The Trouble in the Food Chain (video)

The Holy Qur'an teaches:
O men, eat of the lawful and good things from what is in the earth,
and follow not the footsteps of the devil.
Surely he is an open enemy to you.
Sura 2:168

Modern Day Grafting

So what is 'transbiology'? It is referring to the ability to engineer or design life-forms that do not occur naturally. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us about the scientist Yakub who did that very thing 6600 years ago on the Isle of Patmos. The term used for the process was 'grafting'. If you understand the concept of grafting then you know that the science of 'transbiology' is not new at all. The following article shows what is going on now in this novel field of research - but it does not answer the 'WHY' question.

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!

Transbiology
From 911WeKnow.com
2-25-10

Picture: Columbus, Ohio about a decade ago now. -- Kimberly http://www.911weknow.com/about-the-sky/transbiology If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck ... what is it? Strange things are happening in our world. Materials are emerging that have not existed before, and we're not talking about ducks. As geoengineering scientists the world over expound on their ambitious plans for meddling with weather and nature to address "climate change," the public goes about its business as usual. "Mess with the weather? Why not? Maybe they'll let the neighborhoods vote on it!" Today, alas, weather is not weather and ducks are not ducks. The jabberwocky extends to humans, too, unfortunately. And though this introduction is written as though to make light of the subject, please know that the subject is not light at all. Far from it. Life: A New Classification One independent researcher has now discovered that we are filled with "new organisms" that match no known biological life form. Filaments abound in us, of unknown origin, that contain certain microscopic components which are unclassifiable. Some are like chlamydia (a bacterial parasite that typically causes urogenital infections), some are like mycoplasma (a bacterial parasite typically found in mammals), and some are erythrocytic (red-blood-cell like, but somehow modified or engineered). The chlamydia-like structure does not seem to be bacterial, as it survives applications of extreme chemicals and heat. The mycoplasma-like form is also not bacterial, as it too does not suffer under chemical and heat extremes. The red-blood-cell form manages to appear and renew itself (replicate) away from any biological (animal) host ... Hey, folks! -- that's super-high technology at the very least, wouldn't you say? When you consider the three domains that encompass the life forms on our earth (bacteria, archaea, and eukarya), and you compare the properties of what this particular researcher has discovered in his petri dishes, you are led to a very confusing conclusion. Organisms that are archaeic (from the second life group) can exist without oxygen and are found in natural conditions of extreme heat and cold (volcanic vents and under the ice shelf). So, as our researcher has found, for something that looks like bacteria to behave like archaea suggests that some sort of crossover of the two forms has taken place. Blood from a dog shows chlamydia- like forms on the red-cell wall (click to enlarge) The light-colored specks are chlamydia- like forms that have grown in a culture of human blood (click to enlarge) Hmmm. Well, let's go onto the the filament itself. Filaments occurring in nature generally fall into the fungus family (part of the eukarya life group), but this filament can't be matched with any type of known fungus. In addition, it contains materials from the other class(es) in its tubular interior! Again, hmmm. So, where do we go with this? Our researcher concludes: "It appears we are dealing with an organism that transcends the structural existence that has been defined for life itself ... an orchestrated synthesis that crosses the lines of the three domains of life on this planet." In other words, something is appearing in living things (animals too) that is a new life form, a transbiological form, that cannot be classified according to what we know, that appears to have been engineered, that resists destruction, and -- if you read our researcher's previous papers -- that appears to self-replicate. (Read the full paper on "A New Classification" here.) People -- homo sapiens -- are of the eukarya life group (fungi, protozoa, slime molds, plants and animals). But if we now have components of the other groups materializing in us, are we still homo sapiens? There is such a thing on the books as homo evolutis, you know. The transhumanist movement is pushing for a new kind of human by this name. Posthumans will not be like us, and perhaps we are already conforming to the recipe for the creation of this future species. What do the next few years hold? DARPA (the research department of the military) is about to sink millions into a program called BioDesign, aiming to eliminate "the randomness of natural evolutionary advancement." Look at that again and think. This is about overriding nature. The plan is to create synthetic organisms that are immortal, or can be killed on molecular command (throwing a program or switch). In other words, life and death will be technologically determined, and natural forces will play no role in the matter. As reported on Wired.com, the idea is "to come up with living, breathing creatures that are genetically engineered to 'produce the intended biological effect.' Darpa wants the organisms to be fortified with molecules that bolster cell resistance to death, so that the lab-monsters can "ultimately be programmed to live indefinitely." Hmmm. An announcement of the intention to make synthetic life that can be programmed. And who are the lab rats so far? Or, who gets to be programmed and who gets to be spared? Does the neighborhood vote on it? Read full article here. For a better understanding of how these new organisms have gained entry into our bodies and tissues, please visit our "Morgellons Syndrome" page. The dissemination of suspicious materials by way of aerosol spraying operations that span much of the world has been photographed, videotaped and commented on by thousands of concerned people. Official agencies deny that anything untoward is happening, yet soil and water samples show dangerous levels of dangerous substances (check out the rest of this website). Human health is suffering, as is plant and tree life. What is afoot -- or above -- as the case may be? Are we being altered already, as DARPA desires? Who has taken upon themselves the right to transform us in this way? See our "Up Close and Personal" page for even more. http://www.911weknow.com/about-the-sky/transbiology

