PepsiCo Naked Juices Have to Drop 'All Natural' Label After $9 million class action lawsuit

When it comes to food products being labeled as “natural”, consumers certainly hold companies liable if they suspect that the ingredients are controversial. Many products that are labeled as such in fact do contain ingredients, which are more than likely genetically modified, among others, and sometimes their companies find themselves in a lawsuit.

Last month, TSW reported on Campbell’s Soup Company being one of those “natural” deceivers and how the business has been facing a lawsuit. Florida resident Mark Krzykwa filed the lawsuit last year, which claims that Campbell’s knowingly mislabeled its soups containing genetically modified corn as “all natural”.

With attempts of dismantling the case against them, Campbell’s argued that it’s the job of the Food and Drug Administration to approve their soups anyway; therefor it’s the agency’s wrongdoing. US District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas didn’t agree during his ruling on May 24 and explained that the USDA might not have even been aware that the corn was GM. Regardless, it is not the job of the federal government to be involved with the food industry, much less labeling, anyway.

Now the most recent company to have wound itself into a legal battle is PepsiCo Inc. with probably its most healthy product of all, Naked Juice.

A lawsuit was filed against the company for labeling its juices as “natural” while the “added boost of vitamins” in some of its drinks may actually be synthetic ingredients. PepsiCo Inc. says it will not label its juices as “all natural” until there is more regulation and is even paying $9 million to settle the suit.  http://thestateweekly.com

While government agencies like the FDA keep stalling on demanding rigorous scientific testing of numerous questionable ingredients, GMO foods, and the correct labeling of such foods, PepsiCo has recently agreed to settle out of court for $9 million over a class action lawsuit that claimed ‘natural’ and ‘non-GMO’ on their bottles was misleading since they are made with GMO ingredients, as well as synthetic and ‘unnatural’ items.

The plaintiffs in the suit claimed that PepsiCo gave the “the false impression that the beverages vitamin content is due to the nutritious fruits and juices, rather than the added synthetic compounds such as calcium pantothenate (synthetically produced from formaldehyde)” and “Fibersol-2 (a proprietary synthetic digestion-resistant fiber produced by Archer Daniels Midland and developed by a Japanese chemical company), fructooligosaccharides (a synthetic fiber and sweetener), and inulin (an artificial and invisible fiber added to foods to … increase fiber content without the typical fiber mouth-feel).”

The amount of synthetic additives in Naked juices are quite possibly more than anything ‘natural’ at all. It certainly isn’t a ‘100% juice” smoothie as the labeling on the bottle currently states. Naked juices contain up to 11 different chemicals including: niacinamide, d-alpha tocopherol acetate, cyanocobalamin, and pyridoxine hydrochloride, just to name a few.

NationofChange is a 501(c)3 nonprofit funded directly by our readers. Please make a small donation to support our work.

And as you may have expected, of course Pepsi Co donated more than $2.5 million dollars to help defeat Proposition 37 in California that would have required companies like Pepsi to label all products that contain GMOs in any form. The ‘Right to Know” ballot was defeated due to special interest groups like Syngenta, Dow, Monsanto, Pepsi Co, and others who helped finance its demise.

If you would like to avoid PepsiCo altogether since they are actively trying to push GMO foods and chemical laden drinks on the public while trying to pass them off as ‘health’ food, you might have a hard time ignoring the company – they are in over 200 countries and make everything from Pepsi Cola to Frito Lay Chips, Tropicana Juices, Quaker Oates and Gatorade. But learn of what they create, and you can steer clear.

Source: http://www.nationofchange.org

Read More

CIA backs $630,000 study into how to control global weather through geoengineering

The power, reach and influence of the Central Intelligence Agency is a staple of conspiracy theories.

The news that the CIA is reportedly part-funding a scientific geoengineering study into how to control the weather is unlikely to dampen speculation over their activities.

According to US website 'Mother Jones' the CIA is helping fund a study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that will investigate whether humans could use geoengineering - which is defined as deliberate and large-scale intervention in the Earth's climatic system - to stop climate change.

The NAS website describes the study as an investigation into "a limited number of proposed geoengineering techniques, including examples of both solar radiation management (SRM) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) techniques."

The purpose of this is to comment "generally on the potential impacts of deploying these technologies, including possible environmental, economic, and national security concerns", the website claims.

