Actor Channing Tatum to Appear with RUNA at Expo West

For Immediate Release:

Contact:
Tyler Gage, RUNA, tyler@runa.org, tel 401.426.9543
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042

Actor Channing Tatum to Appear at Amazonian Beverage Maker RUNA's Booth at Natural Products Expo West, World's Largest Natural and Organic Products Trade Show

Best known for his starring roles in 21 Jump Street, White House Down and Magic Mike, Actor Channing Tatum will join the RUNA team at Booth #3005 at Natural Products Expo West on Friday, March 6, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA

Brooklyn, New York (February, 24, 2014) – So, how does Hollywood action star Channing Tatum stay energized through a grueling film schedule? By exercising, getting plenty of rest, and drinking RUNA beverages, made with Guayusa (pronounced “gwhy-you-sa”), an Amazonian “super leaf” with a long tradition of use as a natural, healthy energy drink by the indigenous peoples of Ecuadorian Amazon. Speaking about the benefits of Guayusa, Tatum riffed to Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show that Guayusa gives him "the energy of the gods."

In fact, Tatum was so taken by the sustained energy he gets from Guayusa and the social mission behind RUNA that he befriended the owners, traveled last year to the Amazon with them, and invested in the company. From its roots as nothing more than a class project at Brown University, RUNA has emerged as one of the fastest-growing organic, ready-to-drink tea brands in the U.S.

Channing Tatum will join RUNA founders Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie at their exhibit booth, #3005, on Friday, March 6, at Natural Products Expo West. Now in its 34th year,Natural Products Expo West is the world’s largest natural and organic products trade exposition, drawing more than 70,000 trade visitors from over 100 countries.

“We are pumped to host Channing at our booth at Expo West to help spread the word about RUNA and educate people about the benefits of Guayusa," said RUNA co-founder Tyler Gage, who also noted that RUNA’s booth, made from renewable bamboo, will feature a sustainable rainforest design. The company also plans to introduce three new flavors of its ready-to-drink Guayusa beverages at the show.

Guayusa is a native Amazonian super-leaf with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and double the polyphenols of leading green tea products. However, unlike traditional teas, Guayusa has no tannins, so it tastes surprisingly smooth and naturally sweet. Indigenous peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon have brewed Guayusa like tea for thousands of years as an essential part of what makes them “RUNA” – fully alive.

“The tradition of Guayusa and why the indigenous tribes drink it is very intriguing,” saidTatum. “Being down in the Amazon and getting to spend time with the Kichwa and Sapara people, and really trying to understand how and why they use Guayusa and some of their other medicinal plants has given me a much greater understanding of how people can relate to nature on a deeper level.”

With a mission to improve the livelihoods of indigenous farmers in the Amazon, RUNA’s founders believe that consumers everywhere can benefit from the bounty of the rainforest without destroying it, starting with the people who live there. RUNA works directly with more than 3,000 indigenous farming families who are proud to see guayusa shared around the world. These families are RUNA’s partners in a Fair Trade relationship, and by organically growing guayusa in traditional forest gardens they help protect the rainforest.

About RUNA
RUNA is a Brooklyn-based social enterprise founded in 2009 by college classmates Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie that makes beverages brewed with the Guayusa “super leaf” and improves the livelihoods of Amazonian farming families through its supply chain. RUNA’s products are sold in more than 6,000 stores across the country, and are an effective alternative to the legions of artificial beverages and energy drinks on the market. The journey continues at www.RUNA.org.

About RUNA Foundation 501c3
RUNA Foundation works with Amazonian communities to improve livelihoods and protect the Amazon rainforest. While a million acres of rainforest are destroyed every year to meet the global demand for precious hardwoods, sugar, cattle, and agricultural commodities, this exploitation does not benefit the farming families whose land and culture is being destroyed.  RUNA Foundation provides sustainable land management training, community development support and business development services to indigenous communities so that they can work toward their vision of sustainable development in the Amazon. The mission continues at www.runafoundation.org.

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Copyright © 2015 RUNA LLC. All rights reserved.

Communications by Compass Natural Marketing

info@compassnatural.com | tel 303.807.1042

Horst Rechelbacher: Game Changer in Cosmetics, 1941 - 2014

Source: Pexels

This post is dedicated to Horst Rechelbacher, founder of Aveda and a game changer in the cosmetics world advocating for beauty products that are healthier for people and the planet. Horst also founded Intelligent Nutrients, a line of impeccable body care products so organic and clean you could eat them. Horst passed away peacefully at his home in Osceola, WI, on Feb. 15, 2014, at the age of 72. I met Horst in 2007 when I served as Director of The Organic Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scientific research and education about the benefits of organic food and farming. Horst was a major benefactor of the Center, and in working together at The Organic Center and subsequently as advocates of GMO labeling, we became friends. In visiting with him and his wife Kiran on numerous occasions in Minneapolis, Wisconsin and elsewhere, I learned more of his business philosophy, his commitment to health and the environment, his approach to product formulations, marketing, style and art, his great love for people and the planet, and his kindness and generosity. He enriched the world as much as he was enriched by what he did for it, and us. Though I only met him later in life, he left a great influence, and his friendship is a gift I will treasure.

In April 2012, we had the great honor of featuring Horst as the keynote speaker of At the Epicenter, a quarterly entrepreneurship speaker series my company produces in partnership with Best Organics Inc., a leading brand promotions and organic gift basket provider based in Boulder. In this 14-minute video segment, conducted in a CEO-armchair style interview with Seleyn DeYarus, CEO of Best Organics, Horst shares his story and his approach to business and life.

Born in Klagenfurt, Austria, Rechelbacher learned about the plant world from his mother, an herbalist. That knowledge became the centerpiece of his career and a passion that grew through the decades. An award winning hair stylist by the age of 14, Horst emigrated to the US in the 1960s, settled in Minneapolis and founded Aveda after formulating shampoos in his kitchen for clients who wanted more natural, earth friendly products. Horst was also a prolific artist, photographer and art collector, and he supported a number of causes related to health, clean cosmetics and the environment. Horst sold Aveda to Estee Lauder for $300 million in 1997, after building it into an international brand. With Intelligent Nutrients, he kept pushing the boundaries of organically produced beauty care.

“He saw himself as an environmentalist, and increasingly more so over time,” Horst's wife, Kiran, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “He saw the plight of the planet and the ongoing damage we’re incurring. He felt that very intensely, and saw that the way he could contribute to improving that was thinking about choices people were making from the consumer point of view — their purchasing power.”

Horst was one of the early pioneers in beauty care who knew that it's not just what you put in your body, but also what you put on your body that counts, and that should be non-toxic, healthful products that were produced in an eco-responsible manner. He left a great legacy for the cosmetics industry, and health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers worldwide. Horst Rechelbacher will be greatly missed.

Read Horst's book, Minding Your Business, first published in 2008.

At the Epicenter Presents: The Natural World According to Bill Weiland

Boulder’s premier sustainable business entrepreneurship speaker series, At the Epicenter, on February 20 will host Bill Weiland, founder and CEO of Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence, the nation's leading independent natural and organic products brokerage. Named by Forbes as a "Top 25 Consumer Products Kingmaker," Bill Weiland will talk trends driving the healthy lifestyles market. At the Epicenter is produced by Compass Natural Marketing and Best Organics Inc. For more than 20 years as President and CEO of Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence, Bill Weiland has become a leading expert in forecasting and marketing consumer product trends in the natural, organic, and healthy lifestyles arena. At the Epicenter is pleased to host Bill on February 20 in Boulder for an interactive conversation with local and regional business leaders to discuss upcoming trends in the healthy lifestyles market as well as the future of consumer transparency and GMO labeling.

Recently named by Forbes as one of the “Top 25 Most Influential “Kingmakers” in Consumer and Retailer Companies,” Bill Weiland has dedicated his career to promoting natural foods and health. Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence is the largest independently owned natural and organic products brokerage in the U.S. Weiland and his team work closely with leading retailers, distributors and manufacturers, and he will share insights for how entrepreneurs and innovators can get their natural and organic products on the shelves.