Grow A New Set of Teeth

The Honorable Elijah Muhammad told us that in the Hereafter all things would be made new. Not just a new heaven and a new earth, but even we ourselves would be made new. A new mind with new thoughts to think and a new body that could be turned by to the age of 16. And a new growth of food to eat. But what would any of it matter if we had either bad teeth or no teeth? Well, this may not be the Hereafter yet, but already we see the reality of what he taught coming into view.

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Grow-your-own to replace false teeth
The Guardian,

3 May 2004

The British institution of dentures sitting in a glass of water beside the bed could be rendered obsolete by scientists who are confident that people will soon be able to replace lost teeth by growing new ones.
Instead of false teeth, a small ball of cells capable of growing into a new tooth will be implanted where the missing one used to be.
The procedure needs only a local anaesthetic and the new tooth should be fully formed within a few months of the cells being implanted.
Paul Sharpe, a specialist in the field of regenerative dentistry at the Dental Institute of King's College, London, says the new procedure has distinct advantages over false teeth that require a metal post to be driven into the jaw before being capped with a porcelain or plastic tooth.
"The surgery today can be extensive and you need to have good solid bone in the jaw and that is a major problem for some people," Professor Sharpe said.
The method could be used on far more patients because the ball of cells that grows into a tooth also produces bone that anchors to the jaw.
The choice of growing a new tooth is likely to appeal to patients. "Anyone who has lost teeth will tell you that, given the chance, they would rather have their own teeth than false ones," said Prof Sharpe. The average Briton over 50 has lost 12 teeth from a set of 32.
The procedure is fairly simple. Doctors take stem cells from the patient. These are unique in their ability to form any of the tissues that make up the body. By carefully nurturing the stem cells in a laboratory, scientists can nudge the cells down a path that will make them grow into a tooth. After a couple of weeks, the ball of cells, known as a bud, is ready to be implanted. Tests reveal what type of tooth - for example, a molar or an incisor - the bud will form.
Using a local anaesthetic, the tooth bud is inserted through a small incision into the gum. Within months, the cells will have matured into a fully-formed tooth, fused to the jawbone. As the tooth grows, it releases chemicals that encourage nerves and blood vessels to link up with it.
Tests have shown the technique to work in mice, where new teeth took weeks to grow. "There's no reason why it shouldn't work in humans, the principles are the same," said Prof Sharpe.
His team has set up a company, Odontis, to exploit the technique, and has won £400,000 from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts and the Wellcome Trust.

