was shocked to see the date code on this bottle of juice. Take a close look.
Here's a better photo of the date code.
We've been buying this brand of apple juice for about four years. Our children drink it almost everyday. While Lucky Leaf is a trusted household name (and has been since 1949) they also happen to have the lowest price point when compared to similarly labeled juice products. This bottle is "100% apple juice from concentrate and fresh apples" and was accidentally selected off of our grocery store shelf. My wife normally buys the Lucky Leaf "Premium 100% apple juice not from concentrate".

The US stopped importing meat from China. Already this year pets all over our country were killed by a poisonous ingredient from China. Warnings about antibiotics in farm raised seafood from China made national headlines this year. Not to mention the millions of toys MATTELL has just recalled; some for lead paint! Then I read on this bottle of 100% apple juice, "JUICE FROM CHINA."

You would think a brand like Lucky Leaf from a company like Knouse Foods would care more about it's customers. Prior to this discovery I was happy to vote with my "juice dollars" and buy 100% apple juice from a local company. Afterall, my wife grew up in Biglerville where Knouse has operated a facility since 1984.

I don't trust communism, communists, or products from their countries. I am beginning to distrust many household American companies that I have grown up with. It is sad that Knouse Foods has stooped to slapping their valuable brand name on crap from China. I am going to suggest to my wife that she not purchase from any juice company that imports ingredients, fruit or concentrate from China.

Don't Eat That Bagged Spinach!

2006-09-15T19:30:00.000-04:00

Google News headlines related to the E. Coli. outbreak 1st Warning Issued 9/15/06

Natural Selection Foods (www.nsfoods.com) and Earthbound Farm (www.ebfarm.com) appear to me to be the same enterprise. It is a shame that the organic industry is being tarnished by this terrible outbreak of sickness. I pray no one else is harmed.

The brands being recalled are: Dole, Natural Selection Foods, Pride of San Juan, Earthbound Farm, Bellissima, Rave Spinach, Emeril, Sysco, O Organic, Fresh Point, River Ranch, Superior, Nature’s Basket, Pro-Mark, Compliments, Trader Joe’s, Ready Pac, Jansal Valley, Cheney Brothers, Coastline, D’Arrigo Brothers, Green Harvest, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Premium Fresh, Snoboy, The Farmer’s Market, Tanimura & Antle, President’s Choice, Cross Valley, Riverside Farms.

Earthbound Farm farms about 26,000 acres and its products are sold in 74% of US supermarkets.

I hope you can see the danger here. It isn't organic farming. It is the national, capital intensive, processing and distribution system. Organic farms that ship their produce all over the continent should be called "organic factory farms".

The lesson to me is: buy from your sustainable-ag, local farmer OR grow it yourself!

BREAKAWAY FARMS is located in Lancaster County PA. They sell the healthiest, tastiest meats you can buy because their animals live outside and get fresh air and sunshine. For more info please email info@breakawayfarms.net

Why Is Rennet Controversial?

2006-09-13T22:56:00.000-04:00

Mmmmm! HAVE YOU HAD YOUR CHYMOSIN TODAY?

Courtesy of wholefoods.com. I did not write this article.

Historically rennet was extracted from calf stomachs by killing the calves, cutting the stomach into strips, scraping the lining to remove surface fat, stretching it onto racks where moisture is removed, grinding it and then finally mixing it with a salt solution until the rennin is extracted. Today the use of animal rennin is controversial to a variety of cheese consumers. The main positions are subdivided below.

Animal rights. Animal rights activists argue that it is inhumane to kill calves for their stomach enzymes, especially when there are several alternative coagulants available to make cheese. These activists would argue that if you eat cheese, then purchase one that is made using cloned or microbial enzymes.

Vegetarianism. Vegetarians can have a confusing time trying to figure out what type of coagulant is acceptable in their cheese. While some vegetarians would strictly adhere to a non-dairy diet, others who eat dairy are content to allow microbial coagulants and some can accept cloned chymosin as a reasonable alternative to using calf rennet. Several vegetarian organizations accept the use of cloned animal enzymes as a reasonable alternative to the animal rennet derived from the killing of calves.

