What We Do
Green Your SPIRIT and The Hippocrates Health Institute launched the POP Campaign to keep our voices and choices alive, keep organic standards pure, keep ourselves and others informed and educated and take action to preserve organic power and purity...
UPDATE!!!
Exciting Pre-Launch: MOMS4POP supports the education and research of The POP Campaign. MOMS4POP is a fundraising strategy where Moms can support the research and educational efforts of the POP Campaign while establishing a revenue stream for themselves.
URGENT CALL TODAY – STOP GMO PROVISION TO BY-PASS THE COURTS
URGENT * URGENT * URGENT GMO ISSUE IN CONGRESS – CALL SENATORS AND – FILL IN YES 0 ON TESTER AMENDMENT – 1 QUESTION QUESTIONNAIRE
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PLEASE Call Senators Mikulski, Shelby, and Reid and your own two senators.
Message to Senators Mikulski, Reid, and Shelby: I do not support Given the Secretary of Agriculture the Power to Ignore the Courts on GMO Seed Planting – Please Allow a Vote on Senator Tester’s Amendment 74 (Or simple strike Section 735 from the bill.)
Message to Your Two Senators: I do not support Given the Secretary of Agriculture the Power to Ignore the Courts on GMO Seed Planting – Please Vote to Support Senator Tester’s Amendment 74 to Strike Section 735.
Time is crucial on this. Senator Reid wants to vote on Monday – so we need to get calls in today and Monday morning – and the survey by the end of the weekend.
Telephone Numbers:
Senator Mikulski (202) 224-4654
Senator Shelby (202) 224-5744
Senator Reid (202) 224-3542
All other numbers at: http://www.senate.gov/”
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The Issue: Section 735 of the Senate Version of HR 933 (The Appropriations Bill That Will Keep the Government Funded Through September 30.) This provision is intended to give the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to ignore court rulings barring the planting of GMO seeds. Monsanto, Bayer, and others (with the Gate Foundation an major stockholder of Monsanto doing a lot of lobbying) want to get their seeds planted without proving safety
The Solution: Senate Amendment 74 introduced by Senator Jon Tester with Senators Leahy, Gillibrand,Boxer, Begich, and Blumenthal would strike Section 735
Another Action Item – but time is running out:
Everyone Should Take the One Question Survey Posted at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GMOProvisioninBudgetBill
You can also insert it on your facebook or webpage by using: Click here to take survey
WHAT? SPROUTS?
I am outraged and laughing at the manipulations and fear tactics of the FDA. It just posted a Friday Food Safety notice to be wary of raw sprouts because of the risk of food borne illness such as salmonella and E. coli. They claim that there have been 30 reported outbreaks within the past 16 years and that the problem is with the 
seed itself. They caution even home grown sprouts including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung beans.) They also caution people with challenged immune systems, children and pregnant women to not eat sprouts raw or lightly cooked.
Such BS. The problems come with the chicken, bat, and cow manure in the sol used or leaking downstream into water sources used. This comment is based on 30 reports over 16 years – what about the 100 million plus instances where people have eaten sprouts and not only boosted their immune systems and helped challenge certain diseases but also went away healthy with smiles. I wonder if the FDA has ever posted reports from years ago that a rumored 240 deaths a day are traced to meat consumption –opps, gotta be careful of the meat industry.
The POP Campaign is conducting more research to address the details in case this mushrooms into a huge strategy of control or regulation – or setting the stage for massive GE planting of sprouts.
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.html?utm_medium=govdelivery&utm_source=campaign&utm_campaign=food-safe-fridays&utm_content=sprouts
GMO LABELING FOOD FIGHT HEATS UP IN CONGRESS – LET’S MAKE HISTORY TOGETHER AND GET THIS DONE -STAY TUNED
ALL OF OUR EFFORTS ARE COMING TO A HEAD NOW IN CONGRESS – WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED AS WE PREPARE TO HAVE OUR VOICES HEARD BIG TIME –
MEDIA RELEASE: Boxer, DeFazio Introduce Bill to Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods
More than 90 Percent of Americans Support the Right to Know What Is In The Foods We Feed Our Families
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) today introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act, legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clearly label genetically engineered (GE) foods so that consumers can make informed choices about what they eat.
Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mark Begich (D-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are cosponsors of the Senate bill.
Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), James Moran (D-VA), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Don Young (R-AK), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), George Miller (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Ann Kuster (D-NH) are cosponsors of the House bill.
