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# This is big - newsletter 122216 from Organic Consumers Association
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/organic_consumers_association_1222160936/
- Published: 2016-12-22T10:26:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T18:12:04.000Z
- Description: A year-end fundraising letter from the Organic Consumers Association, arguing that regenerative agriculture can feed the world and cool the planet, and noting that Mercola.com and Dr. Bronner's will match the first $250,000 raised by December 31.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Politics, #vivvo-import

#### SUPPORT THE OCA & OCF

# It's a Match!

Our real problem is not a heating planet or rampant malnutrition…We only have one real problem: Our own feelings of powerlessness to manifest the solutions right in front of our noses. - Frances Moore Lappé, from her book “Getting a Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want"

For decades, we’ve watched as corporations like Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, Exxon, Coca-Cola, Cargill and others have committed crimes against our health and our environment.

While fraudulently claiming to be offering consumers “modern solutions” these companies have brought us only toxic, nutrient-deficient food, poisoned rivers and streams, and an epidemic of cancer and other diseases.

Together, they’ve pushed us to the brink of an environmental, public health and climate disaster.

**It’s time to push back, as never before.**

We know what the solutions are. They’re right in front of our noses . . . and under our feet.

Regenerative agriculture can feed the world and cool the planet. Empowering farmers to work with the natural world to grow nutrient-dense food will help restore public health and revive local economies.

**We, as consumers, have the power to support a much-needed paradigm shift in our food and farming system.**

But we have to organize for BIG change. Now.

**Our loyal allies in the fight for a better food system—Mercola.com and Dr. Bronner’s—have once again pledged to match the first $250,000 raised during our year-end fundraising campaign. Please donate by midnight December 31 to help us take advantage of this generous offer.**

[**Donate to the Organic Consumers Association**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bsRzhQ8TkGfckWkaHbnlpa6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic standards, fair trade and public education)*

[**Donate to the Organic Consumers Fund**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=8r6CJ7Q7SmcYi6tefnXPSK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(non-tax-deductible, but necessary for our GMO labeling legislative efforts)*

[**Support OCA's Regeneration International Project**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=bKfwXOGPVyOr%2BgKRov2HYK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) *(tax-deductible, helps support our work on behalf of organic, regenerative agriculture and climate change)*

#### NEW STUDY

# This is Big

One of the biggest scams Monsanto perpetrated against consumers was getting its GMO crops declared “substantially equivalent” to non-GMO crops—a coup that allowed the biotech industry to unleash GMOs into the food system with no independent pre-market safety testing.

**First, a little history on** [**substantial equivalence:**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GnNfMVyjFKKz2xtaKvWEHZkif4db%2Fi6M&ref=foodconsumer.org)

The concept of ‘Substantial Equivalence’ was first introduced in 1993 by the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD), an international economic and trade organisation, *not* a public health body. The principle states that if a new food is found to be substantially equivalent to an already existing food product, it can be treated the same way as the existing product with respect to safety. This concept has greatly benefited the trade of GM produce, allowing it to effectively bypass regulatory requirements that would apply to novel food and other products including novel chemical compounds, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and food additives, all of which require a range of toxicological tests and can be subject to legal limitations on safe consumption/intake.

Independent (as in not on the biotech industry’s payroll) scientists who have [previously argued](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=b6sUduXwmiYK5N1ptC29RK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) that GMO foods are not substantially equivalent to non-GMO foods have been dissed and discredited by Monsanto.

**Now there’s a new peer-reviewed study led by Dr. Michael Antoniou at King’s College London, that once again suggests that GMO foods—at least a specific variety of Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready GMO corn—are nowhere near to being “equivalent” to non-GMO foods.**

**And what makes this Roundup-Ready corn “different,” say the authors of the most recent study, has serious implications for your health.**

[**Read ‘New Study Shows Major Molecular Differences between GMO and Non-GMO Corn’**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zmXBQsR8%2Bwn3okNRrHsBRq6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Read the study**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=HiKkhrvgj3hzZ0cMBkM6v66%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### ACTION ALERT

# New (Fake) Scientist

A popular science and technology magazine recently published an article and video aimed at convincing consumers that buying local and organic food is bad for the climate.

Given what we know—that [industrial agriculture is the biggest contributor to global warming](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ZUPmtc0vzPSET5GKdt3khK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org), and that organic and regenerative agriculture practices not only reduce emissions, but also draw down carbon from the atmosphere and [sequester it in the soil](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=l7Ctb5dtjsx5EGT8iRAZmq6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)—it’s hard to fathom how this article got the OK from the editors at New Scientist.

