WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and other trade groups have filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Vermont’s GMO labeling law. The lawsuit comes at a time when new, recent surveys revealed that an overwhelming amount of Americans believe that genetically modified foods should be labeled accordingly.
GMA issued a statement calling Vermont’s mandatory GMA labeling law, Act 120, a “costly and misguided measure that will set the nation on a path toward a 50-state patchwork of GMO labeling policies that do nothing to advance the health and safety of consumers.” The Snack Food Association, International Dairy Foods Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers are supporting GMA’s charge against Vermont.
Vermont became the first U.S. state to require labels on foods containing genetically modified ingredients when Governor Peter Shumlin signed the bill into law last month. Maine and Connecticut have previously passed similar laws, but they won’t take effect until other states follow suit, according to local news station WPTZ. Vermont’s law takes effect in July 2016. Lawmakers in Massachusetts, Oregon, Colorado, and New York are also considering labeling proposals, according to MintPress News.
“Act 120 imposes burdensome new speech requirements – and restrictions – that will affect, by Vermont’s count, eight out of every ten foods at the grocery store,” GMA said in a statement. “Yet Vermont has effectively conceded this law has no basis in health, safety, or science. That is why a number of product categories, including milk, meat, restaurant items and alcohol, are exempt from the law. This means that many foods containing GMO ingredients will not actually disclose that fact.”
Recent surveys by the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC) and Consumer Reports suggested that a majority of Americans support GMO labeling. IFIC’s survey showed that 63% of Americans endorse the FDA’s current voluntary policy for labeling genetically modified foods, according to a press release. Meanwhile, the April 2014 Consumer Reports survey revealed that 92% of respondents felt that foods made with GMOs should be labeled accordingly, MintPress News reports. The results also showed that 72% of those respondents felt that it was important or very important to avoid genetically engineered ingredients when making purchases.
However, GMA has gone on record to say that GM crops “are safe and have important benefits for people and our planet,” noting that they use “less water and fewer pesticides, reduce crop prices by 15-30 percent.” GMA also claims that a new study from Cornell University shows that New York’s proposed mandatory GMO labeling bill would cost families an average of $500 per year. The association encourages bipartisan federal legislation, the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act, HR 4432, which would require a label on foods containing GM ingredients only if the FDA determines there is a health or safety risk.
In response to the lawsuit, the Organic Consumers Association’s National Director, Ronnie Cummins, said that the move is a “desperate attempt to protect corporate shareholder profits at the expense of consumers’ rights and health.” Cummins added, “More than 60 other countries have either banned GMOs, or require mandatory labeling of foods that contain them. Consumers in the U.S. have every reasonable right to the same information that consumers in other countries have about foods and ingredients that have not been subjected to independent, pre-market safety testing.”
Clearly, this will be a fight that will continue for months, perhaps even years, to come as both sides of the debate throw down the gauntlet. Though California lawmakers recently rejected a GMO labeling law (see the link below for our previous story), it remains to be seen how other U.S. states will weigh these heated opinions when voting for their respective proposals.
California GMO Labeling Bill Rejected
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue following any further developments on this lawsuit.
CORNWALL, ONTARIO – Loblaw has been given a new deadline to begin construction on its Distribution Center in Cornwall.
The city council has given Loblaw an extension on its original agreement of purchase and sale of the land. The revised agreement sets a deadline of December 2015 to start building the distribution center in Cornwall’s business park. The center must also be up and running by December 2016, according to Cornwall’s Seaway News.
Though the original agreement of purchase and sale expired in 2013, the city’s Economic Development Manager Mark Boileau is confident that the project will be completed. He said, "They spent millions of dollars on that site, and Loblaw is a very reputable company - they're not in the business of wasting time, they're doing this for a reason.”
This will be a major commercial development for the 121-acre site. “It’s a pretty good sized site,” said Boileau, noting that though it is not known how many people the distribution center will employ, it is just smaller than neighboring Supply Chain Management and Eleven Points Logistics. Those companies together employ about 1,200 workers, according to Standard-Freeholder.com.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more updates as this story continues to develop.
CALIFORNIA – Scientists say that the chances of El Niño conditions developing by this fall are increasing. They are now at 82%, up from 78% last month and 36% since last November, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
El Niño is the phenomenon when ocean waters warm and bring California wet winters. After a third year of drought, this could be good news for California. Unfortunately, it's not a guarantee. NOAA scientists are now saying that it looks like a moderate El Niño is developing instead of a strong one, according to Mercury News.
