Kitchen Gossip
Sweetbreads are to me (with foie-gras) the most delicious of all the offal meats!
But where are they from exactly?
Here's the Larousse Gastronomique article about it:
Sweetbread: The culinary term for the thymus gland (in the throat) and the pancreas (near the stomach) in calves,lambs and pigs, although the latter is not much used. Thymus sweetbreads are elongated in shape, pancreas sweetbread are larger and rounded. Lamb and calves sweetbreads are considered to be superior; they can be used in fillings and ragouts for moulds and vol-au-vent. Sweetbreads need to be blanched, refreshed and cooled before use; they can be fried, roasted, grilled, broiled, poached, cooked au gratin or on skewers.
Butter-fried sweetbreads, flamed with cognac.
Bartlett pears, Bleu d'Auvergne, mixed greens and beets.
The dressing is made of the cooking juices and a reduction of fig flavored balsamic vinegar.
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~ ~ ~ ~ EVENTS ~ ~ ~ ~
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Sepp Holzer Permaculture Films part 1 - - "Farming with Nature" plus
"Terraces and Hugelkultur" a model permaculture farm in the Austrian
Alps at 4,500 ft. in a climate very similar to here....a
self-sustaining
landscape of abundant vegetables, fruit trees, herbs, mushrooms, pork,
poultry, and even citrus without the need for irrigation, pesticides,
or
weeding. More about Sepp Holzer at sepp holzer [1]
When: Thursday, January 6th, 6:00 pm
Where: HUMAN RESOURCE COUNCIL BLDG, 316 N 3rd St., Hamilton.
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Sepp Holzer Permaculture Films part 2 - - "Agro Rebel" plus
"Aquaculture"
WHEN: Thursday, January 13th, 6:30,
Where: Missoula Public Library (301 East Main Street), large
conference room.
To view the full list of presentation dates and descriptions visit:
www.permies.com/permaculture/missoula
----------------------------------------------------
ROCKET MASS HEATERS - Heat your home with five times less wood than a
conventional "efficient" wood stove.
More about rocket mass heaters at
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp
WHEN: Thursday, January 27th, 6:30,
Where: Missoula Public Library (301 East Main Street), large
conference room.
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~ ~ ~ NEWS ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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CHILD NUTRITION REAUTHORIZATION BILL PASSES WITH BIG FARM TO SCHOOL
PROGRAM - On December 2, the US House of Representatives passed the
Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S.3307) by a vote of 264 to 157. Since
the bill is identical to the one passed by the Senate in August, it was
sent to President Obama for his signature. The bill authorizes $4.5
billion over 10 years to raise the nutritional standards of food in
schools. It includes one of NSAC [2]'s top policy priorities for the
year, $40 million in mandatory funding for a new FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAM
run by the USDA. Read more... [3]
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FOOD SAFETY BILL PASSED - the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510)
passed the Senate, 73-25 on Nov. 30 and on Dec.8, the House passed a
combined Continuing Resolution-Food Safety bill by a vote of 212-206.
All Republicans and 35 Democrats voted NO. Read more... [4]
The bill takes important steps to protect consumers from the abuses of
industrial agribusiness, while also protecting small farmers and
producers who are rebuilding local and regional food systems. The final
bill includes six amendments (including the TESTER/HAGAN amendment)
_Read more... [5]_
The amendment by Senators Jon Tester (MT) and Kay Hagan (NC) applies
screens for geography, scale and direct sales to end users to define
farms and small processing facilities that would not be subjected to
the
same regulations as industrial scale facilities. Existing state and
local public health and sanitation laws would still apply to small
businesses not covered by any of the new regulations.
MICHAEL POLLAN and ERIC SCHLOSSER, authors of _THE OMNIVORE’S
DILEMMA_ and _FAST FOOD NATION_ respectively, wrote an op-ed in The
New
York Times [6] in support of the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510)
and debunked several myths that have been spreading in opposition.