Solar radiation management (SRM) is a theoretical branch of geoengineering which moots the idea of reflecting sunlight in an attempt to block infrared radiation and halt rising temperatures.

The cost of the project is reported to be $630,000, which NAS is splitting with the CIA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and NASA reports say.

A reference on the NAS website to "the US intelligence community" funding the project refers to the CIA, an NAS spokesman claimed.
Weather manipulation was most recently in the news after claims by some American commentators that devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma, along with other extreme weather events like Hurricane Sandy, were created by the US government using the Haarp antenna farm in Alaska.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk

Read More

Europe is Cracking Apart… Are You Ready For a Crash?

European Economy Continues to Implode – Martin Armstrong

The French government plans to pump billions more in aid desperately trying to save the Peugeot factory in Aulay. Hollande refuses to realize that raising taxes causes economic decline and a greater proportion of money goes to government.

http://armstrongeconomics.com/2013/07/25/european-economy-continues-to-implode/

Cyprus Deposits Plunge At Fastest Rate In History

the Central Bank of Cyprus reported that not only did local deposits drop to a level not seen since 2007, plunging by the second fastest absolute amount in history, but declined at the fastest rate ever! if the current outflow is not stemmed, there…

http://www.zerohedge.com/print/476837

How Spain Just Made Mario Draghi’s Nightmare Worse

Yesterday, ahead of the monthly update from the ECB, we posted “What Keeps Mario Draghi Up At Night, And Why The European Depression Has A Ways To Go” in which we showed that not only has M3 in Europe terminally broken apart from bank lending to the Euroarea private sector, but that lending to European banks was growing at the slowest annual pace on record. Today, the ECB showed that Draghi’s unpleasant dream is becoming a full-blown nightmare with M3 sliding from a 2.9% growth rate in May to just 2.3% in June, suggesting that whatever the ECB is (not) doing is not working and yet another stimulus round is imminent.

However, putting into question whether even such a stimulus would do anything, is the fact that actual private sector lending contracted even more, and in June declined from a previous record pace of -1.1% to a new record low of -1.6%. In other words, not only is Europe’s Keynesian debt trap getting bigger by the month, but the European monetary plumbing system is completely and perhaps permanently fractured.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-07-25/how-spain-just-made-mario-draghis-nightmare-worse

Emergency Exit: Greeks flee country as govt resorts to mass layoffs

Greece entered the world financial crisis in 2008 with less than 10 percent of the country’s labor force out of work. Today, more than a quarter of the population is left without jobs and with no apparent chance of getting one. The latest figures from the finance ministry show another 23 percent doesn’t earn enough to stay above the poverty line. And, as RT’s Egor Piskunov reports, Greeks are now looking elsewhere for their future.

The State Of Political Risk In Europe [MAP]

The European economy is slowly showing signs of improvement. But as with any economy, politics can easily throw any recovery off course.

The analysts at Deutsche Bank compiled the key outstanding European political risks and put it on this handy map.

Map: http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51f0e51c69bedd9c5700001b-1093-738/capture-148.jpg
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/state-of-political-risk-in-europe-map-2013-7#ixzz2a6Lqnrg8

German opposition leader says “Debt-Union” is coming

http://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/2013/07/25/spd-gemeinsame-eur… (ger)

IMF says ECB may need to cut interest rates again and make deposit rates negative to support growth

http://ransquawk.com/headlines/imf-says-ecb-may-need-to-cut-interest-rat…

Worldwide Unemployment Crisis: There Are 93 Million Unemployed Workers In G20 Nations

Major industrialized nations all over the planet are no longer able to produce enough jobs for their people.  In many “wealthy nations” the unemployment rate has already risen well up into double digits.  Just consider the following numbers…

-The unemployment rate is above 25 percent in South Africa.

-The unemployment rate in France recently hit a 15 year high.

-The unemployment rate in Italy is up to 12.2 percent, which is the highest in 35 years.

-The unemployment rate in the eurozone as a whole is up to an all-time high of 12.2 percent.

-The unemployment rate in Poland is 13.2 percent.

-The unemployment rate in Ireland is now 13.6 percent.

-The unemployment rate in Portugal has rocketed up to 17.7 percent.

-The unemployment rate in Greece is currently sitting at 26.9 percentand it is being projected that it will soon hit 30 percent.

-The unemployment rate in Spain is even worse than in Greece.  The unemployment rate in Spain is a staggering 27.2 percent.