"In working with leading national brands as well as successful startups, Bill has a keen eye on consumer and product trends driving the rapidly growing healthy lifestyles market,” said Steven Hoffman, co-producer of At the Epicenter and Director of Compass Natural Marketing. “We're excited that he will share his expertise with local and regional entrepreneurs. Also, I have had the opportunity to work with Bill on a number of GMO labeling initiatives and can personally attest to his commitment to consumer transparency and truth in labeling.”

At the Epicenter will be held Thursday, Feb, 20, 2014, at the Sterling Rice Group Event Center in downtown Boulder. The evening will begin at 5:30 pm with a welcoming reception including natural and organic beer, wine and appetizers, followed by an interactive conversation with Bill Weiland at 6:30 pm. For press passes or more information contactinfo@compassnaturalmarketing.com.

Tickets are available for adults ($12), nonprofits ($8), students ($6) and a group rate of 3 adult tickets for $30. For tickets, visit www.billweiland-attheepicenter.eventbrite.com.

At the Epicenter Sponsors Gold Sponsors include Sterling Rice Group, Nature’s Path Foods, Boulder Brands (Earth Balance, Glutino, Udi’s Gluten Free and Evol Foods) Silver Sponsors include New Hope Natural Media, Boulder Weekly, Boulderganic, Bonterra and EKS&H Bronze Sponsors include Pax World Investments, Bay State Milling, St. Claire's Organics, EnerHealth Botanicals, Runa and Care2 Supporting Sponsors include Eco-Products Inc., Shine, Boulder Valley Voices, Eldorado Springs Water and Chinook Book

About At the Epicenter
At the Epicenter is a series of interactive talks for entrepreneurs, business and community leaders in the $300-billion market for natural, organic, sustainable and socially responsible products and services. At the Epicenter is produced by Best Organics Inc., a leading organic gift and brand promotions company; and Compass Natural LLC, a leader in LOHAS communications, public relations, strategic marketing, branding and business development.

Launched in 2010, At the Epicenter has featured nationally syndicated radio show e-Town Founders Nick and Helen Forster; B Lab Co-founder Andrew Kassoy; Jenn Vervier, Director of Sustainability at New Belgium Brewery; world renowned author and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions, Hunter Lovins; Nature's Path Foods Co-founders Arran and Ratana Stephens; Kim Coupounas Co-founder of GoLite; Bhakti Chai CEO Brook Eddy; Brendan Synnott, Co-founder of Bear Naked Granola; Horst Rechelbacher, Founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients; Bill McKibben, Founder of 350.org; John Elstrott, Chair of Whole Foods Market; local economies expert and author Michael Shuman; Fox Health News correspondent Chris Kilham; author and non-GMO expert Jeffrey Smith; Tom Harding, founding President of the Organic Trade Association; advertising and marketing gurus Alex and Ana Bogusky, noted natural foods retailers Sandy Gooch, Harry Lederman and Cheryl Hughes; and others. Visit www.facebook.com/atheepicenter.

About Best Organics Inc.
Best Organics Inc. is a leading provider of premium, hand-packed, organic and eco-friendly gift basket collections featuring gourmet products from local, regional and U.S.-based producers and leading brands. Its gift collections are presented in beautifully illustrated, reusable gift boxes, and are available at www.AmericasBestOrganics.com, and for corporate gifting. Best Organics Inc. is a Certified B Corporation, a member of the Organic Trade Association, Colorado Proud, and Naturally Boulder, and is a Green America-Approved Business. Contact us or call 303.499.ORGANIC (6742).

About Compass Natural Marketing
Compass Natural, founded in 2002 by healthy lifestyles and LOHAS industry veteran Steven Hoffman, brings more than 25 years of experience in natural and organic products marketing, public relations, social networking, market research, package design, product development, online and print content and design, event planning, business development, and strategic guidance in the $300 billion market for natural, organic and sustainable products and services. Contact info@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.

The Natural Scene: Will these Food Trends Shape 2014?

Source: Pexels

As a former food editor and evaluator of the natural products scene, many times I've wished for a crystal ball to help me determine the next big food product. While there have been plenty of surprises (who could have predicted chia would make its way from infomercial novelty to functional food?) through the years I've landed on a formula for helping me determine what will stick around and what will likely fade away.  It seems when innovation meets a market need, a brand is on to something. Sprinkle in quality ingredients at a fair value and success is nearly guaranteed. Based on my not-so-scientific analysis, here's a look at the some of the trends I'll be following this year. Insect protein. Beetles for breakfast anyone? Ten years ago, this idea was total yuck. Fast forward to tomorrow and I won't be surprised if we're sprinkling crushed crickets on our cereal. Think I've missed the mark? Consider that most of the world eats insects in one form or another and the reasons are simple:  they're nutritious, sustainable and cheap. I know of at least one innovative company that's experimenting with cricket meal for use in a nutrition bar (think of it like cricket flour). This may be the perfect entry for American consumers who are likely not ready to bight down on bits of antennae or hindlegs in their food snacks—at least, not before noon!

Hyper convenience. On-the-go consumers have long fantasized about the perfect meal in a pill. Pop it, and keep going. While I'll never totally understand this mentality since meal times are built in excuses for taking a break, who's not been hit with hunger pangs and nowhere to turn? Airport terminals, malls, suburbia—these are common danger zones. Convenience foods save the day, and we're learning that the more portable and nutritious a product, the more likely consumers will give it a try… even if it doesn't entirely deliver on flavor. Any early Power Bar fans out there? Manufacturers are experimenting with convenient ways to deliver nutrition that break out from the now boring bar.  I've seen fortified ice cream cups, and yogurty push pops, but what's catching my attention is the pouch.  Similar to the bar, pouches are great for on-the-go, and can be filled with just about anything. Offerings currently are primarily fruity but I see protein-fortified formulations and possibly even savory options in the horizon.

Pale-eee-ohhhhhh! Blame Crossfit Boxes or simply consider Paleo a rebound from the high-carbohydrate low fat days of our past. Consumers are experimenting with this entirely new style of eating, and I think it will stick around. Why? Much about the Paleo diet is based on sound wisdom. The eating plan emphasizes sustainable meat sources such as buffalo and grass fed beef and encourages consumers to look to whole food sources for daily nutrition.

Big brands appear to be taking a wait-and-see approach before marketing to the Paleo crowd, but smaller companies aren't holding back. Snack formulations emphasize transparency, better-for-you ingredients and minimal sweeteners. Who doesn't like that? Expect more convenient food products such as cereals, cookies and bars made with just nuts, seeds and berries that are Paleo ready even if they're not ready to call out their primal appeal.

Kelsey Blackwell is former Senior Editor of New Hope Natural Media, publisher of Natural Foods Merchandiser and New Hope 360, leading print and online trade publications serving the natural and organic products industry. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay area.

The Palm Oil Conundrum

Source: Pexels

Palm oil may be heaven for food and cosmetics manufacturers, but it’s hell for orangutans. The issue is not about the palm oil itself – it’s actually proven to be a great substitute for more unhealthy hydrogenated oils and trans fats. The problem is the way palm oil is grown that is so incredibly destructive to the world’s most sensitive tropical rainforest environments.

The ingredient has soared in worldwide demand, particularly in the US and EU, and is used in everything from lipstick and soap to soymilk, cookies and ice cream. Because it is so inexpensive in commodity markets, it is estimated that 50% of all packaged grocery products sold in the US and EU contain palm oil, and the oil is also a staple in India, China and many developing nations.

Yet, large-scale production of low-priced, conventionally produced palm oil is now taking a serious toll in terms of massive environmental and habitat destruction, social unrest and global climate change.

Derived from the high-yielding oil palm of African origin, palm oil is primarily cultivated in huge plantations that today have displaced millions of hectares of native tropical rainforests from Indonesia to Africa, and with it, iconic species including orangutans, Sumatran tigers, pygmy elephants and rhinoceros, now on the brink of extinction through outright killing and devastating loss of habitat.

