Why the FDA APPROVED melamine for our consumption.

[dixiegrrrrl]

On Oct. 3 2008 Bush's FDA knowingly exposed us to a melamine-laced food supply, by ruling that food products "with levels of melamine below 2.5 ppm pose little risk."

BUT just up to a week prior to Oct. 3 the FDA was producing reports that melamine was a poison and would not be allowed in food.

Why the change?

I just found a possible reason in the New York area Post-Journal of Nov. 11 2008.
Hint: has to do with the bailout.

http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/516286.html

Also here is a cross reference to the FDA web page with links to
pre- Oct. 3 melamine warnings, ( bottom of page)
on the same page that FDA outlines now-acceptable melamine consumption.
"In food products other than infant formula, the FDA concludes that levels of melamine and melamine-related compounds below 2.5 parts per million (ppm) do not raise concerns. This conclusion assumes a worst case exposure scenario in which 50% of the diet is contaminated at this level, and applies a 10-fold safety factor to the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) to account for any uncertainties. The TDI is an estimate of the maximum amount of an agent to which an individual could be exposed on a daily basis over the course of a lifetime without an appreciable health risk.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01895.html

The Gov't, poisoning its own population.
Hard to imagine, isn't it?

Stealing our money, poisoning our food, taking our jobs, taking our houses, taking our Constitutional rights, destroying the educational system, making health care re un-affordable, putting 1 in a 100 Americans in privatized prisons.
Gee, you would think the government does not like Americans.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. I'm so glad we did it. We got ourselves a Democratic president, a good man

I don't know if I'd have stayed in the U.S. should another Repugnican have been elected.

[pokercat999]

7. I voted for Senator Obama but I'm still very wary, he is after

all a politician. We will see what happens when he becomes President, but my fear is that he will do exactly or almost exactly what the corporation want him to do and not nearly enough will change.

I hope I am worrying about nothing. We'll all know a lot more in 2010 or so.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

13. Well, I'm no psychic but I'm going to guess....

...that since it took the Repukes decades to destroy this country to the degree that it's almost terminally ill, it most likely will not be fixed in one term. However, picture this:

4 more years of Bush and Cheney. How would you feel then? Or how about this, McCain wins and promptly dies from stress, then Wasilla Bozo takes over as president. How about that? What country would you be relocating to? :( I'd be thinking Canada, France, and so on.

After their 8 years, my hair is looking like I've been the victim of g-forces for quite a while. I'm going to have to go get myself one of those Japanese hair straightenings to get it back down.

[pokercat999]

26. I have no idea what I would have done had McSame stole the

election. No idea...........could be almost anything. Just the thought still gives me the creeps. I hope President Obama can fulfill his promise to change America and I mean at it's roots not just superficial "looks better but it's the samey-same change".

Edit to add: Just like this melamine thing and the FDA....someone should be at least fired and investigated for malfeasance and possibly taking bribes.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

45. I totally agree with you nt

[liberal_rxstudent]

85. Yeah...

:eyes: that won't happen. Our FDA is riddled with people who have worked against what the FDA prior to them working FOR the FDA. Sounds crazy...but the situation will not get better any time soon. This problem goes far beyond a few individuals. There seems to be a totally reversed philosophy at the FDA right now. I am hoping that will change in the near future because I hope to one day be there when it regains its glory. I am a little hopeful...yet still very cynical. That's just me.

[Alameda]

33. He has to work within the system, which is very sick.

He is not a full member of the insider elite. Look at what they did to Carter, tried to do to Clinton. Obama will have a very perilous road to travel. He has my support and prayers.

[Grinchie]

49. I agree, Obama will be attacked from both right and left wanting the Status Quo

We all need to makes sure we stand behind him on issues where he gets resistance from the Corporate Elite, as long as he doesn't get seduced over to the pro corporate side himself.

As far as the Melalmine, the Government has basically said that it's OK to be slowly poisoned over the course of a lifetime. We have drugs for chronic pain, incontinence, acid-reflux, as well as dialisis machines for the 1% of the population that lose kidney function. The health care industry will read the rewards of people too stupid to demand their rights to clean and healthy food in lieu of "Cheap" products from China and beyond.

This is the same set of creatures that fast tracked Genetically Modified Foods with are now in about 75% of the U.S. Food Supply, Unmarked, and unknowingly eating by millions of men, women and children daily for that past 12 years. These products are unlabled due to the fact that the producers are to adraid to be held accountable for whatever long term health issues arise after millions of people are slowly, but inevitably contaminated with Bacillus Thuringensus (BT), or become the vessel where Clostridium Difficile suddenly incorporates genes for the Production of Glyphosate (Roundup) from the morsel of corn that someone ate from Taco Bell.

