Tag Archives: contamination

glyphosate, Health Canada

Glyphosate Contamination in our Food Supply: Safe Food Matters Takes Action in Canada

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Sustainable Pulse - Jan 28, 2020 - By Rachel Parent

After Health Canada’s re-approval of the herbicide glyphosate — a probable carcinogen according to the World Health Organization — Safe Food Matters Inc. (SFM), a Toronto based not-for-profit organization concerned about the health impacts of GMO’s and glyphosate, is taking Health Canada to court on January 30, 2020., Rachel Parent wrote on Medium on Monday.

This all follows the infamous court battles in the United States against Bayer/Monsanto over their herbicide Roundup and its links to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The key ingredient in Roundup also happens to be glyphosate.

While all three court cases against Bayer/Monsanto claiming that roundup caused non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have been won so far, and with more than 45,000 more cases still waiting on review, countries around the world have started to change their ways.

This has not been the case with the United States or Canada, who have done little to nothing to increase regulations surrounding the herbicide.

In light of Canada’s 2017 re-approval of glyphosate there has been a public outcry for the government to step in. Despite all the evidence, Health Canada, which is subjected to a strong corporate lobby, has done nothing except revise the label. Mary Lou McDonald, President of SFM, says it is “time to legally hold them to account”.

Glyphosate is sprayed on most genetically modified crops (GMOs), including soy, corn, canola and sugar beets. Glyphosate is also sprayed as a pre-harvest desiccant to dry over 70 different crops, including chickpeas, lentils, peas, hops, rye, wheat, and pistachios.

“Canadians spray per capita more glyphosate than the United States does, and I truly believe it will be a health epidemic,” said Brent Wisner, one of the lead attorneys on the Monsanto Trials.

There are numerous scientific studies and a growing body of evidence that shows glyphosate is linked to many health concerns, including cancer, and specifically non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other growing concerns are allergic reactions, kidney disease, fatty liver disease, mental health concerns, and chronic bowel syndrome. In addition it can mobilize toxic metals, kill bacteria, and recent research confirms that glyphosate alters the “microbiome” — the essential flora in the gut.

Studies provide evidence that these pesticides disrupt the gut bacterial populations (microbiome) at doses assumed safe by regulators. When asking Health Canada about their assessment of safety surrounding the herbicide, and which studies were used for the approval process, they could not provide specifics.

“Canada’s new food guide encourages us to eat more plant-based proteins like lentils, beans and chickpeas, but these are the most contaminated. Spraying crops while they are still growing can speed dry-down (desiccation) for harvest, but glyphosate builds up in the seeds of legumes and cereals, in particular those that are “indeterminate” plants. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirms that maximum residue limits are being exceeded in these foods.” McDonald said in a statement.

After reviewing the scientific evidence and potential negative effects of glyphosate exposure, McDonald felt that she had no other solution but to go to court on this issue. She’s been looking to create a case since 2015, when glyphosate was initially set for re-approval by the Harper government.

In 2017 SFM filed a notice of objection (“NoO”) to the re-registration decision and asked that an independent review panel be established. Eight NoOs were filed in mid-2017, and all were rejected on January 11, 2019. After Health Canada’s statement of rejection, SFM filed an application in federal court, challenging the basis for the rejection of its NoO.

In a final statement, McDonald concluded, “I believe in the law, and think we have a good case. A proper and valid evaluation is current, looks at all available information, follows principles of an evidence-based approach and good scientific practice, and is free from the appearance of conflict of interest. We expect that a new independent panel will ensure the health evaluation of glyphosate meets these criteria.”

Safe Food Matters has been granted a court date of January 30, 2020, at the Federal Court in Toronto: 180 Queen St. W; starting at 9:30. The public is allowed to attend and show their support.

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Organic Farming

Organic food - hype or hope? (42 min)

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DW Documentary - May 30, 2018  (42 min)

There is growing demand in the western world for organic food. But do consumers always get what it says on the label? How can authenticity be verified?

Is organic food automatically healthier? Consumers are prepared to pay a significant premium for it. There are currently, however, no reliable tests for distinguishing organic from conventionally produced food. Farmers need to invest a great deal of time, energy and money to qualify as a producer of organic food. There is no proof, however, that organic food actually contains fewer contaminants than conventionally farmed products. There is no such thing as pollution-free food, and there are currently no tests available for reliably distinguishing between organic and non-organic food. That opens doors for lucrative labeling fraud, which in turn explains why there are far more organic eggs on the market at Easter than at any other time of the year. The statistics clearly suggest manipulation, but it is hard to obtain evidence due to the differences between the two production processes appearing to have little effect on the quality of the product. Irish dairy farmers, for instance, are not allowed to label their milk “organic” because the pasture land where their herds spend more than 300 days a year are treated with mineral fertilizers. Because cows are themselves bioreactors, however, the milk they yield contains no trace at all of fertilizer. On average, conventional Irish milk contains more omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants than organic milk from Germany. The reason is the fodder; German organic farms may use only concentrates and silage as supplementary feed to increase milk output - which impacts negatively on the quality of the milk. This documentary looks at researchers who are studying potential ways of reliably distinguishing between organic and conventionally produced food. And that is no easy task. Nearly every foodstuff requires a specific test. But one thing is certain: organic farming makes a major contribution to human welfare - by helping to mitigate climate change, protect the groundwater, conserve nature and promote animal welfare.

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Pollution, Toxins

Toxic Chemicals – PR Nightmare

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Counterpunch by Robert Hunziker - June 1, 2018

As reported by Politico and mentioned at the outset of this article, emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act exposed an unidentified White House source revealing a still-pending federal study on chemicals as “a public relations nightmare.” Imagine that!

But, the news gets even worse. All of Capitol Hill is aware that the EPA helped to bury the federal study that should have prompted warnings about toxic chemicals in hundreds of water supplies. Allegedly, Pruitt intervened to stop the release after the WH warned of “a public relations nightmare.” The report was supposed to be released in January, until EPA intervened. Hmm.

Because of that disquieting statement, alarm bells should be going off in public squares all the way from Seattle to Boston. In fact, further to the point, the Environmental Working Group estimates that more than 1,500 American water systems serving up to 110,000,000 people may be contaminated with chemical toxins. Egad! Chemical toxins are the bad stuff people don’t want inside their bodies. And, that’s a lot of people exposed to chemical toxins.

As recently as February 2018, local officials at Blade, Delaware ordered residents to stop drinking tap water, which is the liquid that comes straight out of the faucet. Why? According to the Associated Press story of May 22, 2018: “Soaring numbers of water systems around the country are testing positive for a dangerous class of chemicals widely used in items that include non-stick pans and firefighting foam.”

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Animals

Americans’ Appetite for Cheap Meat Linked to Widespread Drinking Water Contamination

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The US leads the world in meat production. One-third of all land in the continental US is used to grow feed and provide pasture for animals that will be killed for meat, according to the environmental group Mighty Earth. Now that agricultural pollution’s impact on drinking water is coming into focus, meat producers such as Tyson Foods are under pressure to set standards that would require large farms in their supply chains to clean up their acts.

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42326-americans-appetite-for-cheap-meat-linked-to-widespread-drinking-water-contamination