Continuing the public debate on the bill, Roland McReynolds, Executive
Director Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, wrote an opinion
article in Food Safety News [7] challenging myths created by opponents
of the Tester amendment. Read more... [8]
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GE SUGAR BEET SAGA - FEDERAL COURT ORDERS FIRST EVER DESTRUCTION OF
GMO CROP - San Francisco A federal judge (Nov. 30) issued a preliminary
injunction ordering the immediate destruction of 256 acres of GE sugar
beet seedlings planted in Oregon and Arizona in September. Judge
Jeffrey
White determined that the seedlings had been planted in violation of
federal law and despite his previous ruling that made planting of GE
sugar beets illegal until the USDA completes an Environmental Impact
Statement, EIS. CFS press [9]release.
COURT DELAYS ORDER TO UPROOT GM SUGAR BEETS - the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an emergency stay (Dec. 13),
pushing the beet destruction date to Dec. 23. The stay gives the
appeals
court more time to decide whether or not the plants should remain in
the
ground--possibly for months--while the USDA and Monsanto seek to
overturn White's ruling.
Courts have twice rescinded USDA’s approval of biotech crops. The
first such crop, Roundup Ready alfalfa, is also illegal to plant, based
on the vacating of its deregulation in 2007 pending preparation of an
EIS. Although Monsanto appealed that case all the way to the Supreme
Court and the High Court set aside part of the relief granted, the full
prohibition on its planting – based on the same initial remedy granted
here, the vacatur – remains in place.
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GE SALMON UPDATE - US Senator Mark Begich last week introduced
legislation to stop the approval of GE fish by the FDA. His bill
follows
hearings by the FDA on the GE fish created by AquaBounty Technologies
and now being reviewed by the FDA for human consumption. If the FDA
approves the GE fish, a second piece of legislation would require that
the product be labeled as such. READ MORE [10]
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GE FOODS & ANIMALS IN 2010 - Starting with the humble alfalfa seed,
adding sugar beets, and ending with a genetically engineered Atlantic
salmon, the controversies in 2010 over genetic engineering multiplied
and tumbled over each other. This year, the GE Atlantic salmon and GE
EnviroPIG began lurching towards commercialization in both the US and
Canada. The fate of these GE animals and plants will shape the future
of
our food system and of democracy. article [11]
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Patenting of Genes - several non-profit organizations are working on
legislation that would prohibit the patenting of DNA sequences.
article
- congress_not_courts_must_fix_flaws_in_gene_patent_system [12]
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AN ORGANIC CAPITAL IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUBSIDIZED, CHEMICAL CORN FIELD
- - WOODBURY, IOWA - A radical policy to support local, organic
agriculture in rural Iowa - "Without modification of federal farm
policy, the picture of rural America will be bleaker and beyond repair
in the very near future," said Robert Marqusee, Director of Rural
Economic Development in Woodbury County. In 2005, the county instituted
The Organics Conversion Policy, offering farmers a full tax rebate on
up
to 500 acres of land they pledged to grow organically. One year later,
The Local Food Purchase Policy required the county food services
contractor to prioritize local organic farms, supporting the local
economy sector in addition to public health. Read more
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PRESSURE KEEPS BPA IN BABY BOTTLES - On Capitol Hill
the American Chemistry Council (ACC) squashed a bi-partisan effort to
ban the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) from baby bottles and
children's drinking cups. This, despite strong science linking kids’
exposure to the chemical with a range of health effects later in life,
from breast cancer to infertility and diabetes, and the scientists
themselves [13] are calling for action. BEWARE, it is also on many
store
receipts printed on thermal imaging paper and this in high
concentrations. Read more » [14]
TAKE ACTION: Tell ACC you’re fed up - send this strong, simple
message: _PUTTING CHEMICAL INDUSTRY PROFITS BEFORE KID’S HEALTH IS
UNACCEPTABLE_. Period. Take Action»
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FACTORY FARM MAP - Food & Water Watch unveiled the latest version of
its Factory Farm Map, which charts the concentration of factory farms
across the country and the impacts these operations have on the
environment and consumer health. Visit the map at
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/ [15]
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BEEKEEPERS CALL FOR BAN ON A PESTICIDE - Pesticide Action Network and