Self Hatred Is a Lethal Disease

The following article and link give a scientific look at what it means to be afflicted with the disease of 'self hatred'. So afflicted, one becomes a danger to oneself and to others. This is not pleasant reading. It is sobering and even frighteningly depressing.

It makes you wanna hollar and scream! But what good would that do?

Makes you want to 'shoot the messenger' and say it ain't so. But, it probably is true for the most part. What makes it so unpalatable is the lack of love in the delivery of such bad news to the victims of this epidemic of 'self hatred' spawned by slavery and its aftermath. Our self hatred is only the reflection of the abusive and pervasive hatred that our would-be slave masters and oppressors threw our way for so many centuries. We are still running around with that seething hatred leaking from all our pores. It spews out in words and deeds that are destructive of self and kind. It makes unity impossible, or even normal family life! It renders impossible the relationships that would make business and economic development possible and blocks other advances that we as a people could be making. This self hatred is a lethal brew - it is the poison Kool-aid, and we should stop drinking.

What's the antidote to the poison of self hatred? It is the love that God has for us, made manifest in His searching the Earth for us, and as expressed in the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, as represented by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.

What we have to do is translate and transpose these self love teachings into the precise modern language of today's generation making them contemporary and relevant. More importantly, we have to translate these self love teachings into acts and deeds that programatically change the landscape of Black life as it is lived and experienced by our people everywhere. Words are the start of everything, but if Words do not become Deeds, then we can only become increasingly the victims of the pathology that afflicts us that makes us the enemy to self and kind.

This kind of scientific report, because it is objective, and virtually devoid of emotion, should be studied by us to help us hone a programmatic approach that will remedy the fatal illness of self hatred. We must do this. It is almost too late.

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CDC Report Shows Dangers of Black Males
September 27th, 2009
Black men are the leading cause of death among young blacks.
Based on a 96 page report on the causes of premature death by the CDC, the leading cause of death among young blacks of both sexes appears to be black men. See report.
AIDS.
According to the CDC, black men are ten times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV or AIDS than white men. Among black men who allege that they have never engaged in a homosexual act, the figure rises to about 15 times the rate that heterosexual white men are diagnosed. Studies by the CDC also conclude that black men are more likely to have HIV or AIDS and go undiagnosed than white men.
All of this translates to black women being diagnosed with HIV or AIDS at a rate of over 20 times that of white women. The general trend is for black men to catch HIV/AIDS from each other in prison and then give it to black women when they are released. The CDC believes that 74% of black women who have HIV/AIDS contracted it through heterosexual contact with a man.
A 2004 report by the CDC says that AIDS is the:
* the leading cause of death for black women aged 25–34 years.* the 3rd leading cause of death for black women aged 35–44 years.* the 4th leading cause of death for black women aged 45–54 years.
By way of comparison, AIDS was only the 11th leading cause of death for white women aged 25-34!Homicide
The same CDC reports say that homicide is the:
* the leading cause of death among black men aged 15-34 years. (Three age categories!)
* the second leading cause of death for black women aged 15-24 years.* the fifth leading cause of death for black women aged 25-34 years.
Among women aged 15-24, homicide accounts for 5% of premature deaths in white females, but 20% of all premature deaths by black females.
Among both black and white men, homicide deaths peak at aged 25-34. The death rate by homicide among white men in this age group is 12.5 per 100k, and accounts for 10% of all premature deaths. The death rate by homicide among blacks in this age group is 101.8 per 100k, and accounts for 48% of all premature deaths.
The majority of black female homicide victims are killed by a current or former boyfriend, which many refer to as “femicide.” About 93% of all black homicide victims are killed by a black perpetrator overall. 85% of white homicide victims are killed by a white perpetrator.
“The National Black Women’s Health Project” has identified the battering of women as the number one health issue for African American women (Joseph, 1997).
Femicide is a leading cause of premature deaths in African American women aged 15-44. (Journal of Issues in Nursing Vol 7, No. 1)
In 1998, Salber and Taliaferro reported that the spousal homicide rate among African Americans is 8.4 times more than for whites. The incidence of spousal homicide is 7.7 times higher in interracial marriages compared to intraracial marriages. (Source WebMD.com)
Relationships with black men dramatically increase a woman’s chances of dying young.
Black females aged 15-19 are 3.9 times more likely to die of homicide or AIDS than white females in the same age group. This increases to 4.4 time for females aged 20-24 and 7.3 times for 25-34.
White women who engage in relationships with black men dramatically increase their chances of premature death or long term health problems from murder, beatings, and STDs.

