Citing concerns that glyphosate has been proven to be an endocrine disruptor, along with other health and environmental issues, 67 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have written a letter to the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, asking that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Round Up weed killer, NOT be re-approved.
The city of Seattle now adds its name to 5 other major US cities that are suing Monsanto over PCBs. Perhaps a tide of similar legal action will finally break Monsanto for good. [1]
Activists may have a tough time shutting down Monsanto for poisoning the planet with GM foods and engaging in the corrupt chemical whirl-go-round that seems to be ruining every conceivable aspect of the natural world, but Monsanto’s karma is catching up, and quick.
A report released in 2015 will likely have you shopping somewhere besides your local dollar store or discount retailer soon. After testing 164 dollar-store products, researchers found that over 81% (133 of 164) contained at least one hazardous chemical that was present in high enough concentrations to raise serious health concerns. [1]
Stores like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and 99 Only were all culprits – selling the public items like toys, jewelry, and personal care supplies that contained carcinogenic, or otherwise hazardous chemicals.
Leaders of 5 organizations representing survivors of the Dow Chemical (Union Carbide) disaster in Bhopal, India condemned the US government for protecting Dow from ongoing criminal proceedings in the Bhopal District court. Dow Chemical failed to appear in court for the third time recently to account for exposing half a million people to the deadly gas, methyl isocyanate. [1]
Monsanto’s Round Up herbicide, containing the likely-carcinogenic glyphosate, is causing widespread mitochondrial dysfunction in cells. This is associated with a long list of degenerative disease and chronic health conditions including autism, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson’s, and obesity.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it will withdraw its approval for 3 chemicals used to make grease, stain, and water-repelling food packaging. The agency is also considering banning 8 other food additives used in both “artificial” and “natural” flavors. Is the agency finally going to hold food companies accountable for the use of toxic ingredients?
A prominent scientist recently exercised his whistleblowing rights from within the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. The agency said that the scientists claim is ‘frivolous,’ but a judge says that his claim is serious, and will NOT be dismissed.
Greenpeace said in a report released last Wednesday that farmers in northeast China are illegally growing genetically modified corn. [1]
The environmental group led an 8-month investigation last year into what it describes as large-scale production of GMO corn in the northeastern province of Liaoning, a major breadbasket region. GMO strains of corn were found in 93% of field tests and in 20 of 21 samples from grain markets and supermarkets.
Panera Bread announced recently that its entire soup menu is now free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives.
There are 10 regular soups on Panera’s menu, and it also offers seasonal specials like Turkey Chili and Autumn Squash. Some 200 million Panera soups are ladled out each year, accounting for about 25% of annual sales, or $672 million. About 66 million servings of the company’s highly popular broccoli cheddar soup are served every year.
Through a unanimous vote by its City Council, the city of Berkeley, California has decided to hold Monsanto legally liable for polluting the land and water with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). [1]
The council’s 6-0 vote means that Berkeley is joining Oakland, San Jose, San Diego and Spokane, Washington, in filing suits against Monsanto, the agricultural biotech company based in St. Louis, Missouri.