Beyond Pesticides joined beekeepers from around the country in calling
on EPA to pull a neonicotinoid pesticide [16] linked with Colony
Collapse Disorder (CCD) [17] off the market immediately. "Our call is
based on a leaked EPA memo [18] (PDF) that discloses a critically
flawed scientific study, thus suggesting there may be imminent hazards
to honeybees posed by continued use of clothianidin, the pesticide in
question." Read more » [19]
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SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE ESSENTIAL FOR GREEN ECONOMY - No attempt to
build a green economy can succeed unless it is fully integrated with
sustainable agricultural production based on nature’s own circular
economy. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho article [20]
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Meat claimed as invention by Monsanto - Multinational seed
corporations are following a strategy to gain control over basic
resources of food production. Not only genetically engineered plants,
but more and more the conventional breeding of plants gets into the
focus of patent monopolies. International patent applications in this
sector are skyrocking, having doubled since 2007. Now the
multinationals
are expanding their claims over the whole chain of food production from
feed to animals and food products such as meat.
In a pending patent application from MONSANTO even bacon and steaks
are claimed: Patent application WO2009097403 is claiming meat stemming
from animals being fed with Monsanto's patented GE crops. A similar
patent is applied for fish from aquaculture in March 2010
(WO201027788).
Far reaching patents on food are already granted. Monsanto received a
European patent (EP 1356033) in 2009, for the chain of food production
from seeds of GE crops up to food products such as meal and oil are
covered. article [21]
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New GE fruits being developed - Disturbing....Here is an article about
ge oranges [22]; and one about the
ge apple [23]
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"Fracking" - You need to learn about this one - It is short for
Hydraulic Fracturing, a method devised by Halliburton to get more
natural gas out of the earth - at great expense to aquifers, peoples'
well water, and the environment. In 2005, the Bush/ Cheney Energy Bill
exempted natural gas drilling from the Safe Drinking Water Act, and
exempts companies from disclosing the chemicals used during hydraulic
fracturing. Essentially, the provision took the Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA) off the job. It is now commonly referred to as the
Halliburton Loophole. Now, for people living near the fracking wells,
which is all over the west and being proposed in the east, their
fawcett
water can be lit and burn explosively. Get this dvd documentary:
GASLAND
by Josh Fox.
See: http://gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking [24]. and wikipedia -
Gasland [25]. .
BUT, HERE IS THE _GOOD NEWS,_ people have found out about the
consequences, largely due to this film and here is what is happening in
New York and Pennsylvania re/ fracking: Yes! Magazine: Pittsburgh Bans
Natural Gas Drilling [26] 11/16/2010 - A historic new ordinance bans
natural gas drilling while elevating community decision making and the
rights of nature over the "rights" associated with CORPORATE PERSONHOOD
! YAHOO!!!! Read More »
The link to this article (and several more) is from the COMMUNITY
ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND website (www.celdf.org [27]) which did
the work on the ordinance, and have been helping communities all over
Pennsylvania protect themselves from unwanted corporate actions.
....and...... High Fives: New York Legislature Approves Fracking [28]
Moratorium [29]
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Strawberries to be laced with more toxic pesticides - California
approved use of a chemical that scientists call "difficult, if not
impossible to control," and "one of the most toxic chemicals on earth."
The toxins in METHYL IODIDE are so potent that the chemical is used to
grow cancer cells in laboratory settings. It can cause severe brain
damage, miscarriages, and thyroid diseases. The intense lobbying effort
waged by Arysta LifeScience, largest private pesticide company in the
world - trumped the science and the concerns of Californians. Read
more
» [30]
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Climate Talks must support Local Solutions - Governments attending the
global climate talks in Cancún need to abandon loophole-ridden carbon
markets and support bottom-up climate solutions that integrate equity,
food security and democratic participation. Read more [31] or visit
IATP's Climate and Agriculture website [32] for documents from the
Cancún climate talks, blogs, issue briefs and videos.