According to the UK’s The Guardian, in only a “single generation,” logging and global agribusiness, including primarily palm and acacia plantations, have cut Indonesia’s rainforest – nearly the size of Europe – by half, and the news source also warned that “the Sumatran rainforest will mostly disappear within 20 years.”

Indigenous peoples and rural communities in these regions also have been affected by the exponential expansion of palm oil over the past 20 years, and the industry has been responsible for numerous human rights abuses and hundreds of conflicts between agribusiness conglomerates and local communities, with entire forest towns forcefully removed or relocated to make way for more palm oil acreage.

Climate – and Market – Heating for Palm Oil So much pristine rainforest – among the earth’s densest in biodiversity – is being cleared in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s largest palm oil producers, to make way for palm oil plantations that the region has become the world’s third largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, behind only China and the U.S. Rainforests, and especially the peat forests of Indonesia, sequester massive amounts of carbon. However, when vast swaths are cleared through bulldozing and burning, all that carbon is released into earth’s warming atmosphere.

Palm oil plantation expansion is projected to contribute more than 558 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2020 – an amount greater than all of Canada's current fossil fuel emissions, says a Stanford study published Oct. 7, 2012, in the journal Nature Climate Change. The study concluded that deforestation for the development of oil palm in Indonesian Borneo is becoming a globally significant source of carbon dioxide emissions.

All this is driven, of course, by rising demand for “healthier” and less costly fats. Globally, palm oil consumption has quintupled since 1990, says Bloomberg Business Week. In February, exports from Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of palm oil, hit a five-year high. Demand is predicted to more than double by 2030 and to triple by 2050. Over 70% ends up in food, but biofuel demand for palm oil is expanding rapidly, reports Greenpeace. Indonesia already has 6 million hectares of oil palm plantations, but has plans for another 4 million by 2015 dedicated to biofuel production alone. Africa and Latin America are the next frontiers to supply rising global demand for palm oil, with tens of thousands of hectares under development in sensitive and ecologically diverse rainforest regions and wildlife corridors.

The Natural Industry Responds The natural and organic products industry, alas, is also responsible in part for the environmental destruction caused by commercial palm oil production. A walk down the aisles of any natural foods store will reveal a number of products made with palm oil or one of its many derivatives, including Vitamin A Palmitate, Stearic Acid, Palm Kernel Oil, Palmitate, and other ingredients.

In response to growing pressure from consumers and leading NGOs about the destructive impact of commercial palm oil production, some sustainably minded food companies are taking action, and suppliers including Agropalma in Brazil and Daabon in Colombia are seeking to provide sources of certified organic and sustainable palm oil. While still a drop in the bucket in terms of overall global impact of palm oil, these initiatives are welcome steps in the right direction.

One company that uses palm oil in its proprietary vegetable oil blend is Boulder Brands, publicly held maker of Earth Balance plant-based, natural and organic buttery spreads. “We are aware of the issues surrounding palm oil and are pushing our supply chain for more sustainable options,” says Duane Primozich of Boulder Brands, maker of natural, organic and gluten-free products under the Smart Balance, Earth Balance, Udi’s, Glutino and Evol brands.

“Currently, we purchase Green Palm certificates to offset our conventional palm oil purchases, and we source only from (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) RSPO member suppliers,” says Primozich. The company also contributes to the work of Dr. Birute Galdikas, the world’s foremost authority on orangutans, whose foundation is seeking to establish orangutan Legacy Forests in Borneo. Working with Daabon, which Primozich says has a strong reputation for sustainability in South America and takes a holistic approach to agriculture, Boulder Brands is seeking to convert more of its supply chain to South America – currently, 40% of the palm oil it purchases is sourced from South America and is certified organic - as demand for organic is growing twice as fast as its natural and conventional products, says Primozich.

“While we still have conventional palm oil in our non-organic Earth Balance items, we have affidavits in place from our suppliers certifying our oil comes from peninsular Malaysia vs. the Talamantan region of Borneo, which is one of the last habitats for orangutans. However small a role, the company remains committed to exploring all options to source sustainable plant-based oils" he says.

Organic and fair trade company Dr. Bronner’s has gone to great lengths to develop its own sustainable, certified organic palm oil farm project, Serendipalm, to supply the ingredient for its own solid soap bars and other products. According to Les Szabo, who helps director the Serendipalm project for the fourth-generation family owned business, Dr. Bronner’s works directly with farmers and producers in Asuom, Ghana, where no rainforests are destroyed for palm plantations. The company works with its Ghanaian partners to improve soil quality and yields through organic farming practices; respect and promote endemic species' habitats; ensure safe working conditions; and pay fair wages. Dr. Bronner's also pays 10% into a fair trade fund, which is used for community development projects in the area. To date, these fair trade funds have helped to provide four deep-water wells, living quarters for nurses at a local hospital, and school supplies for local children, Szabo says. The company hopes to scale production to provide for future growth and possibly to supply other companies with organic, fair trade palm oil, but that’s a long-term goal, he says.

Sustainable food producer Nutiva recently introduced certified organic Red Palm Oil grown on small family farms in northwest Ecuador. By partnering with Natural Habitats in Ecuador, the company says it ensures that no deforestation or habitat destruction results from the growing or harvesting process, and the product is fair trade certified by Fair for Life. The region in Ecuador where Nutiva’s palm oil is sourced is grown on organic farms averaging 10 hectares (about 25 acres), interspersed throughout regional forests. These farms were planted many years ago, says the company, and are now being worked by second and third generation family farmers.

Anther company, Justin’s Nut Butter, uses only what it calls “Orangutan Friendly Palm Oil” in its peanut butter and related products from organic ingredients trader Ciranda and sourced from Brazil. "We don't believe boycotting palm oil - the harvesting and production of which is the livelihood of so many - is the solution; but rather it's being conscientious about where and how we source the ingredient," explained Justin Gold, CEO and founder of Justin's, in a July 2011 press release.

NGOs, Sustainable Palm Oil Producers Collaborate The production and sourcing of palm oil has been subject to intense criticism by heavyweight NGO organizations, including Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Fund and others. That’s why it was promising when a joint collaborative of major NGOs, including RAN, WWF and Greenpeace, plus palm oil producers and traders including Agropalma, Daabon, New Britain Palm Oil Ltd. and others announced in June 2013 the formation of the Palm Oil Innovation Group (POIG), designed to enhance and set out clearer sustainability standards than the RSPO, an industry led association that has been criticized as weak by environmental groups and industry critics.

According to the Rainforest Action Network, “Responsible palm oil is produced without contributing to rainforest or peat land destruction, species extinction, greenhouse gas emissions or human rights abuses. Food manufacturing companies need transparent and traceable supply chains from the plantation where the palm oil was sourced to the final product on your grocery store shelf.”

Humans have been cultivating and using palm oil for thousands of years, however it wasn’t until 1885 when William Lever founded Lever Brothers in England and became the first to commercialize the use of palm oil for its bar soaps, and to build palm oil plantations in Indonesia. The company, which later became Unilever, is now among the world’s largest buyers of palm oil for its myriad consumer products. Yet, the company’s CEO Paul Polman is now committed to cutting in half Unilever’s massive environmental impact while doubling sales, stating that doing one is good for the other. If Unilever can effect such a change it would have a massive impact and perhaps take a bit of pressure off such aggressive palm oil expansion.

The question is can we put a check on a largely unregulated, expansionist industry in time to save what’s left of Indonesia’s native rainforests and iconic species, and promote sustainable palm oil development there and in Latin America and Africa, where rainforests and species of their own could be under threat by rampant palm oil expansion? There’s got to be a better way to make a candy bar!

Photo 1: Deforestation in Riau Province in Sumatra makes way for an oil palm plantation. Wikipedia

Olomomo Nut Company Secures Crowd Funding Investment as Growth Accelerates

For Immediate Release:

Olomomo Nut Company Secures Crowd Funding Investment as Growth Accelerates

BOULDER, CO (January 8, 2014) – OLOMOMO Nut Co., a leading, Boulder, CO-based producer of all-natural, gluten-free, artisan-roasted nuts, achieved a key milestone in its national growth strategy today by securing a $450,000 round of funding with help from angel investor crowd-funding platform, CircleUp. Founded in 2012, CircleUp is an internet-based platform primarily for natural consumer packaged goods companies aiming to reach accredited investors. OLOMOMO was one of the first companies featured as part of CircleUp’s Seeds Program for startups under $1 million in revenue.

