What’s In Your Milk? 20+ Painkillers, Antibiotics, and More

“Organic milk is superior to conventional milk, as the cows won’t typically be on an antibiotic, growth hormone, and GMO corn feed diet; they will likely be grass-fed and graze freely.”  – L Garber

Milk_WholeVsFatFreeWith the aid of innovative and highly sensitive testing, Spanish-Moroccan scientists determined that there could be up to 20 painkillers, antibiotics, and growth hormones in a single glass of milk. The researchers say that the traces are so small that consumers need not worry about adverse effects, so we’ll just have to take their word for it, it seems.

The scientists analyzed 20 samples of milk—cow’s, goat’s, and human—bought in Spain and Morocco, and found a chemical cocktail of ingredients added to the animal’s diet prior to milking or contamination through feed or on the farm. Some of the contaminants found in trace amounts include triclosan (an anti-fungal), 17-beta-estradiol (a sex hormone), and florfenicol (an antibiotic).

It’s worth noting that the image provided by the University of Jaen lists the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac twice in error. Their findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Advances in Food Safety

University of Jaen’s Dr. Evaristo Ballesteros marveled over their technique, which could be used to assess the food safety of other products. “We believe the new methodology will help to provide a more effective way of determining the presence of these kinds of contaminants in milk or other products.”

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Jon Queally ~ Vermont Law Makes It Official: GMO Food Must Be Labeled

CommonDreams  April 24 2014 (Thanks, H)

Vermont is being hailed as a national leader following its passage of a law requiring foods that contain genetically-modified food to be labeled, the first “no-strings-attached” legislation passed in the United States.

The bill, passed by both bodies of the state legislature, was signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin late Wednesday.

“The people and legislators of Vermont have taken a tremendous step forward in allowing their citizens to know what is in their food. All families deserve this simple right to know.” —Rebecca Spector, Center for Food Safety

“I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food,” Shumlin said in a statement.

State Rep. Shap Smith, speaker of the Vermont House, echoed Shumlin’s message, stating: “Every Vermonter has a right to know what is in their food.”

“Genetically engineered foods potentially pose risks to human health and the environment,” he continued. “I am proud to be the first state in the nation to recognize that people deserve to know whether the food they consume is genetically modified or engineered.”

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Christina Sarich ~ Win: California Health Committee Passes GMO Labeling Bill

NaturalSociety  April 6 2014

GMOLabelingLaw_CaliforniaIt has been a long battle, fighting to save real food while going against genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that can cause cancer, attack human fetal cells, and instigate miscarriage. But the fight isn’t over, no. In fact, the California Senate Health Committee passed SB 1381 this past week which would require the labeling of all genetically engineered foods. It is a step in the right direction for food freedom.

Senator Noreen Evans introduced the bill, and Rebecca Spector of the Center for Food Safety argued in support of it.

 “One of the great freedoms we have as Americans is the basic right to choose from a variety of different foods in the marketplace. However these freedoms are being denied to the more than 90 percent of Americans who want to know if their food is produced using genetic engineering, because these products are not required to be labeled in the U.S,” said Spector. “SB 1381 is a step toward protecting these state interests, and we are very pleased that the Senate Health Committee passed the bill today.”

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New Lawsuit Filed Against USDA Over Missing Docs Showing GMO Dangers

NaturalSociety  March 14 2014

Like many Americans, you may be beating your head against the wall trying to figure out how governmental agencies could so blatantly ignore the facts concerning GMO dangers. A new lawsuit filed March 12, 2014 by Center for Food Safety (CFS) demands that federal documents be released which might incriminate the United States Department of Agriculture over findings that GMO were harmful, while shielding the public from this knowledge. The complaint is filed with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, and can be viewed in full, here.

The lawsuit attests that political pressure was asserted on the FDA to approve genetically engineered alfalfa. It seeks 1179 documents from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) which explain why the agency reversed its original decision to deny GMOs, specifically RoundUp Ready Alfalfa, being promoted by Monsanto. The Director of CFS, Andrew Kimbrell, states:

 “USDA determined Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa posed significant environmental and economics harms and initially proposed placing restrictions on it. Yet the agency went ahead and granted full unrestricted approval one month later. Did the White House intervene? Did Monsanto pressure the agency? The fact is we don’t know, and unless the court orders USDA to hand over these documents we may never know,”

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