Mother Ruby, The Embodiment of How to Eat to Live!

At 112 years 'young' Mother Ruby Muhammad is an example to us all of how life should be lived. As you will read below, at 112 she has more life than many of us who are a fraction of her age.

We should learn from her example and try to be like her. The best way to honor her is to emulate her good example. And we have the technology to do so.

It's called: How to Eat to Live!

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The 'Mother of Sacramento'



by Jonathan Mendick



Making History in Sacramento Community Tags: americas christ unity church cotton culture georgia jimmy carter louis farrakhan mother of the nation of islam mother ruby mother ruby muhammad nation of islam obama peanut president jimmy carter ruby macie grayer sandersville san francisco south sacramento st paul suzanne brooksthe jazz generation we are climbing jacobs ladder<<>> Image 2 of 2Mother Ruby Muhammad is proof that it's never too late to do anything. An orphan who met her father when she was a teenager, Muhammad joined the Nation of Islam at age 49 and learned to read at 60.Sacramento's oldest supercentenarian at age 112, Muhammad will perform songs and tell stories about her life March 7 at the Imani Community Church. The first-time performer will be joined for the one-night-only performance by her friend, playwright and vocalist Suzanne Brooks, and Brooks' band, The Jazz Generation.The show is tentatively called "I Believe I Can Fly," after Muhammad's favorite song, written by R. Kelly. It also aligns with her positive outlook and her belief that if she had wings, she could fly.Muhammad was born Ruby Macie Grayer in Sandersville, Ga., in 1897. She grew up in Americus and worked on a farm that belonged to the family of former President Jimmy Carter.Muhammad's first memory is picking cotton. In her childhood, the family didn't own much, not even a bed. Muhammad's daily routine was to pick up her few belongings from the floor and work in a cotton or peanut field from 4 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m., said Brooks, who was asked recently to write Muhammad's biography."They were like slaves, really," Brooks added.On the farm, Muhammad used work tools as musical instruments. One of her favorite songs was "We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder," which she plans to perform.Because she never had a formal education, Muhammad made her living doing housework. Besides Georgia, she has lived in St. Paul, Minn., San Francisco and Sacramento, where she moved to be closer to her daughter after Muhammad's second husband died.She's surprisingly physically and mentally sharp for a 112-year-old. Sitting in a recliner in her home in a South Sacramento retirement community, Muhammad moves to her couch without a walker to pose for a photograph.She wrote a book of poetry in 2001, and recites one of the poems off the top of her head. Muhammad claims she's still a limber dancer, an avid bingo player and a cook.She uses a hearing aid and owns a wheelchair that was a gift. But Muhammad is all smiles and can talk your ear off."She loves me and she helps (me) to understand love in a really special way," said Brooks. "She will call me sometimes at one or two in the morning to chit chat about politics, the world, or the environment."In 1986, the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, named Muhammad the Mother of the Nation of Islam.Muhammad said she loves the title of "mother," and added, "I'm proud I took care of children."She recalled finding a 4- or 5-year-old Jimmy Carter getting into her peanut sack."I shoved him off. He went 'Waaah,' " she said. "His mother came in the door and said, 'What happened?' I said, 'He fell.' "Carter didn't hold it against her. After all, Muhammad was the boy's nursemaid. During his presidency, Carter invited Muhammad to the White House."I love people and I think they love me," she said. "I may be fooling myself, but I don't believe I am. That's me."The great-great-great-grandma said she would like to be regarded as "the mother of the U.S.," "the mother of Sacramento" and "Mother Ruby to the whole world."Her goals include writing more books, being the oldest woman on Earth (she must outlast a handful of supercentenarians) and receiving a third invitation to the White House to meet the Obama family and eat dinner with them. "I didn't ever think I would live to see a black president," Muhammad said. "I like him and I think he'll make us a good president."She's traveled all over the United States, to Mexico, the Bahamas, Italy, England and France. Muhammad loves music, especially jazz, as well as writing poetry. "I do what I want to do, and I go where I want to go," she said. "I'm just happy to be alive."Her advice for younger generations?"You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it. Plant that in your mind like a seed in the ground."Advance tickets can be purchased by mailing a check or money order with the number of tickets requested and return address to: 3325 Northrop Ave., Sacramento, CA 95864. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. The Imani Community Church is located at 2100 J St.
Check The Sacramento Press closer to the event date for more information.

