Letter to Monsanto - Lay off my milk
I don’t usually go off like a ranting banshee, but indulge me here. I just read about Monsanto’s latest tactic to mess with my food.
It was reported today that Monsanto, based right here in St. Louis, is asking federal authorities to “crack down” on dairies that label their products free of recumbent bovine growth hormone - rBST - claming that the labels are misleading.
It’s true that food companies are always happily slapping labels on products with the sole intent to mislead consumers. It’s all a kind of sleight-of-hand trick. Take those packages of frozen fish sticks and apple pie that declare “0g trans fats” but still contain double the amount of saturated fat in a single serving than does a whole rib-eye steak. Food companies are now required by the FDA to list the amount of trans-fats per serving as “zero” if it contains less than 0.5 grams trans fat.
But that doesn’t mean the product doesn’t contain trans - which is what partially hydrogenated anything is composed of - it means they’ve adjusted the serving size listed to be smaller.
Another example is chicken - those packages in the grocery store that say “100 % Hormone Free” are meaningless. The use of growth hormones in chicken production has been banned in the U.S since 1979.
Monsanto is not out to protect the health and well-being of any living thing, which is usually the case when groups complain about “label lying” - they simply have their own huge corporate interests at stake.
It’s not that I believe that the hormone in question, Posilac, is dangerous or toxic. In fact, study after study has shown that the hormone is undetectable in cow’s milk and does not seem to be passed on to humans.
It’s this: I go out of my way to buy food for my family that isn’t bio-engineered, processed, fumigated or f----ed with, and I spend extra dollars for the privilege. I don’t need the suits at a mega-conglomerate shoving their chemicals down my throat or telling me how to read a food label.
And with that, I'm off to Whole Foods to read some labels.
More interesting reading:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/blogs/?p=314
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4698.cfm
It was reported today that Monsanto, based right here in St. Louis, is asking federal authorities to “crack down” on dairies that label their products free of recumbent bovine growth hormone - rBST - claming that the labels are misleading.
It’s true that food companies are always happily slapping labels on products with the sole intent to mislead consumers. It’s all a kind of sleight-of-hand trick. Take those packages of frozen fish sticks and apple pie that declare “0g trans fats” but still contain double the amount of saturated fat in a single serving than does a whole rib-eye steak. Food companies are now required by the FDA to list the amount of trans-fats per serving as “zero” if it contains less than 0.5 grams trans fat.
But that doesn’t mean the product doesn’t contain trans - which is what partially hydrogenated anything is composed of - it means they’ve adjusted the serving size listed to be smaller.
Another example is chicken - those packages in the grocery store that say “100 % Hormone Free” are meaningless. The use of growth hormones in chicken production has been banned in the U.S since 1979.
Monsanto is not out to protect the health and well-being of any living thing, which is usually the case when groups complain about “label lying” - they simply have their own huge corporate interests at stake.
It’s not that I believe that the hormone in question, Posilac, is dangerous or toxic. In fact, study after study has shown that the hormone is undetectable in cow’s milk and does not seem to be passed on to humans.
It’s this: I go out of my way to buy food for my family that isn’t bio-engineered, processed, fumigated or f----ed with, and I spend extra dollars for the privilege. I don’t need the suits at a mega-conglomerate shoving their chemicals down my throat or telling me how to read a food label.
And with that, I'm off to Whole Foods to read some labels.
More interesting reading:
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/blogs/?p=314
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4698.cfm
Copyright (c) 2007 FamilyStyle Food
6 comments:
Lots of press and media attn. over all this right now. I count on Whole Foods to be stringent on my behalf, though it is no umbrella excuse (I realize). I want the same as you, food that hasn't been messed with!
Thought you might enjoy my foray into feeding kids healthy options on my new/other blog, www.brownbagblues.com
I haven't told too many folks about it yet, but it sure will involve some homework! Shoot me your lunch ideas if you think to!!!!
BTW We are moms, it is our JOB to sound off once in awhile: well done.
Thanks, Janelle.
I'm actually wondering why there isn't more noise about this...could be that it seems like old news as far as Monsanto is concerned.
I'm off to check out the brown bags!
I prefer to tend to my own goat, who lives on the rooftop of the Chase.
Though now I have to remember to take off my ring before I milk her. It abrades.
TLR
Tony, I'm surprised your swanky crib allows roof-top goats. What a dedicated, pure food fanatic you are.
We should have lunch.
Glad I found this site - I love it. I'm so, so with you on your Monsanto letter. I really feel like Monsanto is trying to deny some fundamental rights; the right of dairies to tell me how they're milk is made, and my right as a consumer to make decisions based on this info. I recently posted a similar missive over on my site.
Preach on!
Alison, thanks for visiting. I'd love to see your post - what's your url?
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