Kale Bait: Vermont Backs Local Business in Chick-Fil-A Trademark SuitDecember 23rd, 2011 - Erin Shaw
Chick-Fil-A sues Vermont artist and small business owner Bo Muller-Moore to squash his Eat More Kale merchandise line, which the restaurant says violates their rights to the slogan “Eat Mor Chikin.” VT Governor Shumlin supports the artist and raises money for his legal defense fund. People’s Tribunal Indicts 6 Pesticide Giants for Human Rights ViolationsDecember 22nd, 2011 - Erin Shaw
The Permanent People’s Tribunal indicted the Big 6 transnational pesticide companies – BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow and Bayer – for violating internationally recognized human rights. While the PPT can’t enforce legal penalties, the trial could set precedent for future legal actions. Most Biomedical Research Chimps Can Retire, Panel FindsDecember 19th, 2011 - Erin Shaw
A new report from the Institute for Medicine calls for the retirement of most, but not all, of the 600 chimpanzee test subjects held by the National Institute for Health. NIH asked The Institute for Medicine for advice last December after NIH ordered a group of retired chimpanzees back into active research, sparking widespread protest. Label It Today! GMO Salmon Up for FDA Approval, Public ScrutinyDecember 18th, 2011 - Erin Shaw
There has never been a better time to assert your right to an informed choice in food. The FDA may be finalizing approval of genetically engineered salmon, the first GE animal for human consumption, and there is one team working hard for consumers’ rights to know. The Just Label It! Campaign is calling for support for their legal petition urging the FDA to require mandatory labeling of GE salmon and all genetically engineered foods. Busted: USDA Finally Enforces Organic Standards at Shamrock FarmsDecember 17th, 2011 - Erin Shaw
Shamrock Farms is under fire from the USDA for questionable “split operation” livestock management practices that could get their organic certification revoked. The USDA investigation is in response to a formal complaint by the Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog that first inspected Shamrock in 2008. Cornucopia found “inadequate, overgrazed pasture adjacent to their milking facility,” and learned from Shamrock employees that “the confined cows had not been out in weeks.” Federal organic regulations require that cows be grazed, a practice that some factory-scale dairies shirk according to Cornucopia’s investigations. Read More:Busted: USDA Finally Enforces Organic Standards at Shamrock FarmsHawaiian Families Sue Dupont’s Pioneer Over GMO Crop DustDecember 16th, 2011 - Erin Shaw
Families on the “Garden Isle” of Kauai are suing the Dupont-owned Pioneer seed company for failure to investigate the danger posed by open air testing of genetically modified crops. Read More:Hawaiian Families Sue Dupont’s Pioneer Over GMO Crop DustMcDonald’s Finds Loophole in SF’s Efforts to Reduce Childhood ObesityDecember 11th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Don’t ever say that clowns aren’t clever. After San Francisco passed a ban aimed to prevent McDonald’s and other fast-food chains from giving toys away with kids’ meals that do not meet the city’s nutritional standards, the chain has simply started charging a nominal fee for them instead. Read More:McDonald’s Finds Loophole in SF’s Efforts to Reduce Childhood ObesityPardon? Monsanto GMO Ban Overturned in FranceDecember 2nd, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
A ban on planting genetically modified crops in France was annulled last week, shocking a nation that prides itself on being known as the world’s gourmand with a focus on fresh and whole foods. The decision to overturn the ban came as the government cited a failure in being able to establish the reason for the rushed initial ban and the lack of any conclusive scientific evidence that genetically modified foods pose human health or environmental risks. Read More:Pardon? Monsanto GMO Ban Overturned in FranceCalifornia Leads the Charge in Creating Healthy School LunchesDecember 1st, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
After the recent declaration by members of Congress that pizza served throughout the nation’s school lunch programs should be considered a vegetable (because of the negligible amount of tomato paste in pizza sauce) despite efforts of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act also passed by Congress last year requiring schools to provide more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, California schools continue to lead the nation in focusing on the health of children by providing exceptionally clean food for students and not including pizza on the list of vegetables. Read More:California Leads the Charge in Creating Healthy School LunchesRadiation Risks Lead the EU to Ban Airport X-ray ScannersNovember 19th, 2011 - Jill Ettinger
Citing human health risks and safety concerns as factors in making the decision, the European Commission announced earlier this week that it will no longer allow the use of X-ray body scanners at security stations in any of Europe’s 27 member countries’ airports. Read More:Radiation Risks Lead the EU to Ban Airport X-ray Scanners |