“We are incredibly grateful to CircleUp for backing this fundraising round. The exposure on CircleUp put us in front of thousands of potential investors we would never have accessed through our own limited time and network,” said OLOMOMO CEO Mark Owens. “We also attracted some very experienced and influential angel investors with the help of CircleUp – including Brad Feld of the Foundry Group, a couple of key natural food industry veterans, and a variety of finance, tech and CPG marketing experts.”

CircleUp’s CEO Ryan Caldbeck is thrilled to welcome OLOMOMO to the platform’s community of funded companies. “Snacking is on the rise and consumers are looking for healthier ways to snack. OLOMOMO leverages these trends in the market in an exciting way with strong branding and a healthy habit-forming product with unique flavors. We were excited by the team’s experience in the food sector and their commitment to building an authentic brand within the nut category,” he said.

OLOMOMO's current flavored nut product line is kettle-roasted using a new twist on centuries-old techniques, and lightly seasoned with individual spices to prevent masking the nut’s inherent flavor. According to founder Justin Perkins, “I’m a busy professional, a dad, and a weekend-warrior athlete who depends on sustained, even energy. I wanted a snack that wasn’t overly sweet or salty; I don’t have time for sugar crashes and ingredients that are dehydrating. Therefore, all of our products adhere to that guiding principle of minimal sugar, low-salt, but loads of flavor.”

Current flavor offerings have the following attributes: all natural and organic ingredients, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, no trans fat, no added oils, no cholesterol, no preservatives, no artificial colors, no artificial sweeteners and no GMO ingredients.

The folks at OLOMOMO use distinctive, fair-trade spice combinations to create mind-blowing roasted almond, pecan and walnut flavors including Cherry Vanilla Dream, Chai Bliss, Mango Chipotle Zinger, and Righteous Cinnamon Cayenne, available in 1.5-oz. and 4-oz. sizes - and Cosmic Maple Masala Pecans, available in 3.25-oz. bags. The company plans to roll out new flavors in early 2014.

OLOMOMO Nut Company – The Good Nuts™ -- is a cause-oriented brand with a mission to do and inspire more good in the world while creating a healthy snack alternative. 

About OLOMOMO Nut Company

OLOMOMO - The Good Nuts™ - offers healthful, artisan-roasted, all natural nuts. Since launching in 2008 at Boulder, CO area farmers’ markets, OLOMOMO has grown to be the snack of choice for thousands. OLOMOMO Nut Co. is a sustainable business with a commitment to fair labor practices, all natural and organic ingredients, and a wide variety of environmental and social causes. OLOMOMO Nuts inspires people to... ”Be Nutty.  Be Good.  Be Adventurous™.”

OLOMOMO is now available at more than 80 natural grocery stores and 250 coffee shops and smoothie shops nationwide, including Whole Foods Markets in Colorado, Alfalfa's Market, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Akin's Natural Foods, Smoothie King and other leading retailers. OLOMOMO is now available nationally through distributors KeHE/ Tree of Life, Garden Spot, Shamrock Foods, and Barista Pro Shop. For more information, visit www.olomomo.com, contact Mark Owens, info@olomomo.com, 303-242-5509, or join the community atwww.olomomo.com/facebook.

About CircleUp

CircleUp (www.circleup.com) is an online private company investment platform. CircleUp provides accredited investors free access to direct investments in high-growth consumer product and retail private companies that were previously difficult to identify and access. For retail and consumer product entrepreneurs, CircleUp offers an efficient way to access a network of sophisticated investors as well as value-added partners.

As one of the largest equity based crowdfunding sites, CircleUp provides not only access to interesting consumer and retail private company investments, but also a wide ranging, sophisticated investor network. The platform’s investor base includes retail and consumer product industry experts, venture capital, private equity and other financial professionals, business leaders, angel investors and others interested in expanding their investment portfolios with private company investments.

For more information, visit the CircleUp Press Room, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn orTwitter, or visit our blog.

Communications by Compass Natural Marketing

info@compassnatural.com | 303.807.1042

Historic Mainstream Cereal Brands Make Non-GMO News

Food giants General Mills and Post Foods both announced in the same month that their flagship Original Cheerios and Original Grape Nuts cereals will now say “Non-GMO” on the label, however, consumer watchdog groups fear that voluntary non-GMO claims may be meant to pre-empt any prospective state and federal mandatory GMO labeling efforts.

After contributing millions of dollars in campaign funding in 2012 and 2013 to oppose GMO labeling bills in California and Washington state, mainstream food manufacturer General Mills announced in early January 2014 that it has reformulated its flagship Original Cheerios cereal to remove GMOs from the product. The company said it had spent the past year sourcing non-GMO ingredients and changing some manufacturing practices, and beginning this month, Original Cheerios will now bear a non-GMO claim on the package.

General Mill’s non-GMO claim has not been verified by any third party agency, and the Original variety is the only Cheerios flavor to make the non-GMO claim. To respond to consumer questions, the company posted a non-GMO FAQ web page here.

Taking it one step further, cereal maker Post Foods announced just days later that its Original Grape Nuts variety is now Non-GMO Project Verified and U.S. consumers will see the familiar blue butterfly non-GMO seal on the front of the package in supermarkets across the country. Both Post and General Mills are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), a mainstream food industry lobby group that has opposed mandatory GMO labeling measures.

Proponents of GMO transparency lauded the news, including the nonprofit GMO Inside, a project of Green America, which has targeted Cheerios for not disclosing its GMO ingredients in widespread social media campaigns. Given the historic stature of the brands - Grape Nuts was first introduced in 1897 by mainstream food pioneer C.W. Post, and General Mills first launched Cheerios in 1941 - plus their dominant position in the cereal aisle, the moves were heralded as a major step forward in GMO labeling and in exposing a far greater number of consumers to the issue of GMOs in food and agriculture.

GMO Inside continues to press General Mills; its current campaign calls for removing GMO ingredients from Honey Nut Cheerios, and for General Mills to engage a third-party verification service such as Non-GMO Project to ensure the authenticity of the company's non-GMO claims.

A Toe in the Non-GMO Water Granted, the main ingredients in Original Cheerios and Original Grape Nuts - oats and wheat, respectively - are essentially non-GMO, making the products relatively easy to reformulate. Yet, in sourcing non-GMO corn starch, non-GMO sweetener from sugar cane instead of GMO sugar beets, and other non-GMO ingredients, and investing in segregating production, these mainstream cereal giants for the first time are responding to clamoring consumer demand for GMO labeling and transparency. While the Original flavors of Cheerios and Grape Nuts are the only non-GMO offerings, Post said it is pursuing other potential non-GMO products.

It is a testament to the efforts of sustainable food and farming organizations, consumer advocacy groups, natural and organic industry supporters, and grass-roots campaigns behind mandatory GMO labeling bills in states and federal government over the past few years that prompted these mainstream food corporations to finally acknowledge GMO transparency by announcing their non-GMO product claims.

Too Good to be True? Industry watchdogs, however, warn that the claims made by General Mills and Post are strictly voluntary non-GMO claims only, while consumers remain largely unaware that the majority of conventionally processed foods contain GMOs without requiring any disclosure on the label. While non-GMO claims are laudable, proponents of GMO labeling transparency wonder if this may be part of a roundabout move by the mainstream grocery lobby to pre-empt mandatory state and federal GMO labeling measures in favor of being able to make voluntary non-GMO claims, or abide by voluntary or watered-down GMO labeling standards that will likely be full of exemptions and loopholes.