Our food supply is yet another gift from Reagan/Bush/Quayle/Clinton that is a time bomb waiting to explode.

[givemebackmycountry]

70. What a sad excuse for a free country this is....

As far as the Melamine, the Government has basically said that it's OK to be slowly poisoned over the course of a lifetime. We have drugs for chronic pain, incontinence, acid-reflux, as well as dialysis machines for the 1% of the population that lose kidney function. The health care industry will read the rewards of people too stupid to demand their rights to clean and healthy food in lieu of "Cheap" products from China and beyond.

Yet, I can't smoke a fucking joint without being concerned.

Greatest country in the world?
Blow me you bastards.

USA! USA! USA!

:puke:

[earth mom]

39. I don't trust most politicians either. None of us should. We need to be more like the French. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

40. Yeah. I have been studying the French "activity "of 1789-99.

Amazing parallels between France then and us, now.

[Joe Chi Minh]

57. Just so ong as it doesn't end up at election time as, "Oh, politicians are all the same!"

[pokercat999]

92. That is one of the problems, politicians in American are all the

same in one respect that they owe their "election" to the monied interests. That and they ALL want one thing RE-ELECTED! Maybe, just maybe, President Obama has changed that somewhat in that he has raised a huge amount of money for his campaign directly from individuals. The real question is will that translate into real change at the root level, can we deny power to the corporations? And does he even want to?

One thing for sure, we're about to find out.

[Auggie]

93. Add Pelosi to that equation. In 2007-2008 she took in $1,308,895

in PAC contributions. I'm not holding my breath.

LINK: http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/pacs.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00007360

[defendandprotect]

78. We'll know pretty much on either side of Jan 20th ...

And didn't take Pelosi long to show us who she really is ...

or to instruct Obama in what to do---!!!

[Tutonic]

2. Wow...just wow.

[JeffR]

5th rec, and thanks for posting this

It's worth remembering now that one of the first of the Bush mis-Administration's actions was to relax arsenic standards. If for nothing else, I have to give them points for consistency.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

5. Applied to the FDA and USDA recently

to help counter the BushCo damage. Food safety is a top priority for me/us.

[MadMaddie]

8. Good Luck! We need real professionals to fix all of the

broken Goverment organizations once Obama is in office.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

12. Thank you for the supportive wishes.

It is imperative that a team is put together to define the extent of our potential exposure. I'm afraid the infrastructure that existed prior to the takeover by the Repukes is all but dismantled.

[MadMaddie]

16. I have this feeling it may be easier to start from the ground up

than trying to fix the utter and complete mess that is the FDA and other organizations are in.

[Two Americas]

55. much is still in place

Much of our public agricultural infrastructure is still in place, despite the relentless efforts by the right wingers to destroy it. Thousands and thousands of progressive and talented individuals are still on the job. Thousands of family farms still survive. The ag colleges, though strapped for funds and under pressure from corporations and Republicans, are still in place.

The FDA has become highly politicized at the top, and in my opinion has no business being involved in agricultural issues. The tomato scare is but the latest attack on farming by them disguised as a public safety issue. The incompetence of the FDA in handing that issue was stunning to see. The Bush administration has been using a variety of federal agencies in their war on family farming, including Homeland Security, ICE, and the FDA. The last remaining cooperative and sustainable family farming communities represent an obstacle to complete control over our food supply and farm land by corporations.

[JeffR]

10. Countering that damage will take a lot of work, but it's vital.

What's even more worrying is how much has gone on that hasn't had a light shined on it yet.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

15. Exactly.

Proper analysis of the security risks -- of both current stock and future imports -- is absolutely critical. I'm afraid it is dire.

[JeffR]

17. I have a gut feeling - pardon the expression - that you're right.

Good luck, and I hope your sense of urgency can become the new gold standard in these agencies.

The insane thing about this is that more than a century ago, a few forward-thinking people already fought heroically to safeguard our food and water, despite a much less nuanced understanding of biology, chemistry and the vulnerabilities of the food chain. What these people accomplished in the cause of public health, increased longevity, reduced infant mortality and a host of other benefits is still one of the great achievements of civilization.

We've backslid (or more properly, been hijacked) to a state many of our grandparents might well have considered crude, antiquated and reckless.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

18. Restoration of standards, restoration of natural systems,

restoration of accountability... all are imperative if we are to have any long-term sustainability. If not now...?

