Whole Foods executive responds to editorial on labeling food with genetically modified ingredients.
Whole Foods Market’s goal in stating our intent to label products for GMO content by 2018 is to clear up confusion about what is — or isn’t — in the food we buy. Unfortunately, the recent Capital Press editorial “GMO label initiative is backwards,” only continues the confusion.
Whole Foods Market is currently working with suppliers to label products as non-GMO because there are no laws that products containing GMOs must be labeled. Our customers have asked for this level of transparency, and in the absence of federal standards, we have taken the initiative with our suppliers on their behalf.
Non-GMO labeling by a third party confers credibility on claims made by the producer, but in order to be fully transparent, information about GMOs should be easy to find on every product. There must also be labels on products that do contain genetically engineered ingredients.
The Capital Press editorial says, “By 2018, everything in Whole Foods stores will be labeled non-GMO, according to the company’s website.”
Actually, what our website says is “By 2018, we will require our supplier partners to label products containing GMO ingredients.” Our goal is not to eliminate GMOs from our stores, but to have products that may contain GMOs labeled as such. Ultimately, GMO produce, animals that are fed GMO feed, and products that contain GMO ingredients will all be labeled in our stores.
Lastly, we do not believe the argument that “GMO labels would make food cost more in Oregon and reduce the selection” to be true. Manufacturers update product labels on an average of once a year, and adding new language or labels should not increase cost. Many of these manufacturers already sell products in the 64 countries that require them to be labeled. Whole Foods Market does not currently intend to stop selling foods with GMOs, and the inference that a labeling initiative will “reduce the selection” is probably not true for the State of Oregon, either.
This is simple – consumers want to make food choices based on clear information on how their food was produced. Let’s tell them in the easiest way possible: on the labels of their food.
Joe Rogoff is the regional president for Whole Foods Market in the Pacific Northwest.
JUST LABEL IT!
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
SPRING BREAK 2014.... Roll Tide, Roll!
Hi gang! We just returned from a week in PCB. Spring Break lasts a couple of months, but I like to go during Alabama Crimson Tide’s week.
The beach was busy, but