Food Safety News reported in early January that GMA lobbied Congress and federal regulators to allow foods containing GMOs to be called "natural." Also, in an internal letter outlining GMO talking points intended for food industry lobbyists, GMA warned that, "The first state to implement a GMO labeling law will be sued on the constitutional grounds seen in IDFA v. Amestoy. Litigation in this area could be long, costly and will probably be decided by the Supreme Court," the letter stated. However, GMA's claims that state GMO labeling efforts are unconstitutional are baseless, according to legal experts and reported by Organic Consumers Association on January 23.

"If we’re to follow Cheerios and Grape Nuts down the rabbit hole, then states and federal GMO labeling laws will never happen," notes journalist Jill Ettinger in EatDrinkBetter.com. "Instead of mandatory labeling, with defined parameters, we’ll end up with a sugar-coated self-regulated system that’s about as healthy for you as the average breakfast cereal. In the long run, we’re much better off with tangible labeling laws instead of voluntary proclamations," she wrote.

One bright spot is that “now that Original Cheerios has gone non-GMO, it has proven one thing we've known all along and that is that GMO labeling doesn't cost the consumer any more money," said David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's and a longtime GMO labeling advocate. Bronner noted at a recent GMO labeling meeting in Portland, OR, that prices have not gone up for non-GMO Cheerios or Grape Nuts, despite repeated claims by GMO labeling opponents that mandatory labeling requirements would increase food prices for consumers.

This post originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of Presence News, a leading industry newsletter published by Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence, the nation's largest independent natural and organic products brokerage.

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural LLC, a full-service marketing, branding, public relations and business development agency serving natural, organic and sustainable products businesses. As a GMO labeling proponent, he served on the finance committees of California’s Prop 37 and Washington State’s I-522 voter campaigns to label GMO foods. Hoffman is former Editorial Director of New Hope Natural Media and former Program Director of Natural Products Expo. A co-founder of the annual LOHAS Conference for the $300-billion “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability” market, and former Director of The Organic Center, Hoffman also served as Rocky Mountain Sales Manager and National Marketing Director for Arrowhead Mills, now a leading organic division of the Hain-Celestial Group. Contact steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042.

USDA, FDA to Heap More GMOs on Consumers’ Plates

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Following the narrow defeat of Washington's I-522 to label GMO foods, the USDA moved to deregulate two new GMO soy varieties and a GMO apple genetically engineered to resist browning. Reports also indicate FDA may soon approve GMO salmon – the first GE animal for commercial food production.

What’s next for consumers and industry after November's narrow election loss of the I-522 GMO labeling bill in Washington State? While GMO labeling initiatives are emerging in states like Oregon, Colorado and elsewhere, and Just Label It and other organizations continue to press for advancement of federal GMO labeling legislation, there’s a different agenda at USDA and FDA.

The priority of these government organizations in charge of our food and agriculture is the approval and commercialization of more GMO crops, including more GMO soy varieties and a GMO apple that resists browning when sliced. Plus, approval of GMO salmon - the first genetically engineered animal proposed for human consumption – may be imminent.

On November 6, just one day after Washington State’s I-522 GMO labeling bill was narrowly defeated in a statewide election, USDA announced it deregulated for commercial use a new soybean genetically engineered by Monsanto to produce a higher yield. At the same time, USDA recommended deregulating an herbicide-resistant GMO soybean made by BASF, plus a GMO apple genetically engineered to resist browning when sliced. The comment period for the BASF herbicide-resistant GMO soy and the GMO apple ended on December 10.

In approving Monsanto’s GMO soy, MON 87712, genetically engineered to produce higher yield by splicing in a light-sensitive gene from Arabidopsis thaliana or the mouse-ear cress plant, a common weed in Europe, USDA said in a Federal Register notice that it evaluated data submitted by Monsanto, an analysis of available scientific data, and public comments in determining that the GMO soybean is "unlikely to pose a plant pest risk" and is of “no significant impact.”

Monsanto also hopes to garner approval in 2014 of GMO corn, soy and cotton genetically engineered to be tolerant to applications of dicamba and 2,4-D (also known as Agent Orange), two potent and toxic synthetic herbicides that growers have had to resort to, as weed resistance to glyphosate, or “Roundup” has increased dramatically as a result of its overuse in GMO crop production.

More GMOs, More Pesticides
Toxic pesticide usage, in fact, including herbicides and insecticides, has grown by more than 400 million pounds as a result of widespread adoption of GMO agriculture. Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops now dominate U.S. agriculture, accounting for about one in every two acres of harvested cropland, and approximately 95% of soybean and cotton acres and more than 85% of corn acreage.

In a study published in October 2012 in Environmental Sciences Europe by noted Washington State University researcher Dr. Chuck Benbrook, “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Foods on Pesticide Use in the U.S. – the First 16 Years,” GMO crops have increased overall pesticide use in the U.S. by 404 million pounds from 1996 through 2011. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, glyphosate use alone increased by more than 6,500% from 1991 to 2010. Contrary to biotech’s claims that GMOs reduce the need for chemicals, overall pesticide use in 2011 was 20% higher on each acre planted to a GMO crop, compared to pesticide use on acres not planted to GMO crops, reported Benbrook.

Driving the increased herbicide usage are a growing number of “super weeds” – now estimated at more than two dozen – that have developed resistance to glyphosate, the major herbicide used on herbicide-tolerant GMO crops. Benbrook notes that many of these weeds are spreading rapidly in primary agricultural areas in the U.S., and that millions of acres are infested with more than one glyphosate-resistant weed. The presence of resistant weeds drives up herbicide use by 25% to 50%, and increases weed control costs for farmers by at least as much, Benbrook noted.

Apples That Don’t Brown…No Matter How Old They Are!
For generations, folks have used lemon juice to keep apple slices from browning, but now USDA wants to approve a new genetically engineered apple marketed under the “Arctic” brand by Okanagan Specialty Fruits in British Colombia for commercial production and sale in the U.S.

USDA said the GMO apples – in which the gene that turns apples brown has been silenced using licensed technology originally developed in genetically engineered potatoes – were “unlikely” to pose a plant pest risk. Additionally, USDA said that it conducted a nutritional analysis that establishes the safety of the GMO “apples and their products to humans, including minorities, low-income populations, and children who might be exposed to them through agricultural production and/or processing."

The GMO apple's creator says browning has economic costs and that it has already engineered Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, with Fuji and Gala varieties next in line. Opponents of the GMO apple say browning is a natural indicator of an aging piece of fruit, and along with organic growers are concerned about GMO contamination of orchards, both organic and non-GMO, while also fearing that negative consumer perception may lead to a decline in apple sales in general.

Also, independent studies have found risks associated with this new kind of GMO technology. While most existing GMOs are designed to make new proteins, reports Melody Meyer, VP of Policy and Industry Relations for UNFI and President of the Organic Trade Association, in her blog Organic Matters, GMO apples make dsRNA in order to alter the way genes are expressed. Recent research has shown that dsRNA can transfer from plants to humans and other animals through ingesting food or by inhaling dust from the plant or absorption through the skin. While RNA is a normal component of all cells, in dsRNA form it can have effects that depend on the species and tissues exposed to it, reports Meyer.

GMO Salmon – But Is It Kosher?
Most alarming for non-GMO advocates are recent reports indicating that FDA may be poised to approve GMO salmon before the end of the year or in early 2014. The AquAdvantage salmon, created by Massachusetts-based biotech firm Aqua Bounty, is genetically engineered with a Chinook salmon growth gene and an “antifreeze” gene from an eel-like fish called the ocean pout, which makes the fish grow twice as fast as naturally occurring salmon. The AquAdvantage salmon would be the first genetically engineered animal ever approved for human consumption.

Paving the way for the prospect of imminent approval in the U.S., in late November Canada became the first country to approve commercial production of genetically engineered salmon eggs, stating that a panel of independent transgenics and fish containment technology experts found no risk to the environment or human health when the eggs are produced in contained facilities. Canada has not yet approved GMO salmon for human consumption.

Aqua Bounty assures regulators the safety of its production system, which includes producing the GMO salmon eggs in containment facilities on Prince Edward Island in Canada and then shipping them to a facility in Panama for maturation and processing before shipping cut fillets to the U.S. and other markets that allow genetically engineered foods. However, opponents stress that GMO salmon could escape into nature and threaten native species, and that there may be higher risk of cancer and allergies associated with consumption of GMO salmon.