“Americans have the right to know what is in the food they eat so they can make the best choices for their families,” Senator Boxer said. “This legislation is supported by a broad coalition of consumer groups, businesses, farmers, fishermen and parents who all agree that consumers deserve more – not less – information about the food they buy.”
“When American families purchase food, they deserve to know if that food was genetically engineered in a laboratory,” Representative DeFazio said. “This legislation is supported by consumer’s rights advocates, family farms, environmental organizations, and businesses, and it allows consumers to make an informed choice.”
“Despite the prevalence of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in grocery stores and prepared foods, it remains difficult if not impossible for consumers to determine if the foods they eat contain GMOs,” Representative Polis said. “This labeling bill is about empowering consumers: consumers can chose to eat or not eat GMOs, or to pay more or less for GMOs. I believe consumers have a right to know what they are eating so they can make their own informed food choices. I am proud to be working toward more informative food labels.”
“Food is a basic necessity in our everyday lives, and people have a right to know what’s in the food that we eat,” Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said. “I have long been an advocate of labeling food containing GE products because consumers deserve honest, transparent information about their food. This legislation puts consumers first and will empower them to make informed choices for themselves and their families.”
“GMO labeling is an issue I’ve cared deeply about for a long time and is one of the things I hear most often about from constituents,” Congresswoman Pingree said. “I think people have a right to know exactly what they’re feeding themselves and their families. The choice of whether to eat GMO food is best left to the consumer–but there’s no choice to make if we don’t provide them the information.”
According to surveys, more than 90 percent of Americans support the labeling of genetically engineered foods. In fact, many consumers are surprised to learn that GE foods are not already labeled.
Currently, the FDA requires the labeling of over 3,000 ingredients, additives and processes, but the agency has resisted labels for genetically modified foods. In a 1992 policy statement, the FDA allowed GE foods to be marketed without labeling, claiming that these foods were not “materially” different from other foods because the genetic differences could not be recognized by taste, smell or other senses.
Unfortunately, the FDA’s antiquated labeling policy has not kept pace with 21st century food technologies that allow for a wide array of genetic and molecular changes to food that can’t be detected by human senses. Common sense would indicate that GE corn that produces its own insecticide – or is engineered to survive being doused by herbicides – is materially different from traditional corn that does not. Even the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has recognized that these foods are materially different and novel for patent purposes.
Consumers – who are used to reading labels to see if foods contain MSG, gluten, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup or aspartame – clearly want more information. More than one and a half million Americans have filed comments with the FDA urging the agency to label GE foods.
The bipartisan legislation introduced today would require clear labels for genetically engineered whole foods and processed foods, including fish and seafood. The measure would direct the FDA to write new labeling standards that are consistent with U.S. labeling standards and international standards.
Sixty-four countries around the world already require the labeling of GE foods, including all the member nations of the European Union, Russia, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand.
This legislation follows last year’s letter from Senator Boxer, Representative DeFazio and 54 Senate and House lawmakers urging the FDA to require the labeling of GE foods.
Dr Brian Clement visits to support the POP Campaign
URGENT CALL TO ACTION: IMMEDIATELY CONTACT your REPRESENTATIVE regarding A BIOTECH RIDER on the Omnibus Funding Package – could be voted on this week
The intention of the Biotech Section 733: Imagine that a GE (Genetically Engineered) new corn seed is deemed potentially dangerous and even unlawful but the Federal courts system is prohibited from imposing restrictions on planting or use of it in our food supply. The Biotech rider is proposed to become part of the “Fiscal Cliff” Omnibus Funding package unless you help educate your representative. 26 House of Representative Members have signed a Congressional letter expressing the dangers of this action – more signatures are needed. Please phone your Representatives or fax a handwritten letter. Ask that they back Rep. Peter Defazio’s letter opposing the Biotech Rider (the Representative numbers are at http://www.house.gov/representatives/)
Rep. Peter Defazio’s Letter Opposing Biotech Rider in Omnibus Bill:
Dear Colleague:
I am deeply concerned about a dangerous policy rider intended to weaken the ability of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the judicial branch to protect our nation’s agriculture sector. I urge you to join me in opposing the inclusion of Section 733 in H.R. 5973, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013 in any omnibus spending bill.
In recent years, U.S. federal courts have ruled that several USDA approvals of genetically engineered (GE) crops violated the law and required further study of their economic, health and environmental impacts. These judgments indicated that continued planting may cause harm to the environment and/or farmers and ordered interim planting restrictions on future plantings, while allowing continued cultivation of those already planted, pending further USDA analysis and consideration.