I know you get it. And, I know that "we" get it here in this parlour-on-the-net. It will take some doing to convince the power brokers that it is also in their best interest.

[Two Americas]

56. not so sure

I do not think that sustainable agriculture and safe food is in the best interests of the power brokers - quite to the contrary. It is in the best interests of the people. It will take a fight, not persuasion. Billions of dollars are involved, and for the power brokers that trumps public safety and the environment.

I am also not so sure that we get it here, for the most part. We have a population that is three to four generations removed from the farm, and never before in history have so many people been so detached and removed from the source of their food. The depth and breadth of the ignorance of farming among the public is unprecedented and profound. Too many here promote personalized "choice" solutions to agricultural issues. Safe, adequate and healthy food is a human right, not a personal consumer choice. Sustainable agriculture and the preservation of cooperative farming communities is a moral obligation we have to future generations, not a matter of consumer choices or political compromise.

The food supply cannot be left to the whims of the "free market."

[truedelphi]

59. When "experts" told us that benzene was found in soda pop

But then assured us that it was at a safe level, I knew we'd been compromised.

FUnny ow the more that things change, the more they stay the same.

[kimmerspixelated]

65. ALso, anytime death is listed as a side-effect

of mainstream drugs and they STIll decide it's okay, then something is very wrong with our system!

[chimpymustgo]

82. I noticed they're calling those "fatal events" now.

When they give that long list of side effects for prescription meds. Clearly a WTF moment.

[truedelphi]

89. I guess they are trying to get us to realize that

We all die sometime - so what if it is immediately after beignning a course of treatment for some minor ailment that didn't really require a drug :sarcasm:

[kimmerspixelated]

94. Exactly! Bingo!

But Shh! Watch out...those mad scientists from the skeptical forum will come pounce on you for saying anything against their beloved Big Pharma!

[Two Americas]

54. wonderful

There is a desperate need for people committed to rebuilding the public agriculture infrastructure. Please keep us informed and stay in touch.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

3. They don't like

"working-class" Americans. There are too many of us and we pose a threat.

[Robbien]

4. China has been using melamine since 1999 as a feed additive

It is an open secret in China that melamine is added to milk and animal feed to artificially boost nitrogen levels. It was not until recently, after the exposure of the tainted-milk scandal, that China make it compulsory to test the content of melamine in foodstuffs.

While unscrupulous milk and fodder producers - and subsequently the government - came under public accusations for making and covering up melamine-contaminated products, angry Chinese consumers are now pointing fingers at scientists.

The prestigious, government-funded CAS was among the first to be linked to the chemical.

Last month, Chinese bloggers exposed that as early as in 1999, a CAS institution placed advertisements for an additive to cattle feed called "DH Composite High-protein Fodder Supplement". The advertisement claimed that the technology could be used to manufacture "high protein fodder using organic nitrogen and special catalysts".

Many believed that "DH Composite High-protein Fodder Supplement" was based on melamine.

The CAS, however, was quick to deny the charge. Jiang Xiezhu, spokesman of the CAS, told the media that an investigation launched by the academy showed that the supplement "had nothing to do with melamine".

Few are convinced by the explanation, however, because the investigation was done unilaterally by the CAS. Without an independent observer, people began to doubt the objectivity of the results. And while denying that "DH Composite High-protein Fodder Supplement" is based on melamine, the spokesman also failed to publicize its formula or ingredients.

much more. . .
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JK14Ad01.html

When it advanced from being just added to cattle feed to being added to pet food, chicken food and now milk is anyone's guess.

And yes, I agree that there is no way US companies aren't aware of the practice and the Chamber of Commerce types put pressure on FDA to permit allowable minimums in our food.

[kestrel91316]

6. Melamine is an ADULTERANT. It is put in foods to fake the protein testing

results. It is there in order to deceive and cheat people. That is its only purpose.

The Chinese have been quick studies of the despicable methods of American-style unfettered free-market capitalism.

[undergroundpanther]

21. Melamine is a RESIN

Used to make plastics.

Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure. Uses for melamine include white-boards, floor tiles, kitchenware, fire retardant fabrics, and commercial filters. Melamine can be easily molded while warm, but will set into a fixed form. This property makes it ideally suited to certain industrial applications.