“We are alarmed and disappointed by the short-sightedness of [Canada’s] decision. GE salmon production, in Canada or anywhere else, threatens native salmon survival around the world,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “FDA has thus far refused to rigorously analyze the impacts of GE salmon. It must do so before even considering any approval.”

A number of recent reports have documented troubles at Aqua Bounty’s facilities in Panama, including lack of legally required permits and inspections, including a wastewater discharge permit, “lost” GMO salmon, and routine, destructive flooding in the area of the facility.

Several major retailers, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Aldi and Target, have announced they will not sell the GMO salmon in their stores. Also, in November, U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jon Tester (D-MT) and Mark Begich (D-AK) co-sponsored a petition calling for the FDA not to approve the GMO salmon. To date, nearly 100,000 people in all 50 states have signed the petition.

Regarding the Kosher question, the Orthodox Union (OU) says GMO salmon is kosher, because it has fins and scales. However, eels, which lack scales, are not considered Kosher, creating a dilemma for observers who enjoy salmon lox with their bagels. “Creation of a part-fish, part-eel seems impermissible as a violation of the Torah’s prohibition to mix species,” says writer Lisa Kassner in the Jewish Journal. One Kosher certifier, Natural Food Certifiers, announced in April that it would not allow its “Apple K” logo to appear on products that contain GMOs, including the proposed GMO salmon.

Article was previously published in the Presence Marketing / Dynamic Presence December 2013 Newsletter.

Research Documents Risks Associated with GMOs

Source: Pexels

The biotech industry works hard to discredit any science demonstrating the health and environmental safety risks associated with the widespread adoption of genetically engineered crops and foods. However, a growing body of published scientific research shows clear and present risks to humans, animals and the environment as a result of GMOs and the pesticides used in GMO agriculture that are now pervasive in our ecosystem, diet and food production system. There are nine genetically modified (GM or GMO) food crops currently on the market: soy, corn, cotton (oil), canola (oil), sugar from sugar beets, zucchini, yellow squash, Hawaiian papaya, and alfalfa. However, in November 2013, USDA recommended that GMO apples be approved for commercial production, and FDA may approve GMO salmon - the first genetically engineered animal ever allowed for human consumption - in late 2013 or early 2014.

Please see the executive summary of key research findings below. Also, for a more comprehensive reference, you can download for free GMO Myths and Truths, published by Earth Open Source.

• GMO DNA could cross-transfer into genes of plants, animals and humans; there is scientific evidence that it could jump species: GM DNA can persist in plant debris and soil residues long after the GMO crop has been cultivated, plus the GM transgene for glyphosate tolerance was found in human digestive systems after eating GMO soy; scientists also found that the GM genes transferred to bacteria in the human gut, according to a June 2010 report by the Institute of Science in Society. In fact, said the report, due to its inherent design to be able to “jump” into genomes, genetically engineered DNA may actually be more successfully transferred into other organisms. Institute of Science in Society, June 2010.

• Research carried out by a team at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec and accepted for publication in February 2011 in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found that the toxic Bt insecticide protein Cry1Ab, engineered into GMO crops, was present in blood serum of 93% of pregnant women tested. The Bt toxin was also present in 80% of umbilical blood samples taken from fetuses, and in 67% of non-pregnant women. The researchers suggest that the most probable source of the toxin is GM food consumed as part of a normal diet in Canada, where GM presence in food is unlabeled. “To our knowledge, this is the first study to highlight the presence of pesticides-associated genetically modified foods in maternal, fetal and nonpregnant women’s blood. 3-MPPA and Cry1Ab toxin are clearly detectable and appear to cross the placenta to the fetus. Given the potential toxicity of these environmental pollutants and the fragility of the fetus, more studies are needed,” say the researchers. Aris A, Leblanc S. Maternal and fetal exposure to pesticides associated to genetically modified foods in Eastern Townships of Quebec. Reprod Toxicol (2011), doi:10.1016/j.reprotox.2011.02.004.

• Bt toxins derived from the Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, traditionally used in topical applications on plants in organic gardening, were thought to be toxic only to insects. However, now that genetically engineered crops are designed to produce Bt toxins at the cellular level of the plant itself, recent studies are showing that such prolonged exposure to increased levels of Bt toxins in the diet could lead to red blood cell damage and possibly leukemia in mammals. In the 2013 Journal of Hematology & Thromboembolic Diseases, study author Belin Mezzomo of the Department of Genetics and Morphology and the Institute of Biological Sciences at the University of Brasilia reported that Bt toxins found in Monsanto’s GMO corn and soy crops are more toxic to mammals than previously thought. Tests demonstrated that “Cry” proteins resulting from Bt toxin were toxic to red blood cells and bone marrow cells. Scientists tested levels ranging from 27 mg to 270 mg over a seven-day period and found that the Cry toxins were hemotoxic, even at the lowest doses administered. Hemotoxins are known to destroy red blood cells, disrupt blood clotting and cause organ degeneration and tissue damage. Journal of Hematology and Thromboembolic Diseases, 2013.

• Citing USDA research data, Environmental Protection Act records, medical journal reviews, and international research, a team of specialists including Stephanie Seneff, Senior Research Scientist at MIT, and Dr. Tom O'Bryan, internationally recognized expert on gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease, in September 2013 proposed that genetically engineered foods may be an important trigger for gluten sensitivity, estimated to affect 18 million Americans. In the report, “Can Genetically Engineered Foods Explain the Exploding Gluten Sensitivity,” published by the Institute for Responsible Technology, the authors relate genetically modified foods to five conditions that may either trigger or exacerbate gluten-related disorders, including the autoimmune disorder Celiac Disease: intestinal permeability; imbalanced gut bacteria; immune activation and allergic response; impaired digestion; and damage to the intestinal wall. Jeffrey Smith, Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, explained that genetically engineered Bt-toxin in corn “is designed to puncture holes in insect cells, but studies show it does the same in human cells. Bt-toxin may be linked to leaky gut, which physicians consistently see in gluten-sensitive patients." Although wheat has been hybridized through natural breeding techniques over the years, to date no GMO wheat has been approved for commercial planting and human or animal consumption.

• French scientists revealed in November 2012 in a study published in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology that rats fed on GMO corn sold by US firm Monsanto suffered tumors and other complications including kidney and liver damage, in the first two-year study conducted on GMOs and health. Researchers from the University of Caen, led by Gilles-Eric Seralini, found that rats fed on a diet containing NK603 – a GMO seed variety made tolerant to amounts of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide – or given water mixed with Roundup, at levels permitted in the US, died earlier than those on a standard diet. Fifty percent of male and 70% of female rats developed numerous tumors and died prematurely, compared with only 30% and 20%, respectively, in the control group. Under intense criticism by the biotech industry for publishing Seralini's findings, In November 2103, editor Wallace Hayes was compelled to ask Seralini to withdraw his research or it would be "retracted." Seralini responded that his peer-reviewed study followed international research guidelines. "We maintain our conclusions," Seralini refuted, claiming that "a factual comparative analysis" of the rat feeding trial by his group and safety trials conducted by multinational biotech corporation Monsanto "clearly reveals that if the Seralini experiments are considered to be insufficient to demonstrate harm, logically, it must be the same for those carried out by Monsanto to prove safety."

• In a study published in October 2012 in Environmental Sciences Europe by Washington State University researcher Chuck Benbrook, Ph.D., “Impacts of Genetically Engineered Foods on Pesticide Use in the U.S. – the First 16 Years,” GMO crops have increased overall pesticide use in the U.S. by 404 million pounds from 1996 through 2011. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, glyphosate use alone increased by more than 6,500% from 1991 to 2010. Contrary to biotech’s claims that GMOs reduce the need for chemicals, overall pesticide use in 2011 was 20% higher on each acre planted to a GMO crop, compared to pesticide use on acres not planted to GMO crops, reported Benbrook. Herbicide-tolerant and Bt-transgenic crops now dominate U.S. agriculture, accounting for about one in every two acres of harvested cropland, and approximately 95% of soybean and cotton acres and more than 85% of corn acreage. Driving the increased herbicide usage are a growing number of “super weeds” – now estimated at more than two dozen – that have developed resistance to glyphosate, the major herbicide used on herbicide-tolerant GMO crops. Benbrook notes that many of these weeds are spreading rapidly in primary agricultural areas in the U.S., and that millions of acres are infested with more than one glyphosate-resistant weed. The presence of resistant weeds drives up herbicide use by 25% to 50%, and increases weed control costs for farmers by at least as much, Benbrook reported.

