It's official, and I suspect the rest of the produce world will
follow suit:

[www.chicagotribune.com]

We're getting closer and closer to Codex.

What is Codex?

WIDESPREAD BOYCOT! Gardens on every block and roof top.

"
While irradiated foods initially caused some consumer concern, FDA's Tarantino stressed that the food itself harbors no radiation."

Find that hard to believe. When a person swallows radiation pills as follow up cancer treatments, the radiation is coming out of the person. They use some kind electronic device to measure the radiation in the ROOM..they won't let you go home until the radiation measures below a certain number. Somehow I find it hard to believe that there's no trace whatsoever. Maybe it's so minimal it's not being picked up..and I don't see how a daily dosage of that would be healthy.

Is this for real

So how do we raw foodists go shopping for our greens,

I mean WHOLE FOODS uses irradiated almonds why wouldnt they use irradiated greens?

coconutcream Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is this for real

Did you click the link?

It's official. It's all over every news website.
[fficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wn" rel="nofollow" >news.google.com]

That means we can no longer eat in restaurants. Period.

This is a big problem because irradiating produce may
not leave the foodstuff with residual radiation, but
it will change the biochemistry of the food (just as
pasteurization cooks/changes milk or fresh fruit/Veg
juice) by cooking the life out it. Granted, irradiating
food won't be like boiling or baking or frying, but
it is cooking the food at a high temperature to kill
the germs.

So, as is the case with almost all health-related issues,
the solution isn't to remove the cause of the problem,
but rather treat the symptoms: i.e., cook lettuce and
spinach.

And consuming such foodstuffs will negatively affect the
human body's bloodstream, just like other cooked foods
have an impact on the blood (to varying degrees depending
on the foodstuff and the cooking method). Something the
so-called experts don't really understand as being the key
to vital health: i.e., the condition of the blood.

Just how (devastatingly) irradiated produce will affect human
health,long-term, remains to be seen. Unfortunately, consumers
of cooked "fresh" produce will be guinea pigs in the meantime.

And I'm guessing that irradiated produce will not have to
be labeled as such.

Steve
[www.meetup.com]
[www.rawgosia.com]

my god, organic raw almonds are labled that and they arent they have been irradiated

This is bad. Once we can no longer buy raw fruits and vegtables, then there will be little hope of restoring health to the general population.

If I'm not mistaken, beef is required to be irradiated
and it is not labeled as such.

And packaged spices are also typically irradiated unless
they specifically state on the label as being "nonirradiated."

I can only guess that irradiated produce will not require
labeling because this was an FDA decision, not something
that required by law in the first place.

And, unfortunately, the feedback I've seen by consumers
on Internet showed more support for irradiation that those
opposed to it. People think they're going to be "protected"
now. But they're not Raw Food enthuiasts, so they're not
too worried about whether or not their produce is zapped
prior to consumption.

Probably the only concern about this will come from us or from
those (probably needlessly) worried about getting contaminated
by radiation. People writing about this on the Internet don't
understand the importance of Raw Food as it pertains to health.
They seem to think that health can be manufactured in a test
tube, and that's why this irradiation thing (on a large scale)
will increasingly make it more difficult for us to get real
Raw Food in the future unless we're growing it ourselves or
have a trusted source to supply us with our food.

And,unfortunately, most of what I've seen on the Internet
states that food manufacturers favor irradiation (to protect
them from financial losses that has come with every e-coli
scare); as does the $$$$disease care industry$$$$. Those
are some pretty powerful forces we're up against...

Bummer, I really liked greens.

Is it me or is this not really a big deal? I know it's a step in the wrong direction, which could lead to more evil, but, the FDA are giving the companies discretion to irradiate their greens, and only iceberg lettuce & spinach. I don't eat iceberg lettuce, and I only buy organic greens anyway, how does this affect me? I doubt locally grown and organic would be irradiated.

paragon1685 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If I'm not mistaken, beef is required to be
> irradiated
> and it is not labeled as such.