Bioengineering. Genetic engineering has brought new ways to create chymosin for use in cheese making. Originally, a prochymosin gene was injected into a host strain of E Coli K-12, creating a tiny enzyme factory that produced an extremely pure and recoverable chymosin for use in cheese production. Current technology cuts genes from a calf cell and injects it into the genomes of bacteria and yeast. This produces high quality chymosin that is not subject to the volatile market for animal derived rennet. It is estimated that 70% of domestic cheese is produced with bioengineered chymosin. For a consumer who does not want bioengineered foods, animal or microbial rennet should be their choice.

Religion. Some orthodox religions (Jewish and Islam) have specific requirements and prohibitions for the consumption of meat products that can preclude the use of animal rennet. For example, information received from Dr. Chaudry of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFNCA), stated that for a food to be "Halal" (permitted for consumption by Muslims), it must be void of certain animal products and processing procedures. In this case, cheeses that are made from animal rennet are only excluded if the calf is slaughtered improperly or is contaminated with other prohibited ingredients or procedures. The IFNCA recommends the use of microbial or bioengineered chymosin for cheese making.

Flowers Foods believes in good nutrition and healthy eating?

2006-09-13T22:49:00.001-04:00

In 2005 Flowers Foods had $1.72 billion in sales and serves over 40% of the US population.
Flowers Foods markets these brands:
Natures Own
Cobblestone Mill
Whitewheat
Sunbeam
Bunny
BlueBird
Mrs. Freshley's
MiCasa
Tesoritos
European Bakery

I just wasted 15 minutes of my life scouring most of these brand's websites for ingredients. Nearly all of them including Nature's Own list High Fructose Corn Syrup as a main ingredient. Most of the ingredients are "dough conditioners" which must be important to the most efficient bakeries in the world.

Here is Flowers Foods Goal directly from their website.

With more than 80 years of experience in the baking industry and a seasoned management team, Flowers Foods has developed a strategic vision that gives it competitive advantages in the marketplace and helps it outperform its peers. This strategic vision has one goal: To increase the value of the company for shareholders.

Oh, OK. It's all about the shareholders.My question for Flowers Foods is:

DO YOU BELIEVE GMO WHEAT AND HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP ARE GOOD AND HEALTHY?

WalMart "Great Value" sour cream - UPDATED

2006-09-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

WalMart sour cream
INGREDIENTS: CULTURED PASTEURIZED GRADE A NONFAT MILK, CREAM, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CAROB BEAN GUM, CARRAGEENAN, ENZYME

Giant Sour Cream
INGREDIENTS: CULTURED NONFAT MILK, CREAM, RENNET.

Wifey bought the Walmart brand of sour cream to save some money. OK. Why is there cornstarch in sour cream? My guess - its a filler so they can sell it cheaper just like their saline injected meats! GROSS! I may be wrong about cornstarch but I will err on the side of criticising Wally World.

What's up with all that other junk, too? YUCK! Does anyone know how nonfat milk is made? Do you know what happens to the healthy benefits of milk when it is de-fatted? You should know.

Here's an article at Sustainable Table: Dairy

New Template

2006-09-02T09:42:00.000-04:00

What do you think?

Excerpts from The Nation (hard gulp)

2006-08-31T21:58:00.000-04:00

Why are there so few followers of Christ being persuasive about these important health issues? Why does the "environmental whacko" left "own" these issues? Hey, I'm a "RUSH BABY", deal with it.

"Organic foods seem elitist only because industrial food is artificially cheap, with its real costs being charged to the public purse, the public health and the environment. "
"An American shopping for food on a budget soon discovers that a dollar buys hundreds more calories in the snack food or soda aisle than it does in the produce section. Why? Because the farm bill supports the growing of corn but not the growing of fresh carrots. In the midst of a national epidemic of diabetes and obesity our government is, in effect, subsidizing the production of high-fructose corn syrup."