BILL MCKIBBEN - INTERVIEW with Democracy Now! about the Cancun Summit
- "It's like a family reunion aboard the Titanic." Watch [33]
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Book Review: Living Homes. - by Thomas J. Elpel
http://www.hollowtop.com [34] Inspiring words and How To's for building
your own eco-design home. Focus is on rock, log and strawbale design
with a nice balance between readability and providing needed technical
details. The ultimate goal proposed is to reinvent the house so that it
is a personal biosphere with integrated food, water, waste, and energy
systems.
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BIOFUELS WASTE ENERGY TO PRODUCE - Scientific evidence shows most if
not all biofuels require more fossil fuel energy to produce and will
never be a major green energy option. Dr. Mae-Wan Ho - The US
Department
of Agriculture (USDA) is a strong advocate for biofuels, and has
consistently projected an optimistic picture. The new USDA estimates
are
still unrealistic, as they did not include the energy embodied in
building the refinery, or in the water used, or in the disposal of
sewage effluent. article [35]
See ETC Group's newly released report: The New Biomassters, available
here: article [36]
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NON-PROFIT COALITION TELLS GATES FOUNDATION TO CHANGE APPROACH - A
coalition of groups led by Seattle-based activists has sent a letter
and
online petition to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying its
current approach to agriculture in Africa is unlikely to solve problems
of hunger, poverty and climate change, and may make them worse. The
letter, signed by 100 organizations, including SLS, and individuals
from
30 countries, was released to coincide with protests at the UN climate
talks in Cancun. The coalition said the foundation and its private
sector partners are pushing industrial agriculture and GE crops at the
expense of small farmers and the environment. article [37]
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~ ~ ~ Tid-Bits ~ and Resources ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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HOW CORPORATE AMERICA IS PUSHING US ALL OFF A CLIFF READ MORE [38]
---------------------------------------------------------
rBGH-Free (growth hormone in milk) Trend Continues READ MORE [39]
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Organic Farms, Not GMOs, Can Sequester Over 3,000 Pounds of Greenhouse
Gases Per Acre Every Year READ MORE [40]
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Agencies Refused to Publicize Spread of Monsanto's Biotech Bentgrass
READ MORE [41]
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The Real Price Of Today's Cheap Food [42] - A historical overview of
our food system--find out how the production of food has drastically
changed in the last century.
---------------------------------------------------------
Wikileaks Reveals Efforts to Make Africa Safe for Monsanto READ MORE
[43]
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Biotech rules - The 50 biggest biotech and agrochemical trade groups
spent over $572 million from 1999 to 2010 on lobbying to keep GE crops
and animals unregulated and on the market. Read more » [44]
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GM genes can transfer from plants to fungus [45]
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European retailers launch “Fed Without GMOs” label [46]
-------------------------------------------------------
Wes Jackson Talks About the Connection Between Agriculture and
Climate Change [47]
Wes Jackson, president of The Land Institute, speaks about the future
of conservation in agriculture.
-------------------------------------------------------
Big Meat Vs. Michael Pollan [48]
A beef industry group intervenes on what they see as the Pollan-ation
of America's college students
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THE WHITE HOUSE - use this online form to send a message to President
Obama and his staff.
Let them know what you think. http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ [49]
I came across the thesis on the web, I think you might want to read.
