Does Organic Food Need a Marketing Campaign?

Author: Rachel Cernansky Publication Date: April 5, 2011 Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/04/does-organic-food-need-marketing-campaign.php?campaign=th_rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehuggersite+28%Treehugger%29 Summary: In this article, the author talks about a issue that could go either way and could be debated about for hours on end. So called natural products, which actually have synthetic fertilizer and chemicals added, are harming the sales of organic products. Most Americans assume that when they see natural on a label, the food is automatically organic and they purchase it, when it is really not. Many people do not understand organic farming and what it is and the organic farming industry needs to either label or educated their customers or else their sales will continue to plummet. All in all, the organic farming industry needs to act quickly to prevent falling to "natural" products. Opinion/Reflection: I think that all of this GMO and organic stuff is very interesting. Here is another article talking about education. Yes, the organic industry needs to get out and educate the customers about what they are eating and what the difference is between natural and organic foods and get the assumption out of their heads. In order for the organic industry to succeed, not only do the people need to be educated, but marketed too as well. There should be more labelling of organic foods in grocery stores and convience stors. The way that this connects to my life, is that sometimes I feel that my own family has the assumption that because something says it is natural it is organic. I will admit that whenever I see a can of corn that says naturally grown I automatically think of a corn stalk and corn on the colb being naturally grown. In the end, I though this was a very interesting article to read and share and I hope that we can correct people's way of thinking, including myself. Questions: 1. Why are people not educated about what organic means? 2. Why don't organic farmers and sellers label their products saying what organic means and not what people assume it to be? 3. Why do people think that when they see natural on a label of food they think it is automatically organic when most of the time it is really a GMO? 4. How can we fix this problem to help the organic industry? Graphic: http://pursuehealthyyou.blogspot.com/2011/01/organic-foods-are-they-worth-it.html

Why Aren't G.M.O Foods Labeled?

Title: Why Aren't G.M.O Foods Labeled? Author: Mark Bittman Publication Date: February 15, 2011 Link:http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/why-arent-g-m-o-foods-labeled/?ref=geneticallymodifiedfood Summary: The F.D.A and the U.S.D.A will not require any food to be labeled as a G.M.O because they do not want to imply that these foods are different than the non-genetically modified food. A good variety of people are not very keen on the amount of G.M.O's used in their food which is the reason they will not be labeled. All of Europe has strict policies on G.M.O's there allowance for G.M.O's in their foods are low; around .9% of G.M.O in food must be labeled. This is making an influence on people in the U.S. to not buy foods that are said to be genetically modified. However, another reason people do not trust genetically modified food is because their potential to cause allergic reasctions to poeple and the transfer to humans of antibiotic-resistant properties of G.M.O's have not come to pass. Graphic: I thought this image would be a good example of how easy it is to label a product that is genetically modified. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.treehugger.com/images/2007/10/24/GM%2520label.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.treehugger.com/2007/10/14-week/&usg=__rpkjhTeOutSJxQFgOpn3R-j9L3o=&h=332&w=500&sz=70&hl=en&start=0&sig2=HLSahgXODQg2Qo1I0nXLhQ&zoom=1&tbnid=hgK5A56e2ll6xM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=173&ei=wlSiTea1DMPIgQfw1IzaBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3DG.M.O%2Blabels%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D528%26gbv%3D2%26tbm3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=115&vpy=194&dur=5162&hovh=183&hovw=276&tx=184&ty=118&oei=wlSiTea1DMPIgQfw1IzaBQ&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0 Opinion: I think that G.M.O foods should be labeled. The picture above shows a simple way of adding that the food is genetically modified by putting it in the ingredients part on the product. It also does not attract a lot of people from seeing it unless they decide to read the ingredients. It is important for people to know what has been done to their food. By labeling G.M.O products it gives the people their choice to decide if they want to eat genetically modified food. I know that when my mom goes to the super market and gets fruits like strawberries, she looks for the box that has the biggest and reddest strawberries. Genetically modified foods grow faster and bigger than non-G.M.O products, so I could have been eating genetically modified strawberries but I have no way of actually knowing if I did or not. I would like to know the amount of genetically modified foods I have eaten. Questions: 1) Would you buy a product that has been labeled as genetically modified? 2) Do you think the F.D.A and U.S.D.A are doing the right thing by not permitting G.M.O products to be labeled? 3) Do you feel comfortable buying products that could be genetically modified but have no way of knowing if they are?

Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Found in New Delhi Water

Title with link :Drug-Resistant 'Superbug' Found in New Delhi Water
Author: Jaymi Heimbuch
Date: 4-7-11

Summary: An antibiotic resistant organism was found in New Delhi’s water. This organism, metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1, is a superbug. Many tests of India's water supply have been done to prove NDM1 is there. Nearly one third of the samples of surface water came up positive, and four percent came up positive in tap water. These numbers dont seem big now, but they most likely aren't getting lower. Due to the warmer months, and monsoons in India, the chance of this superbug spreading is exceptionally high. The bug is mostly transferred to India and Britain tourists getting medical surgery.

