Whole Foods and Monsanto Partner Together

[RenaissanceLady]

This pretty much kills the notion of Whole Foods selling "organic" foods:

In the wake of a 12-year battle to keep Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation’s 25,000 organic farms and ranches, America’s organic consumers and producers are facing betrayal. A self-appointed cabal of the Organic Elite, spearheaded by ​

Whole Foods Market​

, ​

Organic Valley​

, and Stonyfield Farm, has decided it’s time to surrender to Monsanto. Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto’s controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for “coexistence” with Monsanto and USDA biotech cheerleader Tom Vilsack.​

In a cleverly worded, but ​

profoundly misleading email ​

sent to its customers last week, Whole Foods Market, while proclaiming their support for organics and “seed purity,” gave the green light to USDA bureaucrats to approve the “conditional deregulation” of Monsanto’s genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant alfalfa. Beyond the regulatory euphemism of “conditional deregulation,” this means that WFM and their colleagues are willing to go along with the massive planting of a chemical and energy-intensive GE perennial crop, alfalfa; guaranteed to spread its mutant genes and seeds across the nation; guaranteed to contaminate the alfalfa fed to organic animals; guaranteed to lead to massive poisoning of farm workers and destruction of the essential soil food web by the toxic herbicide, Roundup; and guaranteed to produce Roundup-resistant superweeds ​

that will require even more deadly herbicides such as 2,4 D to be sprayed on millions of acres of alfalfa across the U.S.​

​

​

“compensation.” In exchange for a new assault on farmworkers and rural communities (a recent large-scale Swedish study found that spraying Roundup doubles farm workers’ and rural residents’ risk of getting cancer), WFM expects the pro-biotech USDA to begin to regulate rather than cheerlead for Monsanto. In payment for a new broad spectrum attack on the soil’s crucial ability to provide nutrition for food crops and to sequester dangerous greenhouse gases (recent studies show that Roundup devastates essential soil microorganisms that provide plant nutrition and sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases), WFM wants the Biotech Bully of St. Louis to agree to pay “compensation” (i.e. hush money) to farmers “for any losses related to the contamination of his crop.”​

​

For full article, please read: USDA Forces Whole Foods To Accept Monsanto | World Truth. TV​

​

 

[RenaissanceLady]

We applaud the USDA's historic approach considering deregulation with conditions (or coexistence) as one of the options. By recognizing that cross-contamination of GE alfalfa could impact organic and non-GE farmers and consumers, both domestically and for our export markets, the USDA is acknowledging that organic agriculture has the right to not only survive but to thrive alongside conventional agriculture. So, faced with the choice between full deregulation of GE alfalfa or conditional deregulation of it, our best chance at preserving seed purity, and the future of organic and non-GE agriculture now is to fight for every protection available under the USDA’s conditional deregulation coexistence option.

Urgent Action Needed to Support Organics and Non-GE Crops | Whole Foods Market

I wasn't aware that this was initially taking place more than 2 years ago. Considering my views toward *many* GE crops, I find this disheartening. Whole Foods should be fighting this battle, not saying that such "compromise" is perfectly ducky.

 

[pixelsmith]

Nothing to see here. GMO is completely safe. Obama says so.

 

[exo_doc]

SO, ...when ALL alfalfa is GMO because of pollen dispersal, does that mean Monsanto will sue anyone with alfalfa growing on thier property?
I mean, they screwed over a farmer whose field was contaminated by Monsanto trucks driving by and loose seeds falling out and growing on his property. Monsanto sued HIM for contaminating HIS field, ....and WON.
Ain't this a great country or what?

 

[williamjwhite]

I gave up on this stuff a long time ago, not because I don't care, but keeping up with this stuff is nearly impossible, and I have enough headaches as it is. So, I've chosen to opt out of this battle. Maybe I'll start worrying about it again when I grow a second head, or a third eye. Although, now that I think about it, a second head, or a third eye might actually be a cool thing. Just saying.

