Food Transparency Vermont Demands GMO Labeling


Vermont Senator David Zuckerman and Representa- tive Carolyn Partridge spearheaded efforts for Vermont to pass the nation’s first unrestricted mandatory labeling bill for genetically modified organisms (GMO). The state leg- islature’s collective efforts, lasting more than a decade, led to an unprecedented, game-changing new law signed by Governor Peter Shumlin on April 23. Anticipating the current lawsuit by Monsanto and


Shame Game Corporations Bow to Public Pressure


Microbeads are tiny balls of hard plastic found in facial scrubs, sham- poo and toothpaste that flow down drains and pass through wastewater treatment plants, ending up in wa- terways, where they enter the food chain. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has proposed the first U.S. legislation banning plastic microbeads in commonly used cosmetics (Tinyurl.com/Bead- Legislation). Finding microbead-free products


isn’t easy; we must read ingredient lists and steer clear of products that con- tain polyethylene or polypropylene. Natural alternatives include ground almonds, oatmeal and pumice. Palm oil is a natural ingredient used in thousands of everyday prod- ucts from snack foods to shampoo. But as tropical forests are cleared and carbon-rich peat swamps are drained and burned to make way for palm oil plantations, carbon is released into the atmosphere, driving global warming and shrinking habitat for endangered species. Tropical deforestation current- ly accounts for about 10 percent of the world’s heat-trapping emissions. Last March, General Mills and


Colgate-Palmolive announced new palm oil policies. Concerned citizens can tell other major corporations that for the sake of our atmosphere, tropical forests, peat lands and endan- gered species, the time to act is now, and to use only deforestation-free and peatlands-free palm oil going forward.


Take action at Tinyurl.com/Palm OilPetition.


the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Vermont has set aside $10 million for legal fees. The Organic Manufacturers Association is working to expand funding behind Vermont’s defense because the outcome could affect all 50 states. Unless legally overturned, starting July 1, 2016, products sold in Vermont that contain more than 0.9 percent GMO content contamination will require a statement on the label indicating that genetic engineering was used. Products that contain GMOs and are labeled as such cannot also label their products as “natural”. The bill, however, does not apply to labels for milk, eggs and meat from animals fed GMOs.


Donate to Vermont’s defense fund at Tinyurl.com/SupportGMOLabeling.


Relaxing Rules U.S. Organic Standards Under Siege


Last September, without any public input, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), under pressure from corporations, changed the way the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) decides which non-organic materials are allowed in products labeled as Certified Organic, all but guaranteeing that when the NOSB meets every six months, the non-organic and synthetic materials allowed in organic items will increase. Certain non-organic or synthetic materials can be used in up to 5 percent of a


USDA Organic product, and in up to 30 percent of a Made with Organic Ingredients product. Look for the addition of carrageenan, synthetic nutrients such as DHA and ARA, sausage casings made from processed intestines, synthetic methionine, antibi- otics and mutagens, among others.


Sign a petition in protest at Tinyurl.com/OrganicStandardsPetition.


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