Opinion: I think this is bad. About 8 months ago, I read about this superbug. The only information on it was that it was resistant to nearly all antibiotics and it originated from plastic surgery through India and Europe. I thought nothing of it because nobody was talking about it and the few people I talked to were very confused and almost mockingly acting when I told them. Now that I see it is making bigger headlines, and a bigger commotion, it may be the new H1N1 virus, (Which I also had heard about before the big talk happened.) This ties into class really well because we were discussing how things become drug resistant. I hope we can get this superbug from spreading too far around the world.

Graphic: Right on the website if you click on the title, there is a picture of somebody getting water in India, even though it might be not clean.

Questions:
1) Have you heard of NDM1?
2) Do you think we can find a different antibiotic for NDM1?
3) Do you think this will affect exports from India like rice?
4) What protective measures would you take?
5) Do you think this is dangerous?

Title: U.S. Approves Corn Modified For Ethanol

Author: Andrew Pollack

Publication: February 11, 2011

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/business/12corn.html?_r=1&ref=geneticallymodifiedfood

Summary:

This article was about how the U.S.Department of Agriculture recently approved a type of genetically modified corn to make it easier to turn into ethanol. As always on this topic, it is reported that many people are against the department's decision to allow this. Other farmers do not want the pollen of this corn cross-breeding with their corn. The North American Millers Association stated,“If this corn is commingled with other corn, it will have significant adverse impacts on food product quality and performance." This modified corn contains an enzyme that breaks the corn down into sugar, which is the next step of turning it into ethanol. Supporters say that this corn will use less water, chemicals, and work, but produce more ethanol. Syngenta, the company that owns this crop, has been told to work with protesters to make them more happy. Syngenta says that as much as 40% of last years corn production went towards ethanol production, so this is another step forward. It is unclear at this time if there are any bad things about GMO's , but I hope that the Department of Agriculture made the right decision.

Opinion:

I think that genetically modified corn is a great idea. I eat a lot of corn during the summer, and I am not concerned with possible negative affects of this corn. I hope that scientists can modify corn so that it is always sweet so that I can always enjoy my summer corn! Because 40% of corn is used towards ethanol I think that genetically modified corn will be a good way to make ethanol at a faster rate. As time passes by I think more people will start to see the many benefits of GMO's (genetically modified organisms). These organisms will boost the economy, produce more at a faster rate, and improve the quality of them. I hope that in the future we will find safe and healthy ways to modify our food so that we can help to end world hunger and get better quality food!

Graphic: http://politicolnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/GMO-CORN.bmp

This image shows a piece of corn being genetically modified.

Questions:

1) What is your opinion on GMO's?

2) Do you think that most of our food will be genetically modified in the future?

3) Would you eat genetically modified food?

4) What are the Pro's and Con's of Genetically modified organisms?

F.D.A and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk

Title: FDA and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk

Author: William Neuman

Publication: The New York Times

Date: January 25th, 2011

Link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/business/26milk.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Summary:

Each year, the FDA are finding more and more antibiotics in cows in dairy farms, more than the allowed amount. It is hard to get rid of the antibiotic milk, according to dairy farm owners, because they cannot just dump millions of gallons of milk just to make it better for the people. John J. Wilson, a senior vice president for Dairy Farmers of America, disagrees. He says, "the nation’s milk was safe and that there was little reason to think that the slaughterhouse findings would be replicated in tests of the milk supply." The F.D.A. said that it would confer with the industry before deciding how to proceed. 788 violated cows (cows with too much antibiotics in them) were found in 2008. In the end, the FDA decided to dump all the antibiotic milk, and start fresh.

Opinion:

I am kind of on the fence about this one. A lot of farms use antibiotics in their animals to keep them healthy and grow faster, but recently (as the article states) they are using a lot of antibiotics, too much, some may say. As we learned in class, this can cause problems. The biggest problem is that it can create resistant bacteria, which could get into the milk and into us. On the other hand though, I feel that it was wrong to throw out all that milk. That can cause environmental problems and it is not good for the cows. The FDA should know better than that.

Graphic

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.answersingenesis.org/assets/images/articles/nab/h-pylori.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/is-natural-selection-evolution&usg=__c_O6Ttw-eTgInvSJOPKpa2v7vX8=&h=407&w=550&sz=50&hl=en&start=0&sig2=du8vj2MbsAiT0eA1HgB9jA&zoom=1&tbnid=rGzqxgkvCzVFsM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=174&ei=9iiaTa2CCoOC0QG2w4X-Cw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dantibiotic%2Bresistance%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1045%26bih%3D484%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=436&vpy=184&dur=4872&hovh=193&hovw=261&tx=114&ty=182&oei=9iiaTa2CCoOC0QG2w4X-Cw&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0

I thought this was a good (and funny) picture of bacteria that can become resistant to antibiotics.

Questions:

1. What do you think of the FDA throwing out the milk?

2. What would you do about the antibiotic situation?

3. Would you even use antibiotics in the first place?