It is about a one man's war on macdonald's
[PDF]
by RAS Freeze - 2002 - Related
articles - All
6 versionsAnd this one I research intentionally, because awareness of all need to be risen to this subject.With Monsanto's
terminator
technology, they will sell seeds to farmers to plant
... If the
technology is transmitted through recessive
genes, we could see
...www.ethicalinvesting.com/monsanto/terminator.shtml
- Cached
- Similar
- This articles tell you all about "trans-fat"Trans
Fats www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3045792 -
Monosodium
Glutamate
(MSG)
Many
people recognise monosodium glutamate (MSG) as the additive used, for example,
in some Chinese and Japanese food, but few know what it is, let alone what its
effects on the body are. Now a new report focuses on how monosodium
glutamate may be just one of the causes of the Slow Poisoning of America.
In
fact, MSG (which is often disguised by names like "hydrolyzed vegetable
protein" or "HVP", "yeast extract" or "autolyzed
proteins") is, like aspartame, a member of the group of chemicals
known as "excitotoxins" (the clue is in the name!). These toxic
compounds are known to interfere with brain chemistry and have been implicated
in many neurological diseases, such as brain cancers, MS, fibromyalgia,
depression and hyperactivity (ADHD). In fact, they overexcite brain cells to
the point of cell damage and even cell death.
MSG
has also been linked to obesity and, indeed, many products that contain MSG now
also contain horrific chemicals like "high fructose corn syrup"
(whose purpose is to make you chemically addicted to the food in the same way
as sugar).
Monosodium
glutamate is the sodium salt of the amino acid glutamate, and is a commonly
used flavor enhancer, regarded by the FDA as "generally safe",
meaning that food manufacturers can use as much of it as they like. It
has been around for many years, and is found not only in take away meals from
Chinese restaurants, but many other food sources, in which it is listed as
either "monosodium glutamate", "MSG" or "hydrolyzed
vegetable protein".
In
a recent book on the subject, Dr Russell Blaylock reported that MSG also causes
severe disturbances in the endocrine system, affecting levels of hormones such
as LH (Leutenising hormone), GH (growth hormone) and prolactin. (Excitotoxins
by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 263)
Another
recent work stated that "The stress-induced abnormalities in blood-brain
barrier permeability suggest differing MSG effects dependent on existing states
of relaxation or stresses. The suggestive evidence for MSG-induced
neuroendocrine effects is substantial, coupled with the observation of
increased obesity in children." ( In Bad Taste by George R Schwartz MD, page
39)
In
short, MSG is a leading cause of obesity and may well be implicated in many
other conditions. It should be avoided at all costs, just like its chemical
relatives.
Autolyzed, hydrolyzed, glutamate, glutamic
acid,
hydrolyzed, autolyzed
HIDDEN SOURCES
OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG)
NAMES
OF
INGREDIENTS THAT CONTAIN ENOUGH MSG
TO SERVE AS COMMON MSG-REACTION TRIGGERS
The MSG-reaction is a reaction to free
glutamic acid that occurs in food as a consequence of manufacture.
MSG-sensitive
people do not react to protein (which contains bound glutamic acid) or
any of the minute amounts of free glutamic acid that might be found in
unadulterated, unfermented, unprocessed, food.
These
ALWAYS contain MSG
Glutamate
(E 620)
|
Glutamic
acid
(E 620)
|
Monosodium
glutamate
(E 621) |
Monopotassium
glutamate
(E 622) |
Calcium
glutamate
(E 623)
|
Monoammonium
glutamate
(E 624)
|
Magnesium glutamate
(E 625)
|
Natrium
glutamate (natrium is Latin/German for sodium) |
Gelatin |
| Calcium
caseinate |
Sodium
caseinate |
Textured
protein |
| anything "hydrolyzed" |
any
"hydrolyzed ... protein" |
Yeast
nutrient |
| Yeast
extract |
Yeast
food |
Autolyzed
yeast |
Vetsin
|
Ajinomoto
|
|
These
OFTEN contain MSG or create MSG during processing
| Carrageenan |
Maltodextrin |
Malt
extract |
| Natural
pork flavoring |
Citric
acid |
Malt
flavoring |
| Bouillon
and Broth |
Natural
chicken flavoring |
Soy
protein isolate |
| Natural
beef flavoring |
Ultra-pasteurized |
Soy
sauce |
| Stock |
Barley
malt |
Soy
sauce extract |
| Whey
protein concentrate |
Pectin |
Soy protein |
| Whey
protein |
Protease |
Soy
protein concentrate |
| Whey
protein isolate |
Protease
enzymes |
Anything
protein fortified |
| Flavors(s)
& Flavoring(s) |
Anything
enzyme modified |
Anything
fermented |
Natural
flavor(s)
& flavoring(s) |
Enzymes
anything |
Seasonings
(the word "seasonings") |
These ingredients
work synergistically with MSG to enhance flavor
(If they are present for flavoring purposes, so is MSG)
Disodium
5’-guanylate
(E 627)
|
Disodium
5’-inosinate
(E 631)
|
Disodium
5'-ribonucleotides
(E 635)
|
In
ADDITION...