Sadly, it looks like things are not going to be getting better any time soon.  In fact, global business confidence is now the lowest that it has been since the last recession.

http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/worldwide-unemployment-crisis-there-are-93-million-unemployed-workers-in-g20-nations

Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/europe-is-cracking-apart-are-you-ready-for-a-crash/#T7HuhOFghAZF2XlS.99 

Read More

US blows out $16.7 trillion debt limit

The US Treasury has already exceeded the federal legal borrowing limit of $16.7 trillion in May. That signals the main structural problems remain unresolved putting at risk the fragile recovery.
The country’s  outstanding public debt is already $38.82 million above the statuary debt ceiling and now at $16,738,220,000,000.00, according to Treasury data.

Christopher Weafer from the Economist Macro Advisory Consultancy says the numbers show “that the debt issue along with the deficit is two very structural problems in the US that remain unresolved and without any clear mechanism on how they are going to be resolved”.
“In the short term it doesn’t cause any immediate crisis and that’s why I guess the news is not widely covered, ” Weafer told RT.
The American economy grew at 1.8 percent during the first three months of the year, lower than its 2.5 percent average pace during the last two decades. The unemployment rate, at 7.6 percent in June, remains above its 6 percent average during the period, Reuter’s reports.
Despite the US Fed and politicians are speaking  about recovery, that US economy which is picking up and looking stronger next year, the unsolved debt and deficit issues may reverse the process, Weafer says.
“The US budget deficit has only been twitted down by a few hundred million dollars. It’s still massively in deficit, and therefore the amount that the US government needs to borrow to fund that is still rising,  so we’ve reached this technical limit and it will go higher. These are issues that still need to be resolved and they will determine whether or not the pace of recovery can be expanded or whether it will be temporary and reverse next year.”

On Thursday President Barack Obama criticized House Republicans for demanding conditions on raising the US debt ceiling as he tries to shape the coming congressional debate over the nation’s budget priorities, Reuters reports. Obama accused Republicans of skirting responsibility to “pay the country’s bills” and refusing to spend for needed investments in education, energy and research.
“That’s not an economic plan,” Reuters quotes Obama.  “That’s just being a deadbeat.”

Source: RT.com

Read More

The Privatization of Water: Nestlé Denies that Water is a Fundamental Human Right

The current Chairman and former CEO of Nestlé, the largest producer of food products in the world, believes that the answer to global water issues is privatization. This statement is on record from the wonderful company that has peddled junk food in the Amazon, has invested money to thwart the labeling of GMO-filled products, has a disturbing health and ethics record for its infant formula, and has deployed a cyber army to monitor Internet criticism and shape discussions in social media.

This is apparently the company we should trust to manage our water, despite the record of large bottling companies like Nestlé having a track record of creating shortages:

Large multinational beverage companies are usually given water-well privileges (and even tax breaks) over citizens because they create jobs, which is apparently more important to the local governments than water rights to other taxpaying citizens. These companies such as Coca Cola and Nestlé (which bottles suburban Michigan well-water and calls it Poland Spring) suck up millions of gallons of water, leaving the public to suffer with any shortages. (source)

But Chairman, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, believes that “access to water is not a public right.” Nor is it a human right. So if privatization is the answer, is this the company in which the public should place its trust?

Here is just one example, among many, of his company’s concern for the public thus far:

In the small Pakistani community of Bhati Dilwan, a former village councilor says children are being sickened by filthy water. Who’s to blame? He says it’s bottled water-maker Nestlé, which dug a deep well that is depriving locals of potable water. “The water is not only very dirty, but the water level sank from 100 to 300 to 400 feet,” Dilwan says. (source)

 

Why? Because if the community had fresh water piped in, it would deprive Nestlé of its lucrative market in water bottled under the Pure Life brand.

In the subtitled video below, from several years back, Brabeck discusses his views on water, as well as some interesting comments concerning his view of Nature — that it is “pitiless” — and, of course, the obligatory statement that organic food is bad and GM is great. In fact, according to Brabeck, you are essentially an extremist to hold views opposite to his own. His statements are important to review as we continue to see the world around us become reshaped into a moremechanized environment in order to stave off that pitiless Nature to which he refers.

