The Center for Food Safety is warning the public that the EPA is set to approve the direct spraying of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on Dow Chemical’s genetically engineered corn and soybeans. That chemical is one-half of the compound called “Agent Orange” used in Vietnam to destroy foliage; it caused cancer among Vietnam veterans. … Read more
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) publishes an annual shopper’s guide ranking produce by pesticide residue level. The guide uses data from 32,000 samples tested by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to rank four dozen fruits and vegetables .The ones with the most residue are called The Dirty Dozen and … Read more
A new study conducted at Arctic University of Norway and published in the June issue of Food Chemistry has found that there are “extreme levels” of Roundup, an herbicide, in genetically engineered soy. The soybeans were harvested in Iowa. High levels of Roundup were found on 70% of the GE soy plants. The Roundup Ready … Read more
Environmental Working Group is asking the U.S. government to put a stop to a chemical used on non-organic apples grown in America because its makers in Europe could not show it didn’t pose a rise to human health. That analysis found that the chemical, called diphenylamine, known as DPA, is used to coat apples during … Read more
A group of beekeepers in Minnesota is concerned about the effect of corn seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides on bees, according to MPR. They have been reported mortality events among bees at corn seeding time. The dust is coming off the seeds and poisoning honey bees. More than 1/3 of the country’s honey bee population … Read more
Multinational chemical corporations are challenging a law in Hawaii that requires disclosure of pesticide use on genetically engineered crops. The Center for Food Safety and a coalition of Kaua’i residents, along with Earthjustice, are filing papers as defendants against this action. Ordinance 960 informs Kaua’i residents about the pesticides applied to GE crops. Many residents … Read more
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning people not to eat cactus imported from Mexico because it contains unapproved pesticides. A routine surveillance sample isolated as much as 5.8 parts per million of Monocrotophos, an organophosphate based pesticide that has been banned from use in the U.S. since 1989. The product was sold … Read more
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) as part of a review to determine whether to deregulate generically engineered (GE) corn and soybean plants that are resistant to herbicides, including 2,4-D, which is half of the toxic chemical mixture Agent Orange. APHIS is performing an assessment … Read more
Without bees, many of the foods we regularly eat and enjoy would disappear off the face of the earth because they must be pollinated before they can produce fruit. Honey bees are dying at an alarming rate. Scientists are blaming a group of insecticides called neonicotinoids. Unfortunately, the EPA has decided to register sulfoxaflor, a … Read more
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) reports that the Kaua’i County Council overturned a mayoral veto of a bill that would require an assessment of risks stemming from pesticide use and the cultivation of genetically engineered crops. Mayor Bernard Carvalho vetoed the legislation last week. Sylvia Wu, an attorney with the Center for Food Safety … Read more