The not so new game is to label
hydrolyzed
proteins as pea protein, whey protein, corn protein, etc. If a pea, for
example, were whole, it would be identified as a pea. Calling an
ingredient
pea
protein
indicates that the pea has been hydrolyzed, at least
in part, and that processed free glutamic acid (MSG) is present.
Relatively
new to the list are wheat protein and soy protein.
Disodium guanylate and disodium
inosinate
are expensive food additives that work synergistically with inexpensive
MSG. Their use suggests that the product has MSG in it. They would
probably
not be used as food additives if there were no MSG present.
MSG reactions have been reported
from
soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners, and cosmetics, where MSG is hidden
in ingredients that include the words "hydrolyzed," "amino acids," and
"protein."
Low fat and no fat milk products
often
include milk solids that contain MSG and/or contain Carrageenan, guar
gum, and/or locust bean gum. Low fat and no fat versions
of ice cream and cheese may not be as obvious as yogurt, milk, cream,
cream
cheese, cottage cheese, etc., but they are not an exception.
Protein powders contain glutamic
acid,
which, invariably, would be processed free glutamic acid (MSG).
Amino acids are not always listed on labels of protein powders.
Drinks, candy, and chewing gum are
potential
sources of hidden MSG and/or aspartame and neotame. Aspartic acid,
found
in neotame and aspartame (NutraSweet), ordinarily causes MSG type
reactions
in MSG sensitive people. Aspartame is found in some medications,
including
children's medications. Neotame is relatively new and we have not yet
seen
it used widely in the United States. Check with your pharmacist.
Binders and fillers for medications,
nutrients, and supplements, both prescription and non-prescription,
enteral
feeding materials, and some fluids administered intravenously in
hospitals,
may contain MSG.
According to the manufacturer,
Varivax–Merck
chicken pox vaccine (Varicella Virus Live), contains L-monosodium
glutamate
and hydrolyzed gelatin, both of which contain processed free glutamic
acid
(MSG) which causes brain lesions in young laboratory animals, and
causes
endocrine disturbances like OBESITY and REPRODUCTIVE disorders later in
life. It would appear that most, if not all, live virus vaccines
contain some ingredient that contains MSG.
Reactions to MSG are dose related,
i.e.,
some people react to even very small amounts. MSG-induced reactions may
occur immediately after ingestion or after as much as 48
hours. The time lapse is typically the same for any one
individual.
Note: There are additional
ingredients
that appear to cause MSG reactions in ACUTELY sensitive people. A list
is available by request.
Remember: By FDA definition, all MSG
is "naturally occurring." "Natural" doesn't mean "safe."
"Natural"
only means that the ingredient started out in nature.
Lies and deception:
How the FDA does not protect your best
interests.
Did you know that many retired FDA officials go to work as special
advisors to the pharmaceutical and food industries?
It's true. Federal agencies like the FDA—which were created to protect
consumers—often behave like branch offices of companies like Monsanto,
which they are supposed to regulate. And when the names and dossiers of
the individuals who work with allies in Congress and the White House to
oppose food safety measures are revealed, the picture becomes even more
sinister.