The conclusion to this segment is perhaps the most revealing about Brabeck’s worldview, as he highlights a clip of one of his factory operations. Evidently, the savior-like role of the Nestlé Group in ensuring the health of the global population should be graciously welcomed. Are you convinced?

Articles by:Kevin Samson

Source: http://www.globalresearch.ca

Read More

What Is Monsanto Doing To Our Bees?

There was quite a stir among beekeepers and anti-GMO activists during the fall of 2012 when chemical and seed giant Monsanto purchased Beeologics, a small company best known for its “groundbreaking research” applying RNAi technology to honeybees, a process that blocks gene expression. This was Monsanto’s first acquisition of a pest control biotech company.

Since its inception in 2007, Beeologics has been developing Remebee, an antiviral treatment for use in honeybees affected with Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), a bee-specific virus which originated from Australia and was found and named in Israel in 2002.

President and CEO Eyal Ben-Chanoch explained in 2008 that Beeologics was assembling scientists, beekeepers, and business people “to create the missing corporate support” in an industry that traditionally has only been supported by a few hardware manufacturers. Sure, there were hives, tools, bee suits, and the like being offered, but very little had been invested in technology and medicine for the bees — until Beeologics came along, that is.

To put things in context, many scientists were all abuzz about IAPV at the time. Many firmly believed that it was a primer for colony collapse disorder (CCD). Remebee, meanwhile, was regarded as a first line of defense to control the virus and its effect on bee mortality.

The Pesticide Problem

While CCD is a complex issue, no doubt, much of the developing research points to another cause: newfangled chemicals called systemic pesticides. Instead of being applied to leaves, they are enrobed on seeds or entrenched in the soil, allowing for the poison to literally become part of the plant.

Consequently, honeybees bring the systemic pesticides back to the hive in the form of pollen and nectar and store it in their honeycomb. When future generations dip into their reserves, they ingest toxins that target their central nervous system, affect their navigational capabilities and impair their memory. More importantly, the chemicals compromise their immune system – the No. 1 key to fighting any kind of insult to the body, including a virus like IAPV.

Ben-Chanoch didn’t quite agree with our conclusions back then, saying, “While I am also concerned with the world we are going to leave to our children, those who are using so-called facts that are based on pseudo- or incomplete scientific work are as dangerous as the chemical companies who don’t release the data they have.”

New research just released this winter has confirmed that sub-lethal exposure to a particular class for these systemic pesticides (neonicotinoids) are directly linked to an increase in Nosema virus in honeybee colonies. Both Nosema and neonicotinoids have been implicated as contributors to CCD, and this latest piece of real, complete science adds another nail to the chemical coffin.

Insect inoculation may be the latest rave, but is it the best solution? Today we know that subsequent research failed to confirm a link between CCD and IAPV. Although IAPV can result in honeybee mortality, the symptoms are not consistent with those of bees dying from CCD.

With that said, why does Monsanto claim that “the Remebee product line is now proving to be a viable solution to colony collapse disorder” on their website?

Perhaps antiviral remedies are the next generation of products used to combat agricultural pests and pathogens, but they don’t deal with the root of our problems such as native bee extinctions and unsustainable agriculture (i.e. GMO crops, pesticides, and herbicides). In the end, we will still have a polluted environment.

Generational Genetics

There may other ramifications as a result of these gene expression manipulations as well. “Basically, if the bees eat Remebee, there are likely to be unknown effects in gene expression, antiviral abilities, their ability to evolve inherent defenses against viruses, and more,” says Brian Dykstra, the administrator behind Ethnobeeology who holds a B.S. in environmental policy and an M.S. in progress pollination biology.

Meanwhile, researchers are discovering the chilling potential long-term effects of RNA manipulation. It was once thought changes needed to occur within the DNA to be passed down through the generations. It is now clear that changes to micro-RNA can be inherited without any DNA involvement. Recent research has also provided the first example of ingested plant micro-RNA surviving digestion and influencing human cell function.

Monsanto’s website, however, claims, “there is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans.” And Beeologics is confident that the acquisition comes at an ideal time and that they are in safe hands.

Motivation

Which brings us back to Monsanto, arguably the most detested chemical company on the planet.

Why were they drawn to Beeologics? Was it because the competition (Syngenta and Bayer Crop Science) had also expressed interest? Or was it because they had identified some low-hanging fruit to add to their portfolio of proprietary lifeforms? Perhaps Monsanto, which boasts a revenue of more than $10.5 billion per year, plans on buying anything and everything to do with gene manipulation?