I hate high fructose corn syrup. We avoid it as much as possible. Not surprisingly, it is hard to find salad dressing that does not contain it. We are hard pressed to find any syrup, beverage, or candy in our grocery stores (maybe that's the problem right there...?) that doesn't contain it.

Three cheers for local, sustainable, diverse food!

Governor seen signing bill on non-California power

2006-08-31T21:51:00.000-04:00

Governor seen signing bill on non-California power
Correct me if I am wrong but this looks like it has the fingerprints of the "environmental whacko" left all over it. I understand the need to protect and conserve our environment. In principle, I support many such causes. Hmmmm...

Q: California needs more electricity than is available, right?

Q: I'm not that smart but shouldn't CA be building more power plants and buying MORE power from out of state to meet its growing demand?

Q: How "dirty" is a coal burning power plant?

Q: Isn't C02 necessary for healthy plants?

Q: How many coal burning power plants running for 10 years straight would it take to generate as much greenhouse gas as one volcanoe erupting?

Q: Can anyone blame me for being skeptical of a cause that Al Gore advocates?

Access to Plan B May Have Limited Effect - Forbes.com

2006-08-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Access to Plan B May Have Limited Effect - Forbes.com

It's been a while since something pricked me to vent here. Why is there an AP article saying the OTC sales of levonorgestrel (Plan B) will have "limited effect"?

Could it be that these pro-dead baby supporters (the mainstream media, the medical community, Planned Parenthood and the FDA itself) are acting like a boy who just coaxed a girl to have sex with him and then says,

"that was fun, but you weren't as good as so-and-so."

That boy is jerk and that girl should not have had sex with him! What the heck is going on in Washington?

ARGHH! From a social conservative, extremist, right wing, born-again, evangelical, "American Taliban", dim bulb, dumb, Christian, nut

MONSANTO at Home Depot

2006-05-22T22:46:00.000-04:00

I strongly dislike Home Depot. In my experience the products I have purchased there (except for some name brand stuff that I trust) are crap: yard tools, work lights, gas cans, low voltage lighting... I only shop there because I don't have time to drive to Lowe's and the local hardware stores don't always have what I need.

I was just at the depot this past Friday and was trying to maneuver my orange cart through the outdoor garden center. It would have been easier if there had not been massive displays of RoundUp sitting in the aisles. Grrrrr

That's all.

Yikes it's past my bedtime!

Mass. Wal-Mart must stock contraception

2006-02-14T21:50:00.000-05:00

Mass. Wal-Mart must stock contraception

If people don't like that WalMart doesn't sell something they should take their business else where! What the heck is going on in our country that a store is forced to sell a particular item that they might have a moral/ethical objection to. No one has to shop at WalMart, right? Even if WalMart was the only pharmacy within 50 miles of someone's residence that doesn't mean that they should be forced to sell anything. It's called capitalism.

This is just another example of LIBERALS using the courts to legislate (force) their agenda down our throats. Move to Canada or Cuba if you don't like America and it's ideals. Will LIBERALS sacrifice all of our freedoms just to guarantee their access to abortion on demand? Their ideology is ludicrous and irrational.

SAVE THE BABY HUMANS

- Google News - WTO rejects EU's ban on GM crops

2006-02-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

- Google News
In this case, I'm not proud to be an American. What the heck are we thinking trying to force Europe to buy Monsanto food? MONSANTO SUCKS! The only reason Monsanto is so powerful in the USA is because they pay off politicians for favors, breaks and appointments to the FDA, USDA and other agriculture or food supply related government jobs. ARGH!

Hezbollah Terrorist Member Wanted by US, Released in Germany

2005-12-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52&story_id=26349&name=Hezbollah+member+released+in+Germany

This article was headlined on Google news around 12:15pm today.

I shake my head in anger and disgust! Another example of why liberals cannot be trusted with our security or that of our allies. Germany released a known terrorist and murderer after serving a 13 year prison sentence. What the heck is wrong them?
Isnt' it interesting that Germany publicly condemns the President of Iran's hateful speach but "secretly" releases a Lebanese terrorist? There is no guessing how Germany truly feels about Israel.