I’ve long avoided chicken and beef when eating in restaurants. I’ve just assumed the meat comes from animals loaded with antibiotics and other things I’d rather not know about. We’re learning more about those “other things.”
The latest tidbit comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proudly announcing that a Pfizer subsidiary will discontinue a parasite-controlling drug that’s been routinely fed to commercially-raised chickens since the 1940s, well over 60 years.
Why? Michael Taylor, the deputy commissioner, stated: “FDA detected increased levels of inorganic arsenic in the livers of chickens treated with 3-Nitro, raising concerns of a very low but completely avoidable exposure to a carcinogen.” Better late than never, right? And now we understand better the source of the arsenic in the chicken litter being used in GMO corn fed to cattle that Ken Conrad discusses following my previous post.
It’s hard to know what to say to the absurdity of the FDA allowing a carcinogen in our food for decades, while going after producers of raw milk, health-giving herbs and, most recently, even a maker of elderberry juice. The reaction of the seller of elderberry juice in the video is instructive–it’s typical of small producers set upon by the FDA…they’ve made changes to their promotion to tone down any health claims, but can’t figure out what the FDA continues to be concerned about because the FDA won’t explain its objections.
A backlash to such actions is definitely developing and expanding. The Maine legislature, in one of its final acts of the current session, just passed a food sovereignty resolution. It’s not a law, but it sends a strong message of defiance:
“RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Legislature now assembled in the First Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, and in recognition of our State’s proud agricultural heritage, take this opportunity to oppose any federal statute, law or regulation that attempts to threaten our basic human right to save seed and grow, process, consume and exchange food and farm products within the State of Maine.”
Those legislators are going to find themselves with a lot of opposing to do, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is on the march to begin implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act, and its new regulations covering farmers and food producers, beginning next month.
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Also on the state front, there will be hearings next Tuesday in Massachusetts on two proposed pieces of legislation designed to improve access to raw milk. One would allow milk to be transported from dairy farms to customers, and the other would explicitly legalize herdshare arrangements, which aren’t covered by existing laws.
Here’s an updated table of pending state legislation affecting raw milk.
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Lessons to be learned from the European E.coli pathogen causing illness? Get ready for this drumbeat to grow louder, from David Acheson, a former associate commissioner of the FDA and now a consultant: “Perhaps it’s time to ask ourselves why interventions, such as high pressure treatment or irradiation are not being evaluated and used more? Clearly consumers need to have a choice, and products have to be labeled appropriately, but as US consumers look at over 470 people in the EU with a life-threatening foodborne illness that is unquestionably a life-altering event they may wish to have the option of irradiated or high pressure treated food more readily available in the local supermarket than it is today. Offering such options in grocery stores would provide the consumer with the ability to make choices and have a role in determining the safety of the food they serve their family.”
Funny how these food safety types advocate for “choice” when it fits their agenda. And you know how long the choice will last–till the treated food gets a toe-hold, at which time Acheson and colleagues will push for “eliminating the risk” by getting rid of the untreated foods.
"German federal authorities told the public that their investigations had shown only 30% of sickened patients had eaten sprouts and that most clues still pointed to lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers as the most likely culprits. " "the deadly E. coli strain hasn't been found in any of the tested sprout samples,"
Indeed they change their story to suite themselves….. I need to live near a small farm to get what I cannot grow.
A local health department chief….said: ( this is paraphrased and a near quote )
I do not like the fact that when one or two people get sick the legislature tries to create more regulation to more highly process our food supply and at the same time, the legislature ignores that the more highly processed foods kill thousands of more people. He also said this…. paraphrasing again…."before I die I want health connected back to good local food instead of more visits to the doctor".
No this was not Mark McAfee speaking….this was our local department of health department director…a doctor and highly regarded adminstrator. I deeply respect his comments and words. He also said that well intentioned food education projects have been a failure and that more creative methods to reach the families of the communities were need to foster better health.
So not all doctors are lost…in fact some really got it together and are trying their best to change the health outcomes of our communities.
I am encouraged by his comments and I know that progress is being made.
Grass Roots Teaching is where it is at. The FDA can do nothing if they do not have an outbreak…..they can do little if their is massive public support and grass roots intolerance for their killer doctrine of dead PMO CAFO food.
Grow the markets….RAWMI all the way with safety plans….TEACH TEACH TEACH!!
The FDA does not have a chance. The truth speaks much louder and will not fade into the freakist and dangerous history created by the FDA and their missdeeds.
There is something very important to realize about the truth….it is self evident. You can not fake it.
The truth is being exposed. Now it is a matter of spreading the truth through example and teaching. We teach differently than the health departments teach…
We go to the heart and use personal referal and passion and local connection. The government does not have these tools unfortunately. There message gets bogged down in lobby mediated political correctness.
When I do my Share the Secret Raw Milk presentations….I cut out the political appropriate BS and just tell the truth and the hard facts. People see and feel that passion and the truth comes right through. This is something that the health department can not do…
There is hope….TEACH TEACH TEACH….from the farmer to the consumer….teach.
http://www.courant.com/health/connecticut/hc-raw-milk-cheese-0606-20110605,0,4130976.story
The drug is used in pig feed also….I see no mention of banning it from pig or turkey feed.
http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/view?q=section%3AHealth&a=WRrH3Y–nySO3M&source=news&type=embed
E Coli here.
http://www.grist.org/factory-farms/2011-03-03-time-to-end-insane-practice-of-lacing-chicken-feed-with-arsenic
The fact that the organic arsenic added to feed turns inorganic when it makes its way into manure is chilling, given the mountains of concentrated waste generated by factory poultry farms.
Researchers estimate that between 11 and 12 metric tons of arsenic are applied to agricultural land there every year via poultry waste. Groundwater tests on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay's Coastal Plains found arsenic in some household wells reaching up to 13 times the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) tolerance limit.
And here's another way arsenic from poultry feed gets into the food supply: the jaw-dropping, mind-boggling practice of feeding chicken shit to cows. But that's a topic for another post — one, in fact, that I've already written.
This is one of many shameful displays of FDA hypocrisy.
KenConrad
Milk has been adulterated for many many years…..
http://www.dairyforall.com/milk-adulteration.php
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/polio3.html
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:oaP_m86DFX0J:pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticlePDF/1912/AN/AN9123700178+formaldehyde+added+to+milk&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjGBnhdRxS0YryT__6002hovgFKClubO-ryjDzQQRxmBVrzMkHGapwPz3FKYyyziAWBJxqFzAtDJTi2pXuuAgLCwBKwgWwMpbyS1PLPrIB9A8I6oivb4pr6tTmkHzNAkeodz_BW&sig=AHIEtbTazYs8ibjhSdK5HFVqcL1w64Hcjg