Melamine resin is manufactured by mixing urea with formaldehyde under heat and pressure. The substances begin to polymerize and are forced into a mold which will create the desired shape. Under pressure, melamine releases water, which could make the plastic unstable if it is not removed.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-melamine.htm
Human bodies are like 70% WATER!!
http://artibaldo.multiply.com/links/item/42


But one fact is that melamine is only slightly soluble in water, it, when is being illegally added into milk products, will be dissolved in formaldehyde (carcinogen) or other organic solvents before mixing into the milk. Experts doubt that dairy farmers, who were blamed for the tainted milk scandal, would know such complicate chemical compound technique.

In addition, melamine by itself is non-toxic in low doses. However, when melamine combines with cyanuric acid in water or diet to form melamine cyanurate, it will lead to fatal kidney stones or renal problems.

According to David Bradley’s article posted on Sciencebase.com on Sep. 17, 2008, melamine is described as being “Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Chronic exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage. Eye, skin and respiratory irritant.” However, the toxic dose is on a par with common table salt with an LD50 of more than 3 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, he added.

He says, “But, if melamine has low toxicity then what is it that has poisoned thousands of babies in China and why has this scandal occurred? Well, LD50, the toxic dose issue, tells us something about acute exposure not the apparent six-month’s worth of accumulated exposure these babies have suffered. Chronic exposure to melamine can lead to bladder or kidney stones and even bladder cancer and as we have learned, acute kidney failure.”

In the end, he points out the fact—that has been ignored by melamine-contaminated milk headlines—melamine added to the milk may not be pure. (read on about melamine scrap trade.)
http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/china/melamine-china-milk-powder-5370.html
OSHA says THIS:
Phenolic and amino resins are another group of PMC resins. With respect to the phenol-formaldehyde resins, the well-known hazards of both phenol and formaldehyde must be protected against. In addition to traces of free formaldehyde, they may also contain free phenol, and contact with these resins in the uncured state is to be avoided. The urea- and melamine-formaldehyde resins present similar hazards. Free formaldehyde, which is present in trace amounts and may be liberated when their resins are processed, can irritate the mucous membranes.

http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_1.html

Melamine is NOT SAFE TO EAT.Scrap melamine bought on the cheap and added to fake protein is even MORE not safe to Eat.And formaldehyde you wanna eat THAT?
Urea and Formaldehyde..

How safe is a little formaldehyde to eat?

Ingestion of formaldehyde can
be fatal, and long-term exposure to low levels in
the air or on the skin can cause asthma-like
respiratory problems and skin irritation such as
dermatitis and itching. Concentrations of 100 ppm
are immediately dangerous to health or life.
http://www.osha-safety.org/osha_formaldehyde.asp
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oppts/epatscat8.nsf/ReportSearch?OpenAgent&CASNumber=9011-05-6

Urea?A by-product of protein metabolism that is formed in the liver. Because urea contains ammonia, which is toxic to the body, it must be quickly filtered from the blood by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
urea poisoning
causes tremor, dyspnea, abdominal pain, incoordination, bellowing, convulsions and death in 2 to 4 hours. Due to hyperammonemia.
Blue lips or fingernails. Blue skin. Diarrhoea. Nausea. Vomiting. Dizziness. Headache.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/dtasht/_icsc15/icsc1590.htm
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/urea+poisoning
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6904079

[dixiegrrrrl]

42. Hmmm..all the reported increase in asthma.....

Maybe looking at the air is not the issue.

Really good information, thank for you sharing all this.:)

[ChairmanAgnostic]

47. great post.

Thanks.

I suspect that the change of heart is simply to help out the Chinese supply train to Walmart, USA.

[Two Americas]

53. thanks panther

Good post. Your efforts here are valuable and much appreciated, as always.

[lynnertic]

61. WARNING Cup-o-soup AND ramen noodles AND the new Korean brand

of instant noodles, recently, for me, have triggered reactions like undergroundpanther describes .... mild hand tremor, itch and/or headache after eating. It lasts the better part of an hour. Not sure about shortness of breath, but I also had a pounding heart for a few minutes.

As much as I love noodle soup (can you tell? I've gone through 3 types) I've given it up until I can find a trustworthy source.

We all know wheat gluten (ingredient in ramen-type noodles) has been contaminated in the past... more recent articles about the Chinese scare show that shrimp, poultry and other meats (maybe used in flavoring?) have been contaminated as well because melamine was added to their feed (and still was as of Sept).

Even if the food itself isn't poisoned MSG is bad for you and most of it is manufactured in China.

[eppur_se_muova]

66. Melamine resin and melamine are two different things.

Check the wiki.

Melamine and formaldehyde combine to form melamine resin. The ref you cite incorrectly says urea and CH2O are used -- this is to make urea-formaldehyde resin, commonly used to make insulating foam. The reaction with melamine is similar, but the chemical and physical properties of the resin are different. Commonly used to make 'melamine' dishware.