Never heard that before.

>
> And, unfortunately, the feedback I've seen by
> consumers
> on Internet showed more support for irradiation
> that those
> opposed to it. People think they're going to be
> "protected"
> now.

Same I've seen on the internet. Once at the gym, one of the TVS were on CNN. I was listening to it getting all pissed off at the stupid people. They were passing around irradated vegetables and had people tasting them to prove there was no taste difference..and there wasn't. That was ALL they cared about. A couple people were talking about how it was a good idea because they didn't want ecoli and passing off crap information to eachother.

yogi33 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is Codex?

Search this forum for it and you'll find a few good threads.

Basically, the gov will kill all the healthy foods, make supplements illegal and control everything. It's already happened in other countries and US and Canada are probably next.

If there is a demand for non-irradiated produce then it
can exist commercially, long-term, unless it's outlawed
(which is entirely possible in the name of "public safety".

It's also possible that large grocery chains such as
Kroger, Safeway, Super Value, Whole Foods, etc. will
refuse to carry irradiated produce. (Hopefully that
will be the case but I doubt it.) This entire thing
will be consumer-driven. But the more prevalent
irradiation becomes the less likely you'll know what
is irradiated and what is not; unless you're buying
from a trusted source or growing your own food.

Regarding "organic" food, I think a zapped food would
still be considered "organic" as that term is now
defined. I see all sorts of "organic" junk food
in supermarkets (cookies, pretzels, chips, etc) and
they're all cooked to smithereens. So I doubt the
"organic" label will protect anyone from irradiaton.
It would be great if future legislation could require
irradiated foods to be labeled and/or the use of the
"organic" label to mean non-irradiated.

I think today's FDA decison was a step in the wrong direction.
But, for now, it will take food producers a while to get
on board, because irradiating food costs extra money to zap;
and most food producers probably don't currently have the
irradiating equipment and/or don't want to spend the money/
resources on it.

Internet message boards such as this forum will help us keep
in contact with another regarding issues such as this one.

Steve
[www.meetup.com]
[www.rawgosia.com]

sure, no big surprise here. they've been building up their case with false contamination of veggies for a while now.
the only way to know that organic veg haven't been treated to a course of radiation "therapy" is to contact the grower or distributor. if you buy from a health food store their produce manager will probably give enough of a crap to already know and have an answer for you.
i think i may just grow some baby lettuces at home and sprout more greens. that way i know it's radiation free, fresh and NOT contaminated with any animal pathogens like salmonella. heh.
they're gonna have to try mighty hard to ruin things for me man. i'm flexible!

coco: "they've been building up their case with false contamination of veggies for a while now. "

interesting viewpoint...

it is also interesting to note that irradiating food makes it possible to grow it "dirtier", (with sludge for example) as the germs can always be killed later.
Since there seems to be a potential profit here, this would tend to lend credibility to the viewpoint quoted above.

Last year I tried to warn people about the strong US/FDA ties to Codex Alimentarius and the coming threat of irradiation. The posts about threats to our food supply were moved to the 'off-topic' board. That's okay-- a lot of people saw them there, although I certainly think they should have stayed here on this main board, as well.

I hate to say "i warned you,' but I feel like there is a somewhat prevailing mindset in the raw food movement which prevents honest and open discourse about topics such as this, based on a belief that to do so is 'too negative.' That's sad, because it's never negative to look forthrightly at problems we face, and then take courageous and positive action.

I will say it again: we need to be educated citizen activists if we are going to have a quality of life that we can deal with 5, 10, 20 years down the road. What form that activism takes will vary with each individual: it might be political action, it might simply be the spiritual activism of meditation or prayer, it might be planting your own garden if you're lucky enough to have a yard, or it might be doing something else of an educational nature. But this thing isn't going away anytime soon, and it's foolhardy to assume each of us can just plant our own organic gardens and boycott stores.