Considering that the honeybee genome has been sequenced, how long before we bear witness to a genetically modified bee? If seeds are any indication, Apis melifera may also soon belong to Monsanto. Kill the bees with GMO plants and pesticides, offer a Band-Aid solution by creating a bee that is resistant to all the crap peddled on the market and then “persuade” beekeepers to buy Monsanto bees or else. It’s wicked genius.

But I am sure Monsanto and many others would call all of this paranoid phooey. Take beekeeper and scientist Randy Oliver’s opinion on the subject: “Honeybees aren’t an organism that anyone who understands anything about their molecular biology would advise as a subject for genetic modification,” he recently told colleagues on the online Bee List. “Do you really think that Monsanto envisions that there would be any substantive return on investment on a patented bee?”

Not 30 years ago, we were saying the same thing about patented plants.

According to a Monsanto press release, it will be business as usual. Beeologics will continue to “promote bee health” under the new ownership. And Monsanto will simply use “the base technology from Beeologics as a part of its continuing discovery and development pipeline.” Whatever that means.

To further reassure folks, the press release goes on to describe Monsanto as “a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improves farm productivity and food quality.” They even state that they are into sustainability.

My jaw dropped. Apparently Monsanto is experiencing delusions about its identity. In the past two decades, Monsanto’s seed monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90 percent of five major commodity crops: corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, and sugar beets! They make gobs of cash and yet sue farmers both in the United States and in struggling international communities.

Between 1997 and 2010, Monsanto admits to filing 144 lawsuits against America’s farmers, while settling another 700 out of court for undisclosed amounts. Due to these aggressive lawsuits, Monsanto has created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy. As one person recently remarked on the Vanishing of the Bees Facebook page, “it’s a shitty business model to create something that can’t be controlled except by suing the hell out of people.”

Source: http://www.honeycolony.com

Read More

Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants 1,360 Acre Forest

Deforestation and desertification are critical problems in India that have led to barren land, increased soil erosion, decreased agricultural production, and devastated local wildlife. However one Indian man has made a stand – by single-handedly planting and cultivating a 1,360 acre forest that is home to a complex, thriving ecosystem.

Jadav “Molai” Payeng started his project 30 years ago when he was still a teenager. Then, in 1979, flood waters washed a large number of snakes ashore on the local sandbar in Jorhat, some 350 km from Guwahati. When the waters receded, Payneg (who was 16 at the time) noticed the reptiles had died due to a lack of forestry.

“The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms. It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me. Nobody was interested,” said Payeng, who is now 47, to The Times of India.

Payeng chose to live on the sandbar, starting a life of isolation as he began work to create a new forest. Planting the seeds by hand, watering the plants in the morning and evening, and pruning them when required, he cultivated a huge natural reserve. After a few years, the sandbar was transformed into a bamboo thicket.

“I then decided to grow proper trees. I collected and planted them. I also transported red ants from my village, and was stung many times. Red ants change the soil’s properties . That was an experience,” Payeng recalled.

Over the years, the reserve has seen a huge variety of flora and fauna blossom on the sandbar, including endangered animals like the one-horned rhino and Royal Bengal tiger. “After 12 years, we’ve seen vultures. Migratory birds, too, have started flocking here. Deer and cattle have attracted predators,” claims Payeng . Unfortunately, locals reportedly killed a rhino which was seen in his forest, something that Payeng clearly disapproves of.  ”Nature has made a food chain; why can’t we stick to it? Who would protect these animals if we, as superior beings, start hunting them?”

Subtropical forest in India photo from Shutterstock

Amazingly, the Assam state forest department only learnt about Payeng’s forest  in 2008 when a herd of some 100 wild elephants strayed into it after marauding through villages nearby. It was then that assistant conservator of forests Gunin Saikia met Payeng for the first time.

“We were surprised to find such a dense forest on the sandbar. Locals, whose homes had been destroyed by the pachyderms, wanted to cut down the forest, but Payeng dared them to kill him instead. He treats the trees and animals like his own children. Seeing this, we, too, decided to pitch in,” says Saikia. “We’re amazed at Payeng. He has been at it for 30 years. Had he been in any other country, he would have been made a hero.”

Via The Times of India

Read more: Indian Man Single-Handedly Plants 1,360 Acre Forest | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building 

Read More