FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
paragon1685
()
Date: August 21, 2008 10:59PM It's official, and I suspect the rest of the produce world will
follow suit: [www.chicagotribune.com] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
LikeItOrNot
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:19PM We're getting closer and closer to Codex. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
yogi33
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:20PM What is Codex? Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
riverhousebill
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:22PM WIDESPREAD BOYCOT! Gardens on every block and roof top. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
LikeItOrNot
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:31PM "
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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
coconutcream
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:35PM Is this for real Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
coconutcream
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:39PM So how do we raw foodists go shopping for our greens,
I mean WHOLE FOODS uses irradiated almonds why wouldnt they use irradiated greens? Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
LikeItOrNot
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:39PM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
suvine
()
Date: August 21, 2008 11:53PM That means we can no longer eat in restaurants. Period. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
paragon1685
()
Date: August 22, 2008 12:01AM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
suvine
()
Date: August 22, 2008 12:33AM my god, organic raw almonds are labled that and they arent they have been irradiated Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
WorkoutMan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:05AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
paragon1685
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:21AM 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... Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
EZ rider
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:27AM Bummer, I really liked greens. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
rufio
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:32AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
LikeItOrNot
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:33AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
LikeItOrNot
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:36AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
paragon1685
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:15AM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
Anonymous User
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:39AM 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! Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
happyway
()
Date: August 22, 2008 03:40AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
kwan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 03:47AM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
happyway
()
Date: August 22, 2008 04:12AM ..."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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
kwan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 05:09AM 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. ;-) Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
dewey
()
Date: August 22, 2008 05:25AM 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 Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
Lillianswan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 05:35AM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
Anonymous User
()
Date: August 22, 2008 01:41PM 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. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
dewey
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:23PM more like
Grocery Manufacturers Association= GENETICALLY MODIFIED ASSOC. Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
paragon1685
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:27PM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
kwan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:29PM 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] Re: FDA approves widespread irradiation of lettuce and spinach
Posted by:
kwan
()
Date: August 22, 2008 02:52PM 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] Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
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