The Science of How to Eat to Live

Johnny-Come-Lately gets it right!

More scientific evidence that what Master Fard Muhammad taught the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is 100% correct:

"Fasting with the right food is the cure for all our ills"

Even cancer!

Now all we have to do is practice it and live, and live, and live, and live...

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More Evidence Links Longer Lives to Fewer Calories

Katie Drummond Sphere

(Dec. 21) -- The potential for calorie-restriction diets to lengthen our lifespans has been on the scientific radar for decades, despite predominantly animal-based testing. Now, new research is offering the first substantial evidence that eating less might lead to longer human lifespans. Biologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham grew healthy human lung cells and precancerous lung cells, and then fed them different amounts of glucose -- the simple sugars that fuel cell activity -- for several weeks. Healthy cells on a low-glucose diet lived longer than expected, and precancerous cells died off in mass quantities. The implications of the study -- the first to examine aging and life span using human cells, rather than laboratory animals -- could be profound as a growing body of scientific data suggests that calorie restriction might be a means to longer life and a reduction of aging-related illnesses such as cancer.Until now, the most promising research on calorie restriction has been exclusive to animals. Last year, Dr. Asish Chaudhuri, a biochemist at the University of Texas Health Science Center, concluded that mole rats -- who can live up to 30 years -- have a uniquely efficient means of mitigating oxidative stress, which causes cell degeneration and aging. Oxidative stress is, in part, a byproduct of digestion: the more energy a body requires, the more oxidative stress it incurs. Now, Chaudhuri is working with a grant from the Department of Defense to boost the cellular efficiency of primates by limiting their caloric intake. If all goes according to plan, he anticipates that troops will subsist on a limited diet within a decade. "Troops contend with more environmental and mental stress than most," he says. "Calorie restriction would give their bodies a head start." Of course, the collective research doesn't yet amount to proof that low-calorie diets can defend against cellular stress and extend lifespan in humans. But science has demonstrated that humans do benefit from calorie restriction. Improving aging-related bio-markers, like reduced rates of heart disease and diabetes, and a healthier body weight are all factors that can profoundly affect natural lifespan, estimated to max out at about 120 years. In one of the only ongoing human studies on calorie restriction, 132 participants in a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health were asked to reduce their calorie intake by 25 percent for two years. Tests will continue, with another 250 people starting in January, but one of the study's lead researchers, Dr. Eric Ravussin, is optimistic before even analyzing the results. "Tests in rodents and other animals have been ongoing since the 1930s, and they've shown that this is effective," he says. "So we already have a good idea of the mechanisms at work, before seeing them in humans." This new research out of Alabama, combined with studies on animal subjects and the short-term impact of calorie restriction on human test groups, offers considerable evidence that calorie restriction communities -- once fringe collectives that now boast a major online presence -- are onto something. But what researchers don't know might be the deciding factor when it comes time to dine: the NIH study has no plans to pursue a lifelong human trial, citing expense, a lack of willing participants and the ethical concerns over toying with children's diets. And it's worth noting that most study participants -- like most Americans -- started the trial with body mass indexes at the higher end of healthy, and then lost weight when eating less. A strict low-calorie regimen would logically improve health for an adult accustomed to over-consumption. Whether the regimen extends the natural limits of our lives is another question.
Filed under: Nation, Health, Top Stories
2009 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.