**That is, until you find out that Syngenta and Merck are big advertisers in New Scientist magazine.**

[**TAKE ACTION: Tell New Scientist Magazine: Stop Spreading Lies About Organic Food and Climate Change!**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vyJToANXw%2BiT2Wyg25a7ca6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

**Call New Scientist magazine and tell them what you think** [**1-888-822-3242**](tel:%28888%29%20822-3242)

**Tweet your comments to Sumit Paul-Choudhury, editor-in-chief** [**@sumit**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=z43%2BPOHCHZbFJu19ocjJL66%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) **and Rowan Hooper, managaing editor** [**@rowhoop**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=nsGEwXciRcjeyqBdPPZl%2Bq6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Post on New Scientist Facebook page**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=i%2FbLsQlXHR4j%2BJrhLrsjda6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO

# High Drama, High Stakes

Raised voices, accusations, drama and controversy marked last week’s [four-day meetings,](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tu5L8Mo4dok0ht19MUHeYJkif4db%2Fi6M&ref=foodconsumer.org) convened by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether or not regulators should re-approve glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, for use in the U.S.

Reporting for Huffington Post, US Right to Know’s Carey Gillam wrote:

The EPA’s determination is crucial on many fronts - Monsanto is currently defending itself against more than [three dozen lawsuits ](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fsL8g24sv%2FYUYEyrUhDBBa6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)claiming glyphosate-based Roundup gave people non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a type of blood cancer; both the EPA and the European Union are assessing re-registrations of glyphosate to determine if limits should be placed on the chemical; and Monsanto is attempting a $66 billion merger with German-based Bayer.

**Below are a few reports from the meetings last week. But the bottom line is this: Is there anyone in the EPA who has the will to do what we, the taxpayers, pay them to do? Which is to place a higher priority on the health and rights of the people, than on the profits of Monsanto?**

**We won’t know for at least another three months. But this we do know: The stakes are high.**

[**Read ‘Future of Top Pesticide Uncertain after Grueling Cancer Review’**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Tre2OCiznnCRPZ7OQNS3Ea6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Read ‘Cancer Questions, Controversy and Chorus at EPA Glyphosate Meetings’**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=g9SXQJhNoHW%2BNqfikJXSAq6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Read ‘EPA Poised to Sign Off on Monsanto’s Glyphosate, Despite Warnings by Independent Scientists’**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=AWvTr6Kg4OeLKiw3CWjPtK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### READING ROOM

# Tiny and Wise

Legend has it that Green Man, a tiny and wise Guatemalan folk character, spun stories aimed at teaching people to respect the natural world.

**Borrowing from that legend, Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin has written a book about his quest in revolution-torn Guatemala to build his vision for a regenerative farming model that would both respect the laws of nature and uplift people and communities.**

Haslett-Marroquin, chief strategy officer for the [Main Street Project](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=9v8o99BMW%2FXeIJuabTdo5a6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org), has developed a regenerative poultry project that pairs egg and meat production with other region- and climate-appropriate crops, such as hazelnut trees (northern climates) and olive trees (southern climates). OCA is working with Haslett-Marroquin on a [pilot project](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1XqUhtpgzgp%2BkKEUu1GD3K6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org) at our Vía Orgánica teaching ranch in San Miguel de Allende.

On his book, Haslett-Marroquin says:

“In The Shadow of Green Man” is a story telling project … a book about my life. I hope this book will serve as a platform to embark on a conversation about hope and power in a new way, one that emerges from each of us and empowers us to take action to do good even in the midst of so much evil happening around the world.

**Wise words for all of us, as we work together in the coming year to promote regenerative farming practices that work in harmony with nature, rather than destroy it.**

[**Order “In the Shadow of Green Man”**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=uCmXHNvwTqylOlWznmAc3a6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**More about Haslett-Marroquin and regenerative poultry**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=x%2B4P4dglmO8yJgZ7dNQy5K6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**More about OCA’s ¡Granjas Regenerativas! regenerative poultry project**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=U19M%2FpnWMrZEgmwaIa7fMpkif4db%2Fi6M&ref=foodconsumer.org)

#### LITTLE BYTES

# Essential Reading for the Week

[**Where Did Your Favorite Food Come From?**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=l1ztL0UaQErKlFjXMLdwDq6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Lessons for Our Time from Rachel Carson**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xeGQLkfQfK%2BqquoXAw3Rha6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Jesus of Nazareth**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=v%2FYw43e1l8nQGPKiCL35ua6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**The Children of Agent Orange**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=McNsQfSEl5pmsu16S4aFIK6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Chinese Firm Begins Testing GMO Corn Seeds in U.S. Greenhouse**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=0qARMv02YqPoCDlBhjwQfa6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Life Expectancy Lower for Trump Voters**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=1ZMMvv8VxE2IoADuxHNUza6%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)

[**Fiber Prevents Gut Microbes from Ravaging Your Intestines**](http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Jju45x1Ykj61BWlKK2wUD66%2BG3XNkZUa&ref=foodconsumer.org)