"The question now is what flavor of El Niño we're going to get," said Bill Patzert, a research scientist and oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. "I've got my money on this being El Wimpo."
Historically, strong El Niños have almost always brought heavy rains to California where moderate and weak ones only deliver wetter than average winters about half of the time.
California is in its worst drought since the one starting in 1987 and desperately needs the rain. There is extreme wildfire risk, fallowed farmland and water restrictions expected until November. The National Weather Service has also forecasted a hotter than normal summer for California.
Since 1950, there have 16 moderate to weak and 6 strong El Niño events, according to Mercury News. "Historically, there is a better chance of having above-normal rainfall than if there were no El Niño," said Jan Null, with Golden Gate Weather Services in Saratoga, which compiled the data. "But there are no guarantees."
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for continued coverage on California’s drought.
CHAMBERSBURG, PA - Lady Moon Farms announced a partnership with Whole Kids Foundation as a Growing Healthy Kids sponsor. The goal of the foundation is improving the nutrition of America’s children through salad bars and school gardens.
Lady Moon's founder, Tom Beddard said, “I feel that as one of our country’s premiere growers of organic produce, it is my responsibility to give back to the children of America and play a role in their education around living a healthy lifestyle. After all, they are our future.”
Lady Moon will make a $40,000 annual contribution. This donation will come from an in-store promotion during the Whole Kids Foundation’s Growing Healthy Kids campaign in early September at Whole Foods Market stores in the Mid-Atlantic Region, according to a press release. For every pint of Lady Moon Farms grape tomatoes sold, $0.15 will be donated to the Foundation up to the $40,000.
It is planning on expanding the program to additional in 2015 when grape tomato season is at its peak.
DUBLIN, VA – Red Sun Farms gave a preview of its packaging direction for its organically grown produce at United Fresh.
“We are working closely with our packaging partners to find the right look for our organic line,” said Jim DiMenna, President and CEO. “We are excited to be taking the first steps to be able to work with a recycled wood fiber board with a re-sealable, lidding film.”
Red Sun Farms are currently working on its packaging with CKF Inc., a manufacturing company that works with recycable moulded pulp and foam products. It also plans to work on the wood fiber look for some of its conventionally grown produce in the future, according to a press release.
“We felt the decision to proceed with the combination of fiber trays and lidding film would be well aligned with today’s consumer. The biodegradable fiber base greatly reduces our plastic consumption and clearly differentiates our organically grown tomatoes from our conventional lineup of hydroponic produce,” said DiMenna. “We expect to roll out the new pack offering in time for our fall crop.”
Red Sun Farms is also on schedule with its Virginia greenhouse and held a successful job fair to add more candidates to its growing team.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger is investing $250 million to kick off the construction of a combined 2-million-square-foot distribution and warehouse center in Atlanta’s Forest Park. The facility is currently on schedule to be opened by September 2015, according to Cincinnati Business Courier.
The construction of the site marks one of the largest industrial projects in metro Atlanta in recent years, Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. It’s part of the first phase of a long-term redevelopment of the Fort Gillem army base that may eventually include apartments and retail.
Between 700 and 900 skilled workers will be hired when the facility opens, said Forest Park City Manager Frank Brandon. Employment is planned to increase to 1,500 eventually.
Kroger currently has 36 distribution centers nationwide. It employs more than 375,000 people and serves customers across 2,640 supermarkets in 34 states and the District of Columbia under two dozen local banner names.
The retailer was also recently named Employer of the Year by the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities at the organization’s annual Bridges Gala in Washington, D.C.
JAPAN - If you thought Pak N Save’s mistakenly priced $100 watermelon was expensive enough, just wait till you see these Densuke watermelons!
The rare, black skinned watermelon sold at an auction for 350,000 yen, or more than a whopping $3,000 U.S. – the highest selling among a batch of around 240 Densuke watermelons! The variety, known for its circular form, distinct black rind, and crisp, sweet flesh, is grown in the town of Toma in Japan’s northernmost Hokkaido island, according to The Telegraph.
Satoshi Ogino, a fruit and vegetable broker, was the lucky bidder. He told Kyodo news that he bid in order to “provide encouragement to the efforts of the farmers.”
Is it time to start growing these Densuke melons yourself?! Well, maybe. A farmers’ cooperative based in Toma expects to ship around 70,000 Densuke watermelons this year at a much more “reasonable price” of around 5,000 yen, or approximately $49 U.S. Yikes.