Please don't misunderstand me here: I love you guys! I think we can use our enormous collective passion and strength to help keep the nation's and ultimately the world's food supply safe. We shouldn't be alarmists, nor should we bury our heads in the sand; the middle path usually wins the day.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

..."behind every appearance there is Infinite Love and all is well."

Yeah? So what?

You hate to say "i warned you, but you go ahead and do what you hate...

We should be activists--but it's ok to just meditate

actually YOU sound confused...

but that's ok too because behind every appearance there is Infinite Love.

happyway,

Boy, you sure sound angry! Well sure, I get confused, just like everybody else does from time to time. However, the apparent contradictions between what I wrote about food safety on the one hand, and what I posted in my signature, are not really so contradictory if you understand where I'm coming from.

Yes, there is Infinite Love behind all the appearances, but you'll notice that I didn't write that the appearances are UNreal in the human world. They are VERY real and I'm painfully aware of that. Read it again. In this nirmana-kaya where we cannot avoid experiencing past, present and future, we are bound to the wheel of alternately negative and positive experiences, joy and suffering; it's an unavoidable package deal. My little 'cosmic download' that I posted as my signature was not meant to imply that negative experiences in the world are unreal or unimportant-- far from it--nor that victims should be blamed.

They (yes, unimaginable sufferings of millions of human beings, often through no fault whatsoever of their own) are part of the world of existence and sensation, but not of the eternal spiritual realm. Conscious awareness of our Oneness with that which is beyond our limited physical existence tends to 'bend' the immediate environment and circumstances around us in our individual sphere to create greater harmony, well-being and wholeness. The heart of existence is Divine Love. We are not to turn a blind eye to suffering or imagine that it isn't real-- not at all-- but we can better do something about it if we are connected and joined through awareness-- like the branch to the Vine in the spiritual allegory-- to the Infinite One, which we both possess and are.

Can not both be true? Touch the Infinite and become One with it, but you still have dirty dishes and morning breath, and when you switch on the news, there's still the Iraq war and the 'war on cancer.' But running through it all is the Presence. It can't really be talked about as much as felt.

So when I suggested that activism could include meditation or prayer, that was just one of three or four ideas I threw out-- you'll notice the others were much more direct and 'real world' oriented. I suggested prayer or meditation for someone who is of a more introverted or sensitive nature. Ultimately, I suspect the most successful activists are those who have a spiritual orientation, who cultivate meditaiton or prayer or whatever you want to call it.

Sorry if I touched a nerve. I am profoundly, humanly imperfect, especially when I try to express the inexpressible using my limited language banks. ;-)

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sure, no big surprise here. they've been building
> up their case with false contamination of veggies
> for a while now.
just what we were discussing a few weeks back. it`s starting coco and i`m scared.
patty

Do you think any of this would be happening if we lived in a vegan society? I think this is karma for the factory farming we allow. We factory farm and that creates a karmic vacuum, which is then filled by negativity like food irradiation, and it's fruitless to fight the negativity, even if you get rid of the negativity, more will be sucked in. We have to get rid of the vacuum first.

Good luck doing that, I know.

dewey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> coco Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > sure, no big surprise here. they've been
> building
> > up their case with false contamination of
> veggies
> > for a while now.
> just what we were discussing a few weeks back.
> it`s starting coco and i`m scared.
> patty

ah girl, don't be scared! use it propel you in the right direction, grow a garden in your kitchen! in the long run it will save you money and save your health. i figure this is just a push towards greater health. for us anyhow, not for those poor suckers eating that junk. now it can be grown in dirty sludge, eww!
*stocking up on seeds*

kwan, i know you "warned" us but really, what was anyone supposed to do then? there is no resisting this kind of "progress" when the majority of people live in such a fear based reality and support it. sure, we can all sign the petitions and put our money where our mouths are but it's not going to stop the profit machine from rolling. we gotta band together into buying groups, support farmers and stores that carry "real" lettuce and spinach so it's still affordable for them to do so. grow our own, teach our kids, stay in the positive aspect of this.

more like

Grocery Manufacturers Association= GENETICALLY MODIFIED ASSOC.