 

[Wade]

I have to say I'm not terribly surprised by this, I thought i saw this potentiality some ten years ago when whole foods starting buying out some so cal natural foods markets. I don't know if they are truly related but to me these showed signs of a company answering more to their stockholders rather than those who patronize their markets.

 

[Jimi H.]

Nothing to see here. GMO is completely safe. Obama says so.

Well, Obama didn't exactly come through on the green issues, that much is clear. It's too bad Gore's election was stolen, that could perhaps have made a real impact.

 

[pixelsmith]

The only green gore cares about is the green in his wallet. Thanks to the people who fell for his scam he is a wealthy man now.

 

[Angel of Ioren]

Oh boy, will this thread turn into another global warming conspiracy thread!?

 

[exo_doc]

Oh boy, will this thread turn into another global warming conspiracy thread!?

It's not a conspiracy Angel, GMO foods are a reality. The question is, is that food safe?

 

[Angel of Ioren]

I was referring to Al Gore being brought into the conversation.

 

[nameless]

..waiting for it..

 

[exo_doc]

I was referring to Al Gore being brought into the conversation.

Ah.

 

[Christopher O'Brien]

Whole Foods is an over-priced, greedy, price gouging rip-off. Gimme Trader Joes, Wild Oats, Sunflower or Green Grocer any day...

 

[Burnt State]

SO, ...when ALL alfalfa is GMO because of pollen dispersal, does that mean Monsanto will sue anyone with alfalfa growing on thier property?
I mean, they screwed over a farmer whose field was contaminated by Monsanto trucks driving by and loose seeds falling out and growing on his property. Monsanto sued HIM for contaminating HIS field, ....and WON.
Ain't this a great country or what?

Before humanity could blink corporations bought the rights to seeds, genetic strains, the right to make grapples and peachannas that contain fish oil, viagra and mortality defying enzymes. This selling/caiming of our natural inheritance is a global event that is one more nail in the coffin of humanity thanks to our apathy.

Since corporations declared themselves to be humans, it appears their profit margin motivation is faster, and more sophisticated than your average grocery store shopper. It's as if The Lorax lifted his keister, and all that was left of our good sense along with him, when he floated out of the sky like a sad ET that tried to warn us. Too little, too late, too bad for us all.

 

[RenaissanceLady]

Whole Foods is an over-priced, greedy, price gouging rip-off. Gimme Trader Joes, Wild Oats, Sunflower or Green Grocer any day...

Yes, Whole Foods has always been more dedicated to taking whole paychecks than actually offering healthy, organic foods. I also prefer Sprouts (formally Sunflower) and wish there were a Trader Joe's in Colorado, though I'm grateful they may be reopening in a few locations in and around Denver. I also try to buy organic, locally-grown or raised foods whenever these are available, which isn't the easiest task when living up on a mountain more than an hour from Denver. We may get a farmer's market for a couple of months but that's about it. When I could, I was doing farm-shares.

This also brings up a concern: Cross-pollination and contamination is a genuine threat. Farmers who are trying to grow organic crops may inadvertently end up with crops that have been contaminated by GE seeds - and that's assuming the farmers are being honest and trying to truly grow organic foods. How many GMOs are ending up on shelves because there wasn't clear labeling or through genuinely dishonest practices? How many GMOs are being fed to livestock or are eaten by wildlife, only to reenter the food-chain that way?

 

[Angel of Ioren]

Organic is more of a marketing term than anything else. I try my best to buy local (although that is not easy in Quebec in the winter), but I'm not too concerned whether it's organic or not.

 

[pixelsmith]

GMO/Monsanto activities are related to geoengineering/haarp. These aluminum/drought resistant GMO seeds are sold by monsanto. The recent increases in aluminum, barium and other chemicals in our soil are from the geoengineering which when combined with HAARP can control local weather and what areas of crops are destroyed by floods or drought resulting in more seed being purchased and millions of dollars made in seed sales and monsanto gambling on crop futures.

 

[exo_doc]

 

[mike]

Petition here

Avaaz - Monsanto vs. Mother Earth