The fact is, it has been widely reported that FDA (Federal Drug
Administration), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and USDA (United
States Department of Agriculture) officials are frequently rewarded
with lucrative jobs at the companies they were regulating.
Conflict of interest
This insidious conflict of interest exhibited by the U.S. food and
pharmaceutical industries has been going on for almost half a century.
Mark Gold, founder of the Aspartame Toxicity Information Center in
Concord, New Hampshire (
mgold@holisticmed.com)
provides an overview of the situation in his "Analysis of the influence
of the Aspartame Industry on the Scientific Committee on Food."
1
"In the United States, corruption of governmental and scientific
committees by the food industry was disclosed in the late 1960s and
early 1970s. In an article in the journal Science (1972), it was
revealed that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Food Protection
Committee was being funded by the food, chemical and packaging
industries. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was relying on the NAS
Committee for 'independent' information. The Chairman of the NAS
Subcommittee investigating monosodium glutamate (MSG) had recently taken
part in research partially funded by the MSG manufacturer. Another
member of the Subcommittee became a spokesperson for the MSG industry.
(Science 1972) Other members of the Subcommittee had ties to the MSG
industry.
Since that time numerous governmental committees have
been corrupted by the placement of food industry-funded consultants on
these committees."
2,
3
The revolving door
A recent report by the Edmonds Institute lists names of the possible
hundreds of men and women who move in and out of "revolving doors" as
Federal regulators and directors, commissioners and scientists at the
companies they are supposed to regulate.
4
Close relationships between regulators and those they regulate are
always a cause of concern because the conflict of interest inevitably
results in the quality of regulation and oversight of a technology being
compromised … which inevitably results in the promotion of foods and
drugs that are frequently unsafe.
The Edmonds Institute has been researching these relationships for some
time. Here are some examples:
Margaret Miller … former chemical laboratory supervisor for
Monsanto, … now Deputy Director of Human Food Safety and Consultative
Services, New Animal Drug Evaluation Office, Center for Veterinary
Medicine in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
5,
6
Michael Taylor, former legal advisor to the United States Food
and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Bureau of Medical Devices and Bureau of
Foods, later executive assistant to the Commissioner of the FDA,…still
later a partner at the law firm of King & Spaulding where he
supervised a nine-lawyer group whose clients included Monsanto
Agricultural Company, … still later Deputy Commissioner for Policy at
the United States Food and Drug Administration, … and later with the law
firm of King & Spaulding … now head of the Washington, D.C. office
of Monsanto Corporation.
5,
6
Margaret Miller, Michael Taylor, and Suzanne Sechen (an FDA "primary
reviewer for all rbST and other dairy drug production applications")
were the subjects of a U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO)
investigation in 1994 for their role in the FDA's approval of Posilac,
Monsanto Corporation's formulation of recombinant bovine growth hormone
(rbST or rBGH). The GAO Office found "no conflicting financial interests
with respect to the drug's approval" and only "one minor deviation from
now superseded FDA regulations". (Quotations are from the 1994 GAO
report).
The FDA and Monsanto: Strange bedfellows
Monsanto was required to submit a scientific report on rBGH to the FDA
so the agency could determine the growth hormone's safety. Margaret
Miller put the report together, and in 1989 shortly before she submitted
the report, Miller left Monsanto to work for the FDA. Guess what her
first job was? Strangely enough, to determine whether or not to approve
the report she wrote for Monsanto! The bottom line is that Monsanto
approved its own report. Miller was assisted by another former Monsanto
researcher, Susan Sechen.
But in an article titled "Not Milk: The USDA, Monsanto, and the U.S.