The material which is being added as an adulterant is melamine, which is cheaper, not melamine resin. Though I expect someone to try that any day now.

[undergroundpanther]

91. Melamine resin

Is used in plastics too not the dishes,the melamine they are using is scrap,I think it probably has both types.And cattle are getting urea poisoning from the melamine and melamine resin in their feed.

[wroberts189]

9. Terrible.. just terrible. n/t

[bertman]

11. What types of foods might we expect melamine to be in? Certainly processed foods, but what

specific types? Inquiring minds want to know.

[undeterred]

14. Our air was too polluted by EPA standards

so instead of cleaning up the air, our Democratic governor lowered the standards. It was easier. :shrug:

[undergroundpanther]

19. they WANT alot of us DEAD

I am not shitting you.

Since fascism is expensive and messy,those who seek to "reduce surplus population" ..Will change laws quietly,dismantle consumer protections,seek to make a trade partnership with a corporate slave state full of toxins and greed , and they'll lie and switch and bait.. These pigs that call themselves the elite,with too much money power,ands time and ego..are quite content to let plausible deni-ability remove them from responsibility,they let something they know inside themselves intimately flourish in others like themselves,GREED and hubris.They let other people do the killing FOR them..We are all expendable,we all have a price tag that declares how much we are worth..


Although it is an ancient fact of life, or rather an ancient technique, money has never ceased to surprise humanity. It seems mysterious and disturbing... It was a novelty more because of what it brought with it than what it was itself. What did it actually bring? Sharp variations in prices of essential foodstuffs; incomprehensible relationships in which man no longer recognized either himself, his customs or his ancient values. His work became a commodity, himself a "thing." -- Fernand Braudel

And we know things can be used until they break or can be thrown away.
http://dieoff.org/zaire_goma_dead_30.mov
http://dieoff.org/

THE FATAL FREEDOM
by Jay Hanson (Revised 8/29/97)

Exploit: To employ to the greatest possible advantage.

There is now scientific consensus that humanity is "unsustainable," and may have less than 35 years before the "functional integrity" of its life-support system is destroyed. <1> Despite this staggering evidence of its colossal stupidity, humanity remains firmly committed to a paradoxical struggle against itself. Moreover, caught by an insatiable drive for power <2>—like a school of sharks caught in a feeding frenzy—humanity resorts to self-deception and is conspicuously unable to rationally question its own premises. In this essay, I endeavor to point out the fatal flaw inherent in capitalism <3>: the fatal freedom to exploit the commons.

[shanti]

50. ITA!

i have always believed that myself too!

[defendandprotect]

81. yep ---

[defendandprotect]

80. Capitalism goes -- or we go --!!!

[GuvWurld]

20. yet another reminder

we've been taught this lesson repeatedly and should not be surprised to get another reminder that we have to protect ourselves from this lawless and illegitimate fascist power that directly threatens and harms us while posing as our so-called government. an orderly succession of power is not a given. the open threats to prevent it have become impossible to ignore. we perceive, accept, and perpetuate a sense of normalcy at our own peril.

[undergroundpanther]

23. people just refuse

to ever think those with power abuse that power.They like to pretend the abuse is dished out to"enemies" and criminals only.
Sad truth is we are being poisoned slowly.By asshole greedy people with too much money,power,and enablers around them..

Be it the government, military or corporation,they all have a part and all are complicit in creating this toxic environment,doing the damage to the food chain and harming the animals and Us.
We are all connected. We share a planet.Government gets bought off by lobbyists,shit gets into the food chain money is grabbed
http://www.toomuchonline.org/weeklies2006/Oct22006.html

and we get sick.And they don't care they got theirs.They can afford products that are contaminant free.If these obscene rich pigs can afford to blow 700 million on a fucking PAINTING,you know they do not have to get the full effects of what their toxic making corporations cause to us.


Denial in this case, is deadly.As scary as it seems and far away,it is here in our carpets,our cleaning products,the polluted streams,and in our water and food.We live in a toxic stew.Living in a toxic stew thanks to deregulation,greed and all the chemicals dumped everywhere causing pollution ,and all the so called scientists incapable of thinking outside their little specialties..we got this mess now and it is sickening us..

[wolfgangmo]

22. Don't panic ...

... eat organic and also locally grown.

Find a farmer near you. www.localharvest.org

[undergroundpanther]

25. Not everyone can AFFORD that!

And Organic and local labels mean NOTHING.