How to Eat to Live Confirmed!

Here is some recent research conducted in England that shows scientifically that what God showed the Hon Elijah Muhammad under the name How to Eat to Live is 100% correct. Evidently they have been reading the book and then followling it up with research. Good for them. This is not to say that everything they have researched is to the letter of How to Eat to Live, but they are being guided in the right direction. This should encourage all of us to get with the dietary law of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, so the enemy won't out-live us.

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Vegetarian low protein diet could be key to long life
A vegetarian diet could be the key to a long life, a new study suggests.

By Richard Alleyne, Science CorrespondentPublished: 7:30AM GMT 03 Dec 2009
Reducing consumption of a protein found in fish and meat could slow the ageing process and increase life expectancy, according to the research.
Scientists have long believed that an ultra low calorie diet - aproximately 60 per cent of normal levels - can lead to greater longevity.
But now a team of British researchers have discovered that the key to the effect is a reduction in a specific protein and not the total number of calories.
That means that by reducing foods that contain the protein - such as meat, fish and certain nuts - people should live longer wiuthout the need to cut down on meals.
Dr Matthew Piper, from the Institute of Healthy Ageing at University College London, said that a vegetarian diet could be one way to achieve the effect.
Studies in animals including monkeys have shown that reducing food intake can benefit health and increase lifespan.
Researchers have found that reducing calories by as much as 30 per cent could reduce risks of developing heart disease or cancer by half and increase lifetimes by nearly a third.
The extreme diets - just above malnutrition levels - add an extra 25 years to the average life in Britain with the vast majority of people living to their 100th birthday
But in a series of new experiments on fruit flies, scientists discovered that simply varying the mix of amino acids in the diet affected lifespan.
Further study revealed that one particular amino acid, methionine, made all the difference.
Although flies and people are very different, the researchers believe the effects are likely to be conserved throughout a wide range of different species including humans.
Dr Piper said: "It's not as simple as saying 'eat less nuts' or 'eat more nuts' to live longer - it's about getting the protein balance right, a factor that might be particularly important for high protein diets, such as the Atkins diet or body builders' protein supplements."
Methionine is essential to the formation of all proteins. It is naturally abundant in foods such as fish and meats as well as sesame seeds, Brazil nuts and wheat germ.
Humans have around four times more genes than the fruit fly, but both share many similar genes with basic biological functions.
Therefore, even though the fruit fly does not on the surface resemble humans, many findings about its basic biology can be extrapolated to humans.
"This work was done on flies but similar results have been found in mice," said Dr Piper. "If it turns it has the same effect on humans, then the message is avoid high levels of methionine."

The Fight for Good Food Continues

Back in the 1950's Standard Process founder, Dr Royal Lee (R), spoke of "a conspiracy against good food" as the major menace to human health in the USA. When I first heard him on a tape from that time, I felt that perhaps he had over-stated the case. Yes, there was a problem with food, no doubt, but an actual conspiracy? I doubted that.

But, now I am sure that he was right. When we see the coordinated moves being made throughout the world to control food, food being used as a weapon, the Codex Alimentarius, and this bill before congress now (The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act), I think we can clearly see the outlines of a true conspiracy.