• Nancy Swanson, Ph.D., former staff scientist for the U.S. Navy and former professor of physics at Western Washington University, analyzed data in April 2013 related to the increased use of the synthetic herbicide glyphosate (Roundup®), an endocrine disruptor widely used in GMO agriculture, to the incidence of autism in children. Her findings indicated a strong direct correlation between the increased use of glyphosate in agriculture and the increased incidence of autism in children. Swanson also noted direct correlations between the use of glyphosate, which appears in the air, rain and water throughout the Midwest, with increases in other neurological diseases including ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Alzeimer’s Disease, and senile dementia. See Swanson’s charts here: http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/gmos-glyphosate-and-neurological-disorders#slide=1.

• Dozens of cases of pesticide poisonings have been documented throughout Argentina that have been linked to industrial-scale, GMO agriculture and largely un-policed pesticide application in major agricultural areas of the country, according to an investigation conducted by the Associated Press and published in October 2013. Additionally, the nation’s agricultural areas are seeing dramatic spikes in the incidence of cancer, birth defects, miscarriages and other illnesses that may be related to “chemical cocktails” in the environment. Argentina is the world’s third-largest soybean producer, virtually all of which is genetically engineered to withstand applications of Roundup® (glyphosate) and other toxic, synthetic herbicides, including 2,4-D, or Agent Orange, which farmers are increasingly relying on as weeds and pests are becoming resistant to the GMO crops. Pesticide use in Argentina has increased nine-fold from 9 million gallons in 1990 to more than 84 million gallons today. Overall, Argentine farmers apply an estimated 4.3 pounds of agrichemical concentrate per acre, more than twice the amount U.S. farmers use, according to an AP analysis of government and pesticide industry data. Additionally, the AP investigation found that pesticide spray drifts often into schools and homes and settles over water sources; farmworkers mix poisons with no protective gear; villagers store water in pesticide containers that should have been destroyed. Now doctors are warning that uncontrolled pesticide applications could be the cause of growing health problems among the 12 million people who live in the South American nation's vast farm belt. In Santa Fe, researchers found cancer rates are two- to four-times higher than the national average, including breast, prostate and lung cancers. Researchers also found high rates of thyroid disorders and chronic respiratory illness. In Chaco in northwest Argentina near Paraguay, birth defects quadrupled in the decade after biotechnology dramatically expanded farming in Argentina, claim clinicians and researchers. One researcher, molecular biologist Andres Carrasco, Ph.D., of the University of Buenos Aires, published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology in 2010 findings that linked glyphosate to spinal defects, findings that were later rebutted by Monsanto.

• Monsanto’s corn that’s genetically engineered to kill insects may be losing its effectiveness against rootworms in four states, the EPA said. Rootworms in IA, IL, MN and NE are suspected of developing tolerance to the plants’ Bt insecticide, based on documented cases of severe crop damage and reports from entomologists, the EPA reported in a memo dated Nov. 22, 2011, and posted on a government website. Monsanto’s program for monitoring suspected cases of resistance is “inadequate,” the EPA said. Monsanto now recommends farmers use Smartstax corn, which the company claims kills rootworms with two types of Bt.  Bloomberg News, Dec. 2, 2011.

• Weeds that are no longer killed by Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, used heavily in genetically engineered crops, have invaded 14 million acres of U.S. cotton, soybean and corn, the vast majority of which is GMO, according to data presented by Swiss chemical maker and biotech giant Syngenta. A 2011 Dow Chemical Co. study found as many as 20 million acres of GMO corn and soybeans may be infested with Roundup-resistant “superweeds.”Bloomberg News, Dec. 2, 2011.

• In a study published April 10, 2013, in the scientific publication Entropy, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology linked the use of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup®, the most widely used herbicide in the world and the one most closely associated with genetically engineered agriculture, to increases in the incidence of diabetes, autism, infertility and cancer in humans. Through the inhibition of a crucial enzyme, Cytochrome P450, glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of other food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins. Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body, report the researchers, leading to gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases, Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff, Entropy 2013, Vol. 15, April 10, 2013.

• Glyphosate (Roundup®) is consistently found in rain, rivers, surface water and air throughout the entire growing season in agricultural areas in the Mississippi River watershed, according to USGS studies released in August 2011. Glyphosate is used in almost all agricultural and urban areas of the US. The greatest glyphosate use is in the Mississippi River basin, primarily for weed control on GMO corn, soybeans and cotton. Overall, agricultural use of glyphosate has increased from less than 11,000 tons in 1992 to more than 88,000 tons in 2007. "Though glyphosate is the mostly widely used herbicide in the world, we know very little about its long term effects to the environment," says Paul Capel, USGS chemist. The degradation product of glyphosate, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), which has a longer environmental lifetime, was also detected in streams and rain. USGS found glyphosate in more than 60% of air and rain sampled at locations in MI, IA and IN, with AMPA found in more than 50% of samples. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Technical Announcement, Aug. 29, 2011.

• Don M. Huber, Ph.D., an emeritus professor at Purdue University who has done research for Monsanto on chemical herbicides, alleges that he has found a link between genetically modified crops and crop diseases and infertility in livestock: an "unknown organism" he and other researchers claim to have discovered in 2010 on Midwestern farms. Huber reported that the organism that raised his concern was found in much higher concentrations in corn and soybeans grown from genetically engineered Roundup Ready seeds than in grains grown from conventional seed. He believes the pathogen has made GMO soybeans more susceptible to “sudden death syndrome” and corn to Goss’ wilt; and reaffirmed his suspicion that it is linked to spontaneous abortions and infertility in livestock fed on GMO crops. "This organism appears new to science," Huber wrote in a letter in January 2011 to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "I believe the threat we are facing from this pathogen is unique and of a high-risk status. In layman's terms, it should be treated as an emergency," Huber wrote. Los Angeles Times, April 2, 2011.

• European researchers at the University of Caen studied data on 90-day feeding trials on rats. They concluded that three varieties of GMO corn—Mon 810, Mon 863 and NK 603—which were approved for consumption by U.S., European and other food safety authorities—are linked to organ damage in mammals, including “adverse impacts on kidneys and liver, dietary detoxifying organs, as well as different levels of damages to heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system.” de Vendômois J.S., et. al., A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health, International Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol. 5, December 2009.

• Genetically engineered Bt corn may constitute a risk for pollinators, such as honeybees, because of the presence of Cry1Ab endotoxin in corn pollen. Honeybee feeding behavior was affected when exposed to the highest concentration of Cry1Ab protein, with honeybees taking longer to imbibe contaminated corn syrup. Moreover, honeybees exposed to 5,000 ppb of Cry1Ab had disturbed learning performances in that they continued to respond to a conditioned odor even in the absence of a food reward. Results showed that GMO crops expressing Cry1Ab protein at 5,000 ppb may affect food consumption or learning processes and thereby may impact honeybee foraging efficiency. R. Ramirez-Romero, et. al., Does Cry 1 Ab protein affect learning performance of the honeybee Apis mellifera L., Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Feb. 2008.

• The American Academy of Environmental Medicine, in May 2009 called for a moratorium on genetically modified (GM) foods, stating: “Avoid GM foods when possible... Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food... There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation... The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies." Genetically Modified Foods, American Academy of Environmental Medicine Position Paper, May 2009.