Unfortunately, this year’s Densuke watermelon didn’t beat the record for 2008, when the 17-pound melon sold for 650,000 yen, or $6,100 U.S., according to Los Angeles Times.
Fruit has long been considered a luxury item in Japan, and it’s not rare to see them go for exorbitant prices. In fact, a pair of Yubari cantaloupes were sold for $23,500 in Japan! Telegraph also reports that everyday supermarket fruits are expensive, with single apples selling for as high as $4 a pop.
And make no mistake, that’s not a pricing error. Check out our previous story on Pak N Save’s $100 watermelon below…
Click here to read: Pak N Save’s 100 Dollar Watermelon
Now…how can I get my hands on one of these Densuke watermelons? Preferably without having to pay thousands of dollars.
WASHINGTON, DC - The Supreme Court unanimously awarded POM Wonderful LLC a victory today. It can continue its fall advertising lawsuit against Coca-Cola Co. concerning a juice blend offered by the Coke’s Minute Maid brand.
“Competitors who manufacture or distribute products have detailed knowledge regarding how consumers rely upon certain sales and marketing strategies,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote. “Their awareness of unfair competition practices may be far more immediate and accurate than that of agency rulemakers and regulators.”
The decision was 8-0 with Justice Stephen Breyer recusing himself. In it, the court agreed that POM Wonderful could sue its competitor under the federal Lanham Act that permits civil action against anyone who “misrepresents the nature, characteristics or qualities” of the goods being sold, according to McClatchy DC News.
POM claimed Coca-Cola unfairly captured pomegranate juice sales by marketing a pomegranate-blueberry flavored juice blend from its Minute Maid unit that contains little actual pomegranate or blueberry. Instead, the juice is 99.4% apple and grape juices, according to Wall Street Journal’s Brent Kendall.
“If Lanham Act claims were to be precluded then commercial interests, and indirectly the public at large, could be left with less effective protection in the food and beverage labeling realm than in many other, less regulated industries,” Kennedy wrote.
POM filed a suit in 2008, and a lower appellate court rejected it, concluding that the federal Food and Drug Administration had effectively pre-empted labeling oversight. With today’s decision, the Supreme Court says otherwise.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to report on any further details on POM Wonderful's lawsuit against Coca-Cola.
CHICAGO, IL – The United Fresh Produce Association announced the donation of salad bars to 200 Midwest schools through its multi-year Let’s Move Salad Bars to Midwest Schools campaign at the United Fresh 2014 Convention in Chicago. The schools spread across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
“We are at a pivotal moment in school nutrition," said United Fresh CEO Tom Stenzel. “Our industry is committed to helping schools serve a wide variety of fresh fruits and I’m thrilled to see so many produce industry leaders and businesses step forward to support the salad bar campaign. This is truly a transformational program, making a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids.”
It is estimated that 100,000 Midwest students in both urban and rural school districts will benefit from the access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetable as school lunch every day, according to a press release.
“Our philosophy is to provide our students with fresh produce every day. We believe salad bars are teaching our students about the importance of eating healthy, that fruits and vegetables are delicious and should be part of every meal,” said Bertrand Weber, Director, Culinary and Nutrition Services for the Minneapolis Public Schools. “We currently have salad bars in 31 of our 62 Minneapolis Public Schools and our goal is to expand our salad bar program to more schools. Let’s Move Salad Bars to MIDWEST Schools is helping us accomplish that goal.”
Sherri Matuszky, School Foodservice Director, Wethersfield Community Unified School District #230 in Kewanee, IL, said that the salad bars have become an important addition to their school meal program, and stated that she has received very positive feedback from students, staff and parents.
Mark Seguin, Sakata's Global Vegetative Marketing Manager, joins AndNowUKnow to discuss the company's All-Weather Petunia!® SuperCal®. The plant specialists at Sakata have combined the best qualities of petunias and calibrachoa into the unique SuperCal. Seguin tells us that this unique series delivers better heat tolerance than both petunia and calibrachoa, and is frost and rain resistant.
This year, Sakata is introducing three new colors. Cherry has been improved for a fuller, more rounded habit; Grape; and Salmon Glow, whose colors react to different environments and changes accordingly to different temperatures.
Check out this behind the scenes video to see how Sakata's SuperCal provides superior performance in the garden.