Codex Alimentarius
Nutrient Dense Vegetable - Organic vs. Inorganic
Eating nutritionally dense food is vital for health
and longevity. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables
is heading in the right direction, but the quality of
food is as important as what you eat. Find a source
of good quality organic food and eat it regularly. I
recommend Riverford Organic vegetable
boxes which can be delivered to your home.
Another option is Abel & Cole, where you can
buy by the box or pick and choose your own
selection of fruits, vegetable and other organic
foods. Both Riverford and Abel & Cole have a
market of essential items available online that
you can add to your box order. Bread, dairy
products, wine and packaged foods. Typically I
like to get the large family box delivered once a
week, then I only have to shop for fresh fruit and
vegetables once a week. Well worth the time to set
yourself up with a service like this.
Grow Your Own Hanging Organic Garden
I love this creative idea
from San Paulo, Brazil, where a
family were treated to a home ‘make over’ by TV
show Caldeirao do Huck, that
included this gorgeous hanging garden planted with
medicinal herbs, flowers and spices. The women in
the family already used old food containers as
vegetable planters, but this inspired design by
Brazilian design studio, Rosenbaum, took the concept to
a whole new level.
If you like the idea of an Urban Garden, but don’t
have a great deal of space, have a look at an
Allotinabox; a thoughtfully
designed ‘Grow Your Own’ box kit, make your
choice, and before you know it you will be eating
your own home grown food. Of course, this box is
just to get you started. Soon you will be
confidently swapping heritage seed and expanding
your agricultural horizons. Also have a look at
the Urban Organic Gardener, for
further hanging garden inspiration.
Indian Government Files BioPiracy Lawsuit Against Monsanto
India is preparing a landmark
case against Monsanto, a Multi-National
GMO company, for Bio-Piracy. India claims that
when Monsanto took plants from India, developed
over many generations by Indian Farmers and
modified these plants to create a new GM version
for their own profit, they were in fact robbing
the farmers of India of their property. This
landmark case is being pursued by the Indian
Government with methodical attention to detail so
that it will lay the groundwork for further
litigation if Monsanto continues their assault on
Indian Farmers. An interesting situation and one
that I will follow as it unfolds over the coming
years (yes...years).
Note: A high rate of farmer suicides in India have
been linked to the effects on their livelihoods of
having ‘trusted’ the sales pitch of GM companies
such as Monsanto and Cargill, the consequences of
which has led to the ruin of tens of thousands of
Indian Farmers.
5 Tips for Avoiding GMO Foods
Yet, if there are such clearly researched health risks associated with GM food, why is it allowed into the food industry. A simple explanation for this may be found by carefully observing the chart below:
Monsanto is the world’s largest
supplier of GMO seed and related products
GM foods have maneuvered
their way into the heart of the food industry, with
the help of lobbyists paid by GMO corporations and
the support of government officials who are also
closely linked to the interests of GMO corporations.
It is no longer possible to shop for food at the
market place without being consciously aware of the
GM food industry and it is highly recommended that
you stay up to date and support organizations that
actively fight for consumer interests and rights such
as the Alliance for Natural Health and
the Non-GMO Project.
Tip 1 - BUY AND EAT ONLY
ORGANIC FOODS
If it has GMO ingredients it cannot be labeled organic. Although there
can still be some contamination, the best way to
stay as close to 100% GMO free as possible, is to
eat and buy only organic foods.
Tip 2 - LOOK FOR NON-GMO
PROJECT SEALS
Look for ‘Non-GMO’ seals on participating products,
as an added insurance. The Non-GMO Project is a
non-profit organization committed to protecting
consumers with the use of clear labels and
independently verified non-GMO products as well as
independent testing and research into the health
effects of GMO’s.
Tip 3 - AVOID
INGREDIENTS THAT ARE TYPICALLY GMO
unless those ingredients are clearly labeled
‘organic’ or ‘non-GMO.’ Crops that are typically GMO
include soy beans, sugar beets, corn, cottonseed,
canola, Hawaiian papaya, and some yellow squash and
zucchini/courgette, as well as dairy. If your first
reaction is that you don’t often eat those
ingredients, think again. Corn and Sugar (made from
sugar beets) is in most processed food in one form or
another. Canola and cottonseed oil is similarly a
part of a huge number of processed foods. I watched a
program once that showed the many forms that Corn
takes in the food industry and, frankly, it was
scary.
Tip 4 - AVOID PROCESSED
FOOD ALTOGETHER
I simply don’t eat ‘big corporate’ food. I don’t buy
food that is packaged. No cereals, no canned soup, no
packaged baked goods, no processed animal products.
None! I don’t miss them. I DO buy organic fruits and
vegetables, organic raw nuts and seeds, organic
sauces, herbs and spices, organic grains, organic
‘superfoods,’ the occasional organic cheese (rare as
I am 99.9% vegan) and, where ever possible, locally
grown produce. My kitchen cupboards do not contain
colorful packaging but they do contain real food that
is delicious and nutritious when ‘I’ prepare it.
Tip 5 - EDUCATE
YOURSELF
Click on this link and download
the document GM Crops - Just the Science