• Research by scientists in Mexico found transgenes from Bt corn had contaminated local native varieties of maize in Mexico, the birthplace of corn. This is the second time GMO contamination was found in the genes of native species of corn. The first paper reporting the presence of transgenes in traditional varieties of Mexican corn was published in Nature in 2001. Modified Genes Spread to Local Maize, NatureNews, November 12, 2008.

• According to results from a long-term feeding study with mice, researchers in Austria concluded that consumption of a genetically modified corn developed by Monsanto (NK603 x MON810) may lead to lower fertility and body weight and impaired gene expression. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed but was released on Nov. 11, 2008, by the Austrian Ministry of Health, Family and Youth. Austrian Ministry of Health, Family and Youth.

• Italian researchers found significant disturbances in the immune system of young and old mice fed GM maize (MON810), and elevated levels of a cell type known to be associated with asthma and food allergies in children. Finamore A., et. al., "Intestinal and peripheral immune response to MON810 maize ingestion in weaning and old mice," Journal of Food and Agricultural Chemistry, November 16, 2008.

Research compiled by Compass Natural Marketing, updated November 29, 2013. For more information contact info@compassnaturalmarketing.com, tel 303.807.1042.

After Narrow GMO Labeling Defeat in Washington State, What’s Next?

After all the votes were counted, the Yes on 522 campaign in Washington State to label genetically engineered foods acceded defeat in mid-November by a margin of 48.9% to 51.1%, recalling the narrow defeat in 2012 of Proposition 37 to label GMO foods in California. The anti-GMO labeling side won by a slim 2% of the vote, but they won dirty. Proponents of GMO labeling knew they would be outspent, but they did not count on the fact that the No on 522 side would resort to illegal tactics to win the election, as alleged in an ongoing lawsuit filed by Washington’s Attorney General against a major food industry lobby group for concealing corporate contributions to the campaign, thus violating the state’s campaign finance disclosure laws (see below).

In all, 1.75 million people voted, comprising 45% of Washington’s electorate, the lowest statewide turnout in a decade, with some analysts citing a stronger turnout by more conservative, rural voters along with a poor turnout among younger, progressive voters, with some critics claiming the Yes on 522 campaign didn’t do enough to reach out to rural voters. Or, according to Grist writer Nathanael Johnson, “The Washington vote seems to be telling us that concern about GM food is broad and shallow. That is, lots of people are vaguely worried about transgenics, but it’s not a core issue that drives majorities to the polls.”

Still, said Johnson, the actual amount of money spent on advertising made “all the difference” in turning around polls indicating that Washington voters strongly favored GMO labeling going into the election. Blitzing voters with television advertising and direct mail, and dominating the airwaves in an off-election year with claims that voters didn’t need a confusing labeling law that would cost them more at the grocery store, the anti-GMO labeling lobby outspent the Yes on 522 side more than three to one, or $22 million vs. $8 million – a record for the state in overall campaign spending.

The No on 522 campaign to defeat the GMO labeling bill was supported with multi-million-dollar contributions from just a handful of multinational pesticide/biotech seed companies that donated directly to the No campaign, including Monsanto, Dow, Dupont, BASF and Bayer – and a number of food corporations that until late October remained hidden under the guise of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a Washington, DC-based industry lobby group.

"Defense of Brands" Scheme Backfires on GMA; Trade Group Faces AG Lawsuit In addition to the $11 million supplied by biotech to defeat the GMO labeling bill, more than three dozen mainstream food corporations – led by Nestle, Pepsico, Coca Cola, General Mills, McCormick, J.M. Smucker, ConAgra and others that purvey GMO foods without labels – matched biotech’s contributions to kill the labeling bill with nearly $11 million of their own.

Except…fearing the consumer backlash, brand tarnishing and PR disaster that many of these companies experienced when they were identified as contributors to defeat Prop 37 in California, they are alleged to have conspired to conceal their donations to the No on 522 campaign through an illegal slush fund, the “Defense of Brands” fund, secretly established n early 2013 by the GMA specifically to hide the names of the corporate campaign contributors from the public.

According to a lawsuit filed on October 16 by Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the GMA pumped $10.6 million into defeating the I-522 GMO labeling bill without first registering a political action committee, in violation of the state’s campaign finance transparency laws. Two days after the lawsuit was filed, the GMA registered a committee and finally disclosed the donors behind $7.2 million it had received from large food manufacturers.

However, the lawsuit is ongoing: in an amended lawsuit filed on November 20, Ferguson alleges that the GMA continues to violate the state’s campaign finance laws by not disclosing an additional $3.4 million in concealed contributions.

But the junk food industry’s game plan goes further, and that is to stop the state level GMO labeling movements “at any cost,” said public health attorney Michele Simon. In reviewing internal documents obtained as a result of the Attorney General’s lawsuit, Simon reported that the mainstream food industry's “ultimate game plan to stop the bleeding in the state-by-state onslaught of GMO labeling efforts is to lobby for a weak federal law that simultaneously preempts or trumps any state-level policy. Rather than a federal compromise, where industry would agree to a weak form of labeling in exchange for stripping state authority, what industry wants instead is to stop state laws to require labeling, while not giving up anything in return,” Simon wrote.

“In their own words, the game plan is to ‘pursue statutory federal preemption which does not include a labeling requirement.’ Let me repeat that,” Simons said: “The junk food lobby's ‘federal solution’ is to make it illegal for states to pass laws requiring GMO labeling. Period. End of story.”

Some good news is that not all major food companies are on board with this plan, and at least 30 companies that contributed to defeat Prop. 37 in California stayed out of the I-522 fight in Washington State, reported Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association. “Some major food companies, including Unilever and Mars, bruised by bad publicity and consumer boycotts, have broken ranks with the GMA and the biotech industry, arguing that GMO food labels are inevitable and must be accepted, just as they’ve had to accept them in Europe and dozens of other countries,” Cummins said. GMO foods are required to be labeled in 64 countries, but not in the United States. In fact, in a 180-degree shift, Unilever, via its Ben & Jerry’s brand, was demonstrably active in promoting the Yes on 522 campaign to label GMO foods.

What’s Next: Oregon in 2014? Washington in 2016? Mandatory Federal Labeling? Yes on 522 campaign organizers, while disappointed in the narrow loss, vowed in a statement, “While it is unfortunate I-522 did not pass, it has set the stage for victory in 2016.” Trudy Bialic, director of public affairs for natural foods retailer PCC in Seattle and co-chair of the Yes on 522 campaign, said the voter turnout “was the lowest ever recorded, skewing older and more conservative, and away from younger, more progressive voters driving the GE labeling movement. We are disappointed with the results, but the polling is clear that Washingtonians support labeling and believe they have a right to know. This fight isn’t over. We will be back in 2016 to challenge and defeat the out-of-state corporations standing in the way of our right to know.”

Currently, GMO labeling language is being prepared and filed in Oregon and Colorado for 2014 ballot initiatives, according to Denver-based political consultant Rick Ridder and David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner’s, a leading supporter of the Yes on 522 campaign and GMO labeling. Local legislatures in Hawaii have recently passed laws requiring biotech companies to reveal what GMO crops and pesticides they are applying to experimental fields. In Vermont, labeling legislation is still active and pro-GMO labeling supporters are not shying away from scientific research that demonstrates that there are, indeed, clear and present risks to human, animal an environmental health associated with genetically engineered food and agriculture.

On the federal front, the Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio’s (D-OR) bill to label GMO foods, introduced in April 2013, is still pending. However, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in mid-November announced that she was joining 13 other senators as a co-sponsor of Senator Boxer’s Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act.

Just Label executive director Scott Faber said, “We welcome the opportunity to work with food industry leaders and the FDA to devise a federal mandatory labeling system that alerts consumers to the presence of GE ingredients in their food.” However, Faber added, “The results in Washington State do not change the fundamental fact that consumers deserve the right to know about the presence of GE ingredients in their food. Just Label It will continue to fight to give American consumers the same rights as consumers in 64 other nations via a federal solution requiring mandatory labeling, while at the same time continuing to work with state legislators to give this basic right to consumers.

This article appeared in the November 2013 Presence News, a leading natural and organic products industry newsletter published by Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence.