Blog

The Food Freedom Movement

A promising leap toward more food sovereignty in the US has been the deregulation of local food production and sales at the state level. Several states have passed bills to legalize or expand raw milk distribution, “cottage food” sales, and on-farm slaughter — regulations that had been prohibitive to traditional small farms in the past.

Moms Across America previously reported on a global land-grab involving using carbon and nitrogen regulations as the impetus to cull herds of livestock. The result of these regulations, in the name of climate change, would put thousands of multi-generational family farms out of business and reduce access to meat (raising prices) for millions. However, several fronts in this battle have taken a turn for the better. These should inspire and empower us all to continue taking positive action toward a safer food system.

New testing reveals that General Mills’ new Trix brand, “LOADED” cereal, contains high levels of toxic heavy metals and agrochemicals.

• Levels of toxic heavy metals arsenic and cadmium present in two samples of Loaded Trix flavor were 200-400% higher than EPA allowable levels in drinking water.
• Aluminum levels were as high as 3500 ppb, making Trix Loaded cereal a toxic way to start the day according to EU standards, if eaten daily. Aluminum levels were 1,365% and 1,650% higher than the EPA maximum allowable level in drinking water
• Glyphosate levels were 15.83 and 17.47 ppb, 158-174X times higher than has been shown to cause sex hormone changes and organ damage in animal studies when they consumed .1 ppb of glyphosate herbicide.
• Trace levels or higher of 8 pesticides were detected, including Fluopyram-1 a fungicide that has been shown to cause endocrine disruption in humans and wildlife at low levels.
• Piperonyl butoxide - an ingredient used in shampoo to facilitate the killing of lice was detected in Loaded cereal.

Reposted from Children's Health Defense

In 2007, Marcia and Jason Haller — high school sweethearts who met in Duluth, Minnesota — bought their dream property north of Duluth to peacefully live close to nature and Marcia’s family.

Little did they know then that American Towers, AT&T and T-Mobile would soon build a cell tower just 900 feet from their home — a tower that would later forever change Marcia’s life as she knew it.

Reposted by Carol Grieve of Food Integrity Now

Are you confused about seed oils? Avoiding seed oil is essential for creating great health and wellness. But why? What are seed oils? Is fat bad for us? If we are a avoiding seed oils, what fats should we use and why? In this article, I would like to address some of these issues.

As February winds and bitter cold segway into hints of March weather, a few hours of warmth a day coax the sprouting of daffodils on our farm. Spring is soon on its way and I am itching to plant more seeds.

I learned recently from Caleb Warnock, the Renaissance Gardener on our Monday Night Moms Connect Call, that we can plant seeds in the ground in February as soon as the ground is workable. We don’t have to be so careful about managing all of the cool season planting, 2-4-6 weeks before the last frost, and guessing when that might be.

By Beyond Pesticides

A study published in Environmental Research finds an association between adverse neurodevelopment (brain function and development) among infants and exposure to the herbicide glyphosate during pregnancy (gestational).

The great American — and global reaching — experiment with lab-created “food” continues to expand with the introduction of fake milk products currently used by more than a dozen food brands distributed by major retailers across the country. But recent testing by the Health Research Institute (HRI) found 92 unknown compounds and significant nutrient deficiencies in one of these brands, Bored Cow’s synthetic milk — produced from a “form of genetic engineering.” Over a dozen companies use similar formulations in products like cream cheese, smoothies and ice cream. Bored Cow, is offering a synthetic whey protein, coined "ProFerm," courtesy of biotech firm, Perfect Day. This synthetic protein is dubbed genetically modified "microflora."

We are delighted that Chipotle has announced its investment in Greenfield Robotics – Robots for Regenerative Agriculture. Chipotle was one of the first major restaurant brands to go GMO-free and had the lowest level of the damaging agro-toxin glyphosate in our recent independent testing of the top 20 fast food brands. Their dedication to sourcing healthy ingredients continues with this latest announcement. As far as we know no other fast food chain is taking these bold and admirable steps.

While conventional farming destroys weeds with chemicals and soil tillage, resulting in escalating costs, soil erosion and degradation of soil, resistant weeds, and health risks for both wildlife and humans. Greenfield Robotics, provides regenerative agriculture solutions without chemicals. Their fleets of autonomous robots are lightweight and cut weeds between rows of broadacre crops, reducing dependence on toxic herbicides while supporting regenerative farming practices. 

This is not only good for the immediate health of consumers of Chipotle food but the robotic technology offers long-term savings to farmers by improving soil health and crop yield, reducing dependency on chemicals, reducing crop damage, mitigating environmental risks, and eliminating concerns over herbicide resistance.

From Alliance for Natural Health

The agency recently made a big announcement about a regulation that could eliminate 41,700 products from the market. We need to keep up the pressure to protect access. Action Alert!

THE TOPLINE

• The FDA announced that it will release the final version of the “new dietary ingredient” (NDI) guidance in several distinct pieces.
• This is deeply concerning because 1) it shows the extent of the focus the agency wants to dedicate to this guidance, and 2) it prolongs the uncertainty regarding NDI notification procedures, increasing the chances that Big Pharma can use the FDA’s back-channel to steal more natural products.
• It is increasingly looking like the FDA is following in the footsteps of the European Union’s restrictive supplement regulations in order to create a harmonized, global market.