In my opinion, the psychology behind wanting to nuke
our food is the same mindset that wants to "protect"
us from everything else under the Sun. A mindset
rooted in fear that is then projected onto the rest
of humanity under the guise of "love" and "compassion."

The results, however, make people less able to think
for themselves (when others are willing to think for
them), less responsible for their own lives, including
their physical health (when others portend to be
responsble for them), and less capable managing their
own emotions (because they haven't had to develop emotionally)
to survive in this world.

So what we're really up against is a mindset of fear/
dysfunction manifested (to varying degrees) by a great
number of people (to some extent) in most every aspect
of life; in the form of controlling others for the "public
good" or "social justice," etc., etc., etc; of which
nuking our food for "safety" is but one symptom of that
mindset. A fear-based (authoritarian/immature) mindset
which I once wrote about in the following poem:

They Tried to Protect Me

They did all that they could to try to protect me
By steamrolling over my sense of Responsibility
And shaking all the stuffing of common sense out of me
By shoving down my throat their force-fed philosophy

Trying to protect me with the clutter of their small-minded laws
As if I was a helpless victim, like a kitten born without claws
So they can be the overprotective parent and me the child
Marching in lockstep with them rather than appear wild

Yep, they tried to protect me in the name of "security"
By being a slave to their fear-struck mentality
And their "sensitivity training" done for the "public good"
To reduce my mind to jelly so I do what they say I should

With their infinite wisdom they (claim to) know what’s best for me
So I'll walk like a lemming off their cliff to dependency
And play the kid who never grows up because to do so would mean
I'd know why their parental authority isn’t so keen

Trying to protect me so they can feel worthwhile
Pretending that with their crutches I will always smile
The path of least resistance is what they want me to follow
And adore them as top dogs each moment my mind is hollow

While hidden behind their masks of "love" and "compassion" is control
And playing a pawn (led around by the nose) is the price of their toll
To be a sheep in their herd means there's a place in their hearts for me
While breaking ranks unleashes a wrathful ton of bricks upon thee

For as long as I work on being Happy and try to be Strong
I don't fit into their blurry world between right and wrong
Because their game pretends the meek will inherit the Earth
But the only way to do that is to date rape self-mirth

Creating a world of spoiled brats in their culture of conformity
Mollycoddled from cradle to grave for the sake of "unity"
Being told what to think, feel, and how to talk like a parrot
Keeps a puppet tied to strings when demanding a carrot

Yeah, they tried to take all the risk and challenge out of Life
Succeeding only at deepening insecurity and strife
By blowing out the candle on my accountability
They'd have me forfeit the reigns of Responsibility

Trying to protect me from me because they don't want to see
Not learning to manage my own Life stunts growth and Maturity
The building of my mind so I can stand on my own two feet
Is what they tried (with all their hearts) to make obsolete

Steve
[www.meetup.com]
[www.rawgosia.com]

Hi Coco,

you're undoubtedly right about how hard it is to stop the profit machine, and i certainly agree about banding together into buying groups, supporting farmers and good stores, etc. i especially like the idea of growing your own if at all possible-- although having done it myself, i can honestly say i couldn't possibly live on what comes from my garden. it's a good step in the right direction though.

i just would like to see these things talked about openly (like we're doing now!) and all possibilities explored, because there have been many times when there was massive public outcry and the government had no choice but to change their policies. sometimes we think we are powerless, but the truth is if enough people know what's coming down on a given issue and say 'no way'-- whether the subject is war or food policy or whatever-- the government agencies are forced to respond to us. it's so much to their advantage if we think we can't push back.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

P.S.
I just posted a recent article from Dave Klein (Living Nutrition) on the 'off-topic' board about Codex Alimentarius.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]