GM Rice Problem

[rachelb]

Got this in the latest OCA (Organic Consumers Association) newsletter:

USDA SAYS SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR FRANKENRICE
The USDA has finally reacted to the contamination of the U.S. rice supply by an unapproved, genetically engineered variety of rice created by the Bayer Corporation. Three weeks ago, it was discovered that Bayer's mutant rice, gene-spliced to survive heavy doses of a powerful herbicide called glufosinate, had contaminated U.S. long grain rice stocks. The USDA admitted it had "no idea" how extensive the contamination was. Meanwhile Japan has banned all U.S. rice imports, while the EU is rejecting U.S. imports that test positive for contamination. The rice industry has been in a state of upheaval, with rumors of a massive market recall spreading across the country. This week, the USDA announced its plan of action: instead of recalling this illegal, and potentially unsafe rice, it is working with Bayer to fast-track the approval process. "Illegal, potentially hazardous rice in grain bins, on supermarket shelves, in cereal, beer, baby foods, and all rice products. It should be a no-brainer. Recall this stuff to make sure no one eats it," said Joseph Mendelson, Legal Director of the Center for Food Safety. "Instead, USDA plans to rush through 'market approval' of a genetically engineered rice that Bayer itself decided was unfit for commerce. Why? To free Bayer from liability."
Learn more: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_2159.cfm

I think this is really scary and it certainly makes me mad!!

Rachel

[jamietwo]

Yes, this is scary. One of the reasons I buy organic is to avoid GE products. Of course, in this case, it sounds like organic rice was contaminated also? One of my frustrations in going gluten-free, was that so many things are not available in organic form (i.e. specialty flours and brown rice tortillas!).

[jccgf]

Interesting post. Thanks for posting~ I'll think twice when I'm buying rice.

Cara

[rachelb]

I don't think organic will save you from this. That's my biggest frustration with it. j

It's unclear what this means to jasmine rice (which is the majority of what we use when we eat rice itself). My biggest concern is for the rice flours which are such a staple for us GFers.

Rachel

[ConsiderThis]

I eat huge amounts of brown rice.

Is brown rice affected, too? Do you know?

Darn it. Imagine how much insecticide they are using... I'm getting a headache (literally) just thinking about it.

I'm going outside!

[NancyM]

I eat huge amounts of brown rice.

Is brown rice affected, too? Do you know?

Darn it. Imagine how much insecticide they are using... I'm getting a headache (literally) just thinking about it.

I'm going outside!

Isn't brown rice just rice without the bran removed?

[ConsiderThis]

Isn't brown rice just rice without the bran removed?

That's what I was always told, but it seems different...

I don't know. What do you think?

[KimS]

Thanks for the heads up Rachel!!

Thankfully I've just finished loading up my pantry with East Indian rice. Phew!

[Leslieand]

Bayer is now asking USDA to grant retroactive market approval of the illegal rice, even though the company gave up plans to market LL601 in 2001 and it remains untested.


LL601 is one of several 'LibertyLink' (LL) rice varieties that have been genetically engineered by Bayer to survive application of Bayer's proprietary Liberty© herbicide. Liberty kills normal rice, but can be applied directly to LL varieties to kill surrounding weeds. This explains why Bayer had to obtain government approval to permit residues of the weedkiller on rice grains of its two approved versions of LibertyLink rice.

"Contrary to what you hear from the biotech industry, genetically engineered crops like LibertyLink rice mean more chemicals in our food, not less," said Freese.

Notice of this action is scheduled for publication in today's Federal Register. USDA is seeking comment on the petition and invites comments on the EA. Consideration will be given to comments received on or before Oct. 10. Send an original and three copies of comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0140, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. Comments may be submitted via the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov/
Food for thought
Leslie

[rachelb]

Food for thought
Leslie

That makes me nauseous! AND MAD!!! Why on God's green earth does ANYONE think that's a good idea????????????? I think we need to FLOOD the USDA with emails!!

Rachel

[jamietwo]

I sent my e-mail.:( I've also e-mailed my natural food store and the companies from which I buy brown rice products.

[jamietwo]

I received a very nice response (already!) from Lundberg Farms - we often buy their organic brown rice cakes and organic long and short grain brown rice. They directed me to their website, where they are "tracking" and responding to this particular issue. For those of you that are interested in their comments and what they're doing to insure that their products remain GMO-free, here is the link. You can then click on the links under the September date for more information.

http://www.lundberg.com/farming/gmos.shtml

[kozz]

really scary ..........

regarding Organic I had heard that US certification agencies allow GM ? is this true ?

here it most definately is not allowed and because I am not sure I make sure I never buy any Organic stuff that is US cert ......

kozz in OZ

[NancyM]

How can they imagine that crops aren't going to cross-pollinate? What hubris.

[mrsD]

information or links to what exactly this GM rice would do to humans, which would be negative? Or is it just a huge unknown?

[concerned lady]

Hi Leslie,

I clicked on the link, but, couldn't see how to add a comment. Can you help me so I can send my "just say no" comments to the US Dept. of Agh!-riculture? And wouldn't you know--I like long grain brown rice better than short grain (altho I do like both)!

Those people are unbelievable--hard to believe they're from planet earth!

Thanks, Leslie.

Carol
http://cantbreathesuspectvcd.com

[concerned lady]

In this link, http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_2159.cfm it says:

"LL601 was first detected in U.S. rice by an export customer of Arkansas-based Riceland Foods in January 2006. According to Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Richard Bell, LL601 has been detected in virtually all milled long-grain rice supplies that have been tested. USDA announced the contamination debacle seven months later, on August 18th, when U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns professed ignorance as to how much rice was contaminated, which rice products were involved, or where the contaminated rice was found."
---------------------

But Lundberg said that no-one knows WHERE the Genetically Modified rice had escaped from! Yet, from the above, it seems that this was known since JANUARY OF 2006, to be Arkansas (at least)!

I also wonder why Lundberg wrote a comment making it sound like they (Lundberg) agree with the USDA's "findings" that there are no human health hazards PRESENTLY known, from this FRANKENRICE! (See Lundberg's comments below).

Lundberg also wrote that organic farmers aren't required to do genetic testing, and that they (Lundberg) think it would be "premature" to tell us (the public) what they have found, with their own genetic testing of their long grain rice.

This comes from Lundberg's website, at: http://www.lundberg.com/press/biotech_update.pdf and this includes:

· "Lundberg Family Farms opposes the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on farms and in foods.

· Lundberg Family Farms supports consumers' right to know if a product contains GMO ingredients.

· Testing for GMOs is not a requirement of certified organic farms because of the highly regulated process of tracking and tracing all materials used in the production of organic foods.

· The USDA has not determined the cause of the LLRICE601 contamination and said it plans to conduct an investigation into how the product contaminated rice crops, and whether any violation of federal regulations occurred.

· Lundberg Family Farms has periodically purchased a small amount of long grain rice from growers and suppliers in Texas and Arkansas. We are in communication with each of these growers and suppliers and will report our findings as they become available to us.

· The USDA and FDA last week reported their scientific review of available data that revealed no human health, food safety or environmental concerns are associated with LLRICE601 rice.

· We will post updates on this situation to our website (http://www.lundberg.com), as we receive
them.

First, we learned that we can't trust Horizon organic products (based in Boulder, CO). Organic Valley Farms seems more trustworthy.

Then, I have questions about the "O" organic brand of Safeway...

Is any American brand of long grain brown rice safe?

Carol

[jamietwo]

RE: Lundberg. I read (in their e-mail which contained links from their website) that they are no longer purchasing rice from the South. They are buying/growing rice exclusively in California where supposedly no GE rice has been found. They identify two of their products that "may" have been produced with the rice in question. However, once they learned of it, they began testing all rice and dumping any that carried the GE strain. I came away feeling that they were truly on board with GMO-free and being an advocate for us...

[rachelb]

information or links to what exactly this GM rice would do to humans, which would be negative? Or is it just a huge unknown?

What it would to do humans is a huge unknown. However, IMO, a rice that is resistant to herbicides, esp one in particular, is NOT a good thing. So I have real problems with letting it out (as has already happened somehow).

Then there's the whole Monsanto thing where Monsanto's GM wheat somehow was found in a neighboring organic field (seeds often travel by air darn it!) and this meant the organic wheat wasn't organic anymore and Monsanto sued them for using their seeds when it seemed obvious it wasn't intentional.

And then there's the whole Iraq thing where they want them to only use the seeds we provide them and then they can't save seeds anymore because these are GM seeds (largely) and are therefore patented and they must buy new seeds every year if they want to use them.

No these are not all related to this GM rice thing, but it's a similar idea. If the rice is approved is Bayer going to sue the rice companies where the rice has been found?

I just don't like it at all.

Rachel

[diamondheart]

I don't like it either. I wonder how all the GMOs affect our guts, and how many food intolerances are related to GMOs. Some of the most common allergens are highly modified, including wheat, corn, and soy. Rice is the one thing I don't have to worry about eating, so I don't want that taken away from me too!

Between the GE rice and the E. coli spinach from California, I'm glad I'm going to my local farmer's market!

Claire

[kozz]

Testing for GMOs is not a requirement of certified organic farms because of the highly regulated process of tracking and tracing all materials used in the production of organic foods.

this is utter nonsense :mad: if they dont test how would they ever know if contamination has occured by say seed blowing in the wind ( as has happened quite frequently )


kozz

[rachelb]

this is utter nonsense :mad: if they dont test how would they ever know if contamination has occured by say seed blowing in the wind ( as has happened quite frequently )

kozz

I totally agree!

Rachel

[ConsiderThis]

Thanks for the heads up Rachel!!

Thankfully I've just finished loading up my pantry with East Indian rice. Phew!

I've been thinking and thinking about you...
I haven't bought any Indian rice since the 90s when I used to belong to a newsgroup where there were reports of Southwire having ground up its Cadmium waste (hazardous), put it into fertilizer and sold it in that fertilizer to India for its rice farmers.

Gingrich was involved with Southwire.

I recently read a story or heard on the news that at one point Indian farmers crops failed so badly that 1500 or so of the farmers committed suicide.

Here's a link about the hazardous waste, Southwire, and fertilizer...
http://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1995/03/mm0395_07.html

[KimS]

:eek: :eek: :eek: :( :( :(

Thank you SO MUCH for letting me know!:eek: :(

[valeriemates]

My thought for the day: If the USDA gives fast-track approval to Bayer for this rice, then doesn't that mean that any biotech company that wants to get a product approved by the USDA would only have to let their product loose in all the other crops, the way Bayer's crop got loose, and then the USDA would grant its approval? Yuck!!!

Oh, someone asked about US regulations for organic food and GMOs. GMOs are *not* allowed in any organic food in the US.

-Valerie

[rachelb]

My thought for the day: If the USDA gives fast-track approval to Bayer for this rice, then doesn't that mean that any biotech company that wants to get a product approved by the USDA would only have to let their product loose in all the other crops, the way Bayer's crop got loose, and then the USDA would grant its approval? Yuck!!

Yes, exactly!! (But let's not let that get out, OK?)

:mad:

Rachel

[kozz]

My thought for the day: If the USDA gives fast-track approval to Bayer for this rice, then doesn't that mean that any biotech company that wants to get a product approved by the USDA would only have to let their product loose in all the other crops, the way Bayer's crop got loose, and then the USDA would grant its approval? Yuck!!!

Oh, someone asked about US regulations for organic food and GMOs. GMOs are *not* allowed in any organic food in the US.

-Valerie

it was me who asked .........


it seems to me that with GMOs allowed everywhere in the USA and the oganic cert assoc not testing for DNA there is a high probablility any US organic produce could contain GMOs

so I will be very careful that anythng I buy is not from the USA or any country that generally allows GMOs ....... one thing is here all Organic products are labelled with country of origin

so far GMOs are not mainstream in australia ( apart from cotton ) just a few trials and the battle goes on to stop their introduction

if it happens I will only be eating home grown produce from our own saved seeds ....... I would rarther die of starvation than of being poisoned for greed :mad:

koz

[shiloh100]

I went on to Lundberg's website as that is the only brand of rice I buy and here is their statement- http://www.lundberg.com/press/LFFResponseStatement.pdf
I feel happy that I can continue to buy their products without worry. :)
Shiloh

p.s. had to register all over again so now I'm a newbie!:D