Section 733 is specifically intended to:
• Prohibit federal courts from imposing reasonable restrictions when a GE crop approval is deemed unlawful and potentially hazardous;
• Eliminate the critical roles of our most important environmental laws;
• Remove federal agency discretion over GE crop approvals; and
• Establish a backdoor approval mechanism for unlawfully approved GE crops
With such a provision in place, USDA would be ill-equipped and, potentially, incapable of avoiding costly and far-reaching disruptions of the domestic and export supply chain, which can cost American farmers, exporters and food manufacturers billions of dollars in losses. This could undermine the confidence of export partners in the scientific integrity of U.S. regulation of agricultural biotechnology and could create uncertainty about the ability of the U.S. supply chain to meet international standards.
Judicial review is an essential element of U.S. law, providing a critical and impartial check on government decisions that may negatively impact human health, the environment or livelihoods. Inclusion of this rider is a brazen overreach into the authority of the independent judiciary and its ability to protect the rights of all Americans.
Please join me in opposing the inclusion of Section 733 in any future omnibus spending bill. If you have any questions or would like to sign onto the letter please contact Megan DeBates in my office at megan.debates@mail.house.gov (5-6416).
Sincerely,
Peter DeFazio
Member of Congress
A Special Message on GMO Labeling & Prop 37
Drs. Brian and Anna Maria Clement, Dr. Gabriel Cousins, Viktoras Kulvinskas, Cheri Soria, and many other health educators and healthy businesses are taking a very strong stand in favor of Proposition 37 in California to label genetically engineered food. There is no real argument here. this is a no brainer… and a must…but we have to get the word out. This passage will effect the entire nation on GMO labeling.
3 TO 3 TO 3 TO MAKE HISTORY – we are sparking our networks to ask you to connect with at least 3 people to connect with 3 people to connect with 3 other people who live in California or know someone in California to:
1. Watch and forward these 3 short POP Campaign and MOMS4POP videos
2. Post and share the video links below via email and social media between now and November 6th (copy & paste suggestions below)
3. Make history by voting “YES” on Proposition 37 – To Label Genetically Engineered Food today through November 6, 2012
* GMO Labeling: Watch What I Eat – you need to know
* GMO Labeling Prop 37: Not a science Experiment
* GMO Labeling: “Lab Rats – You have a right to know
Copy & Paste: Email and post on Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media:
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Everyone you know is NOT AWARE and CONNECTS THE DOTS like you do. Many of our concerned friends are being swayed by millions of dollars of deceptive ads. LET’S MAKE HISTORY TOGETHER and make this happen…. NOW!
JOIN US – we want a tsunami of connections and posts with less than 3 weeks to go ….. this is our time in history to make a difference.
VOTE “YES” ON PROPOSITION 37 To Label Genetically Engineered Food – now through November 6th
rudi@popcampaign.orgDrs. Brian and Anna Maria Clement, Hippocrates Health Institute
Preserve Organic Power!
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Apples genetically modified won’t turn brown -but what else will they do?
Written by Max Goldberg
Let’s put this under the You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up category.
Under a new USDA fast-track process, a Canadian company is asking the USDA to approve a genetically-engineered (GE) apple that will not turn brown when sliced.
Now for some questions……
What happens when an apple is sliced open and exposed to oxygen? It turns brown.
Does it lose any of its flavor or nutritional value? No.
Does the apple industry want this GE-apple? No.
The U.S. Apple Association, Northwest Horticultural Council (which represents Washington apple growers, who grow over 60% of the apples in the U.S.), British Columbia Fruit Growers Association and other grower groups have already voiced their disapproval of these GE-apples due to the negative impact they could have on farmers growing organic and non-GE apples, and the apple industry as a whole.
Could these GE-apples contaminate nearby organic apple farms and other non-GE apple farms? Yes.
And if this happens, these organic apple orchards will lose their organic certification, putting their owners in serious financial peril and decreasing the amount of organic apples in the marketplace.
Could these unlabeled GE-apples end up being consumed by innocent babies and kids? Yes.
They could find their way into non-GE fruit slices, juice, baby foods or apple sauce at the processing level, products predominantly consumed by children and babies who are at increased risk for any adverse health effects.
Who benefits from a GE-apple?
The biotech company making this very unnecessary food product, Okanagan, and the chemical companies who are selling the toxic pesticides to be sprayed on it. From what I have read, Okanagan’s non-browning “Arctic” apple would be first commercialized in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties.
Donate to the POP Campaign to preserve the organic power of our foods.