I also have gained some spiritual insights as well that confirm for me that a true conspiracy against real food exists. Look in the Bible and you will see that the very first deception or trick used by the devil in the Garden of Eden involved eating the wrong food. Eating the wrong food had the effect of alienating Adam and Eve from God. Being on the 'outs' with God meant that they could not participate in the on-going works of Creation. The wrong food produced a fallen state in which they could not perform the works of God.

So, isn't it the same today? We have the works of God to perform! We are those who have to bring in the Kingdom of God. So what does the enemy do? He corrupts the food. He knows we cannot perform at the level required if we eat the wrong food that fills our bodies with impurities injuring our minds and spirits as well as our bodies. He waxes rich off the illness and disease produced by the consumption of the wrong foods and exercises maximum social control over the population. We must fight for the right to eat the right food that keeps us in the image and likeness of God, so that we might do the works of God, having Power and Dominion over the earth in His Holy Name.

We should follow up and contact our Representatives in Congress and let them know how we feel about this 'food conspiracy'. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad told us clearly that "fasting with the right food is the cure for all our ills". Well if that is right and it is, then aren't we duty bound to fight for the right food? Why shouldn't we fight "the devil" in order to have the food that God wants us to have? Isn't that a worthy fight?

Citizens.org
The Voice of the Natural Health Consumer
Dear Supporter,
One week ago we alerted you to a well-meaning, but misguided, bill going through a final review by a U.S. Senate committee before going to the floor for a vote. (Click here to read Citizens for Health (CFH) Board Chair Jim Turner's "Food Safety: Congress Loses Its Way").
"The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act" (S. 510) purported to address growing concerns over the state of food safety in the U.S. but, as written, would have actually strengthened the forces that for the past fifty years have led to unsafe, nutritionally compromised food by giving powerful incentives to large, concentrated food manufacturers (the sources of the most significant threats to our food so far) and undercutting producers of healthy foods and organics that are smaller, safer, and often local. It also would have threatened access to dietary supplements that are safe and protected under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA) and paved the way for harmonizing our food policies with those of the international Codex Alimentarius.
Score Round 1 for CFH members and allies! We can be thankful this week that our voices were heard and that several positive changes were made to this 'turkey" of a bill.
Click here to send a letter to your Representative and Senators telling them to maintain the positive changes, and make the additional ones listed below.
According to CFH Senior Policy Advisor, James Gormley
, the amended version of S. 510 adds three major improvements related to dietary supplements, organics and Codex:
--New language exempts "…any dietary supplement that is in compliance with the requirements of sections 402(g)(2) and 761 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 USC 242(g)(2), 379aa-1)."
--In the case of organics, the new version omits "any requirements that conflict with or duplicate the requirements of the national organic program established under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990…"
--And, regarding Codex, the original S. 510 recommends harmonization while the amended version suggests only that it is to be considered. (While this is a small improvement, CFH opposes harmonization and is still concerned with other language in the bill which may allow harmonization in "through the back door".)
Clearly the thousands of letters generated by CFH members and allies, as well as visits to Capitol Hill by industry and consumer stakeholders, paved the way for these critical improvements to the bill.
Now, S. 510 must go to the full Senate for passage. Assuming it passes the full Senate, which is 99% likely, both the House-passed and Senate-passed versions will be debated in conference so that an acceptable combined version is approved and ultimately sent to the President.
As consumer grassroots advocates we must remain vigilant since the improvements we've won could be eliminated in conference committee. We also must continue to advocate against the remaining language that still could mandate Codex harmonization (in the Senate version); that could exempt foreign governments (in both versions); and that calls for imposition of martial law via cordoning off potentially affected geographic areas in the case of a perceived food safety threat (in the House version).
We have seen, time and time again, the impact we can have on the decisions of our elected officials. As Margaret Mead once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." We must remain actively engaged with our allies and partners on Capitol Hill and with Senator Harkin, even though it has moved out of his committee, if we are to ensure that the final bill meets the standards of the natural health and wellness community.
Send your letter to your Representative and Senators now!
Thanks for staying involved,
The Citizens for Health Team
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