Who OWNS some of these organic companies?
http://awesome.goodmagazine.com/features/009/009buyingorganic.html
What does organic and free range mean?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6393/is_1_21/ai_n29243895/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
Agribusiness is invading farmers markets with their vendors.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/oct/01/food.food
Real small farms are heavily regulated while factory farms are not.
http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/your-money-or-your-life.php

This government might as well say,Let the poor and the masses eat poisoned food and die off..

[bertman]

77. If there is a farmers' market in your area, buy your food there and talk to the farmers who

actually grow it. Most of the farmers in our area have gone to organic techniques. Some of them are certified but most don't bother due to the paperwork and registration fee. These farms are working farms that you can visit at about any time year round, but you won't get a guided tour when they're planting or harvesting because there's not enough time in the day for the work to get done and also give tours. These farms are all small-scale, intensive operations. The farmers and their families pride themselves on providing healthy, delicious vegetables, meat, fruits, and a variety of canned goods such as jellies and jams, honey, etc.

If you want to eat bananas, or apples out of season, or strawberries out of season, you will be buying from industrial-scale farms and maybe farms in Peru or elsewhere. The organic label on these products is "supposed" to mean something, but how would we ever know if they were spraying? There are certification groups that are charged with making sure the products are not sprayed, etc. but I don't really trust them.

As far as cost, you're right that the locally-grown and organic stuff does cost more than what you might find at your local regional grocery chain store. But, here's a plus: there lies the incentive to eat less. I am not being a smartass about this. Seriously, most of the Americans that I see could stand a few less calories per meal. I have found that I can do just fine with one locally-grown, no hormones, no antibiotics, pasture-raised pork chop instead of the two that I used to wolf down when I was buying them from Hormel or Swift or one of those other mega-corporations. The same applies to the veggies and fruits. I eat less food because I am more conscious of its cost than when I eat cheaper store-bought food. But I am sure as hell not gonna blow away anytime soon and I feel much healthier. In addition, I really like talking with the people who grow my food and knowing them and their families and knowing that I am keeping my money in my area instead of sending it to Omaha or to Lima, Peru.

The biggest disadvantage to eating mostly locally-grown foods is that most foods are seasonal and have to be shipped in from elsewhere when the growing season is over in your locale. But I have learned to like a lot of veggies that I had never tried before just because they weren't part of my food habit. Once I switched to eating in-season greens I came to know and love chard, kale, bok choy and others. And, if you're really into it, you can always can and freeze foods for eating later in the year.

We don't have to be slaves to the corporate food producers if we are willing to step beyond the bounds of the local supermarket.

Bon apetit.

[Two Americas]

51. false option

Personal choice is never a solution to social problems, which require public policy solutions.

In addition, even should we embrace the "looking out for number one" approach to this problem, an organic label is a guarantee of absolutely nothing. It has been entirely co-opted and corrupted by corporate interests, there is little of any inspection or regulation, and many permitted organic practices are more harmful and dangerous than so-called conventional methods.

[cliffordu]

24. We should go feed them some.

[Seldona]

27. Poisoning people for profit? That is the only conclusion.

Here is to hoping the Democratic Party returns the FDA to working for the American People instead of industry. I believe they will, but they have to be held accountable if they fail in this regard.

Allowing 'acceptable' levels of poison that has no nutritional value whatsever to be added to the food supply simply to boost profits on substandard product should be on par with a war crime.

Of course the offending companies will get a fine, if that, which they will promptly seek to overturn. They are successful alot of the time as well.

*sigh

[Two Americas]

58. absolutely

Let's accurately describe this. People are intentionally being poisoned for the sake of profits. And why not? Don't profits come before people? Is not capital more important than labor? Are not the investors and speculators to be given power over the workers and producers? Are we not to have "personal choice" and take "personal responsibility?" Do we not need to bail out finance and "stimulate the economy" and should not "the market" determine, define and control every aspect of our lives? That is what has been pounded into us for decades now, and that thinking permeates the liberal community as much as any other segment of the population. The inevitable outcome of that thinking is the "choice" of eating intentionally poisoned food. Some here advocate as a solution that we make different "personal choices" and the hell with those who are too poor or ill-informed to make the "right choices." So long as we personally can buy our so-called "organic" - mostly controlled by corporations and smuggled into the country from places where a bribe to a corrupt local official is all that is needed for an "organic" stamp of approval - the who cares about the ignorant masses?

