After a tip off by a member of the GMO Free USA community, we called Lodge Cast Iron today and they confirmed that they are using Roundup Ready GMO soybean oil to pre-season their cookware at the factory. “Seasoning” is when oil is baked on to give cast iron cookware a non stick finish. The customer service rep was very helpful and she explained that the GMO soybean oil can be removed in a two step process. First, put the pan in the oven and run the oven’s self clean cycle; let cool. Second, give the pan a good scrub. Then you will need to start over and re-season your cast iron cookware with shortening or the oil of your choice.

Watch this short video to learn how to re-season:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg6S6vWyPH8&list=PLF41A72C04A6AE443&index=2

 

Big Island Mayor Signs Biotech, GMO Ban Into Law

via The Huffington Post

Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi

HONOLULU — Mayor Billy Kenoi signed Bill 113 into law on Thursday, prohibiting biotech companies from operating on the Big Island and banning farmers from growing any new genetically altered crops.

The bill exempts the island’s GMO papaya industry.

Kenoi said that the new law signals the county’s desire to encourage community-based farming and ranching, as opposed to playing host to global agribusiness corporations in a letter to council members announcing his decision to sign the bill.

None of the biotech companies that have taken up root in Hawaii in recent years, such as Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer, operate on Big Island. The new law makes sure that remains the case.

Green Eggs and Monsanto

“Our community has a deep connection and respect for our land, and we all understand we must protect our island and preserve our precious natural resources,” Kenoi wrote to council members. “We are determined to do what is right for the land because this place is unlike any other in the world.”

Is This the End of Real Food?

 

The effects of eating genetically engineered (GE) foods are still largely unknown. The studies that led to the market release of certain genetically modified seeds were conducted by the same companies that manufacture the seeds themselves, and the raw data for these tests have not been released for the public to see. There have been independent, peer-reviewed studies that suggest that there could be harmful effects to human health caused by the use of GMOs and the chemical pesticides and herbicides that go along with them, but again, there has not been enough research done and the jury is still out. Also, without labeling GE foods, we cannot associate any health problems with people who ate them — because we do not know who ate them. Since the FDA has no way to track adverse health effects in people consuming GE foods, and because there is no requirement that food containing GE ingredients be labeled, there is no effective way to gather data on health problems that may be happening.

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Revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans

image from @fields http://twitter.com/#!/fields/statuses/76709401687375872@fields

Do you believe in the Whole Foods fairy?

From The Food Renegade

Heather Dessinger of Mommypotamus reveals a disquieting truth about “all natural” product labels and the corporations that use them <— !

Truth in labeling, people!