Dairy Industry" Ché Green, founder and director of The ARMEDIA
Institute, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focusing on
farm animal issues in the United States, writes that, "The results of
the study, in fact, were not made available to the public until 1998,
when a group of Canadian scientists obtained the full documentation and
completed an independent analysis of the results. Among other instances
of neglect, the documents showed that the FDA had never even reviewed
Monsanto's original studies (on which the approval for Posilac {rBGH}
had been based), so in the end the point was moot whether or not the
report had contained all of the original data."
7
And as though the FDA didn't already exhibit enough audacity it handed
Michael Taylor the responsibility to make the decision as to whether or
not rBGH-derived milk should be labeled. (At the time, Michael Taylor,
who had previously worked as a lawyer for Monsanto, was executive
assistant to the Commissioner of the FDA.)
In 1994, Taylor ended up writing the rBGH labeling guidelines that
prohibit the dairy industry from stating that their products either
contain or are free from rBGH. Even worse, to keep rBGH-milk from being
"stigmatized" in the marketplace, the FDA ruled that the labels of
non-rBGH products must state that there is no difference between rBGH
and the natural hormone.
8
According to journalist Jennifer Ferraro, "while working for
Monsanto,Taylor had prepared a memo for the company as to whether or not
it would be constitutional for states to erect labeling laws concerning
rBGH dairy products. In other words, Taylor helped Monsanto figure out
whether or not the corporation could sue states or companies that wanted
to tell the public that their products were free of Monsanto's drug."
9
The current situation
Monsanto is suing Maine-based Oakhurst Dairy for labeling their milk
"Our Farmers' Pledge: No Artificial Growth Hormones." According to
Monsanto, Oakhurst Dairy does not have the right to let its customers
know whether its milk contains genetically engineered hormones. What
hogwash! Oakhurst says they've been labeling their products like this
for four years, in response to consumer demand.
Although rBGH has been banned in every industrialized nation in the
world except for the United States, Monsanto continues to claim that
rBGH-derived milk is no different from the natural stuff, despite
documentation that rBGH milk contains substantially higher levels of a
potent cancer tumor promoter called IGF-1.
This poses a serious risk to the entire U.S. population, which is now
exposed to high levels of IGF-1 in dairy products, since elevated blood
levels of IGF-1 are among the leading known risk factors for breast
cancer, and are also associated with other major cancers, particularly
colon and prostate.
10
In 1994, Monsanto sued two dairies and threatened several thousand
retailers for labeling or advertising milk and dairy products as
"rBGH-free." Despite Monsanto's intimidation tactics, more than 10% of
U.S. milk is currently labeled as "rBGH-free," while sales of organic
milk and dairy products (which prohibit rBGH) are booming.
And just to add insult to injury, in recent months a Monsanto-funded
front group, the Center for Consumer Freedom, has launched a smear
campaign against organic dairies, including Organic Valley, claiming
they are defrauding consumers.
11
How Monsanto's policies have become U.S. policy
Prior to being the Supreme Court Judge who put G.W. in office, Clarence
Thomas was Monsanto's lawyer. The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Anne
Veneman) was on the Board of Directors of Monsanto's Calgene
Corporation. The Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) was on the Board
of Directors of Monsanto's Searle pharmaceuticals. The U.S. Secretary
of Health, Tommy Thompson, received $50,000 in donations from Monsanto
during his winning campaign for Wisconsin's governor. The two
congressmen receiving the most donations from Monsanto during the last
election were Larry Combest (Chairman of the House Agricultural
Committee) and Attorney General John Ashcroft. (Source: Dairy Education
Board)
What can you do?
- Contact your state representatives and let them know your views.
- Educate yourself about what is really in our food.
Three recommended books:
Eric Schlosser, "Fast Food Nation" New York: Harper Collins, 2002.
Marion Nestle, Food Politics: "How the Food Industry Influences
Nutrition and Health." University of California Press, March 2002.
Marion Nestle, "Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism."
University of California Press, March 2003.
- Eat only organically grown and produced food. Sadly and
unfortunately, we cannot trust the FDA or USDA to ensure the safety of
our food.