We can see how "personal choice" will never be an adequate alternative to public programs to protect public safety. Should poison-free food be a "personal choice" for only those who can afford that? Should corporations be permitted to offer intentionally adulterated food and say that the "market" will sort things out? Is it all merely a matter of each one of us taking "personal responsibility" and making the "right choices?" If so, that will be the death of civilized cooperative society.

This goes to the very heart of the danger to public health represented by the free market free trade Reagonomics program. If we do not stop it here, the game is over. Allowing control over our food supply and our health by the few, justified by the demand that we all worship the almighty God of "free markets," is nothing less than social suicide.

[Mari333]

28. kick

why isnt this on the news? someone send this to a list of news organizations including rachel maddow . this should be on every channel.

[SmileyRose]

29. They approve rat turds and bug parts for human consumption too

their is an approved limit in frozen foods for rat poop and bug parts and I don't think it's been changed since the early 80's (when I first became aware of it)

[Gormy Cuss]

32. Turds and parts aren't added to the products intentionally

Yes, one can argue that cleaner processing would eliminate them but it's doubtful that any company is dumping them into the food supply as an intentional adulterant.

[Two Americas]

52. misleading

Those are not intentionally added to food, and the regulations do not "permit" them, they restrict them.

There is no way to control hazards without identifying them. Crops grow in fields. Fields feature critters of various kinds. Microscopic levels, at least, of contaminants are inevitable. The modern suburban illusion of "clean and pure" causes more damage than it prevents.

[Mari333]

30. kick

[Mari333]

31. kick for my grandson

[Mari333]

34. kick afternoon crowd

[lynnertic]

35. this means that human-grade food will poison my dog.

Forget our family's kidney stones and liver diseases, they're messing with MY DOG. It makes me very angry.

[cascadiance]

36. Yes! WHY did these people HATE America? And WHY did so many of us vote them into power?

[TankLV]

37. You all DO know that "melamine" has been used to make that unbreakable PLASTIC DINNERWARE

don't you...

I think this is a "small" fact that needs to be mentioned at every article on this subject...

[kestrel91316]

41. Hey, I grew up with those Melmac dishes. Don't knock them. lol

[earth mom]

38. They care NOTHING for human life-especially the lives of their own citizens.

Between the melamine, genetically modified foods, the war in Iraq, Katrina, poisoning infants with mercury laced vaccines, etc., etc., etc., it can't be more obvious that the plan has been to kill off as many of us as possible. :grr:

[dixiegrrrrl]

43. I almost hate to add to this list:

uranium poisoning of most of Iraq, thus not only Iraqi citizens but our own troops in the Middle East, Afghanistan, previously Kosovo, etc.
Oh, yeah, do not eat any salmon, fresh or raised.
Fresh NW salmon swim up the radioactive contaminated Columbia River.
( Hanford Nuclear Reactor waste has been leaking for 60 some years)
and "farm raised" fish are fed with.....
you guessed it...
contaminated grains, plus ground up fresh salmon and whatever else the hell they can throw in
the feed.

Vegetarian is making more sense. I am 70% there.

[earth mom]

44. We forgot Mad Cow. I stopped eating beef because of it.

I am about 70% vegetarian too. I stopped eating fish not because so much of it is contaminated but because of overfishing. Did you hear about the whales in the Puget Sound that died of starvation? :cry:

[dixiegrrrrl]

69. The Orcas, yes.

I lived on a large Island in Puget Sound, used to watch the Orcas seasonally.
they are much beloved along the coast.
It angered many people to have one, and then several, caught to be put in places like Sea World, so someone could make money off them.

[defendandprotect]

74. Been Veggie/Vegetarian 20 years and hate to tell you but our crops

are also in trouble --

If you want to save the planet - kill capitalism before it kills you --!!!

[Two Americas]

60. why should they?

Virtually the entire population, including many here, has embraced or been forced into the "free market" doctrine, along with the anti-social and "personal choice" and "personal responsibility" ideas.

If the investors and speculators are to rule, and of all advocacy for the people, for the workers, is to be ridiculed and dismissed, we will have a lot of "collateral damage" and the public will be at great risk.

They don't want to kill us off, they just don't especially care if they do. And who are "they?" Those who have prospered and risen to positions of wealth and power by the rules of the game, which are do whatever it takes to make yourself a fortune, so long as you can get away with it. In the absence of any opposition to that, and we have many among us battling to prevent any opposition from forming, the assault on the public interest will go on and the human destruction will continue.

[fascisthunter]

68. yes...

well said :thumbsup:

[awoke_in_2003]

46. "Hard to imagine, isn't it?"

no, unfortunately it isn't :(

[indepat]

48. I can take some, but little, comfort that only 66% of the white folk in my native state voted to

continue all that represents Bush-world. :P

Edited to add a comma

[CLG_News]

62. K&R. n/t

[McCamy Taylor]

63. Excellent work. I suspect that the FDA is covering up for some American

companies, too. "Protein powder" supplements have been a mainstay of sports enthusiasts, body builders, people on low fat diets for years. Also, foods contaminated with melamine may have another breakdown product of melamine, ammeline which causes retinal damage and blindness rather than kidney disease. In Japan in the 1970s there was a notorious case in which chickens were given feed laced with plastics to increase the nitrogen content. The ammeline caused baby chicks to go blind. The effects of ammeline were well studied in Japan as a result. However, the US, Chinese and European communities act like they are unaware of this research.

All those babies in China who had kidney stones could also have retinal damage that no one will notice until someone does fundoscopic exams on them---or until they grow up and can complain of poor vision.

I will write more on this in my journal.

[Hanse]

64. Fear-mongering aside...

melamine has been in our food for many, many decades now, thanks to plastics used in dinnerware.

So clearly the government would be prudent to establish some level that would be considered safe. Why so recently then? Because nobody worried about melamine before.

If you've got any data that suggests less then 2.5 ppm is unsafe, I'd like to see it.

[defendandprotect]

72. Look at the need for medical care everywhere ... think that's normal--???

We've done nothing but create illness and disease --

and treat it with our slash & burn medicines ...!!!

[Hanse]

83. Uh...

Yes. Medical care is normal.

[defendandprotect]

86. This much illness isn't "normal" .. we rank 37th on health care--below Cuba--!!!

[mcg]

84. Wikipedia article on melamine ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine

In Europe, food or animal feed products containing more than 2.5 mg / kg are to be immediately destroyed.<28>

On October 3, 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that up to 2.5 parts per million of melamine was safe for adults, but declined to set a standard for children. The FDA also implied it would not permit the sale of food deliberately adulterated (rather than accidentally contaminated) with melamine.<33> Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, Chairwoman of the House subcommitee which oversees the Food and Drug Administration subcommittee, said anything less than zero tolerance would not protect consumers.<34> DeLauro criticised the FDA's "acceptable level for melamine in food" was an insult to consumers, and would give the impression that the FDA was condoning intentional contamination.<35>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Chinese_milk_scandal

I suspect the amounts of melamine involved in the Chinese milk scandal far exceeded 2.5 ppm.

2.5 mg / kg is the same as 2.5 ppm since 1 mg = 10^-3 g and 1 kg = 10^3 g.

I too would like to see some evidence that 2.5 ppm is an unreasonable standard.
I don't know much about the subject, so I wouldn't know.

There are standards for other poisons which allow small amounts that are deemed safe.
I don't think zero tolerance is a reasonable approach.

[fascisthunter]

67. This is a DIrect Result of the Wealthy's Influence on Our Government

it is time to keep wealth out of our government so that this shit never becomes profitable!! I am tired of reading article after article of how this government being run by a bunch of republican fascists give into the companies that are poisoning AMERICANS!

[defendandprotect]

73. These fascists were moved in right after WWII ...

they have a big headstart on you --

See Project Pperclip --

and the American fascists -- Bush/Dulles, etal -- brought them in and

used them in founding of CIA -- put them in FBI -- NASA --

We're a bit late in catching up with them --

Seems JFK was finding out about Paperclip --

[defendandprotect]

71. In the end...that's capitalism--!! Destroyed planet and killing us --!!!

[McCamy Taylor]

75. Here are some more scary things to think about as promised....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4476081&mesg_id=4476081

[Jim Sagle]

76. Most likely, just for shits and giggles.

[defendandprotect]

79. Does it have to be listed under ingredients...???

[quidam56]

87. Third world Appalachia, come see the prosperity thanks to coal

We need a cure for health care, not just affordable health care but acceptable standards of health care. In Tennessee and Virginia, "horrifying" health care is deemed and defended as "acceptable" health care. Wise County, VA is feeding coal to China to power their homes, economy, businesses and schools, the schools in The Coal Industry's back yard are so old and outdated they can't even power up the latest technology these kids deserve to compete on a global scale. It's sinful, but remember Presidebt Bush is trying to speed up more devastation and destruction. END MTR !

http://www.wisecountyissues.com

[ksimons]

88. go dems!

[aviationpm]

90. Our own governments put Flouride in out tap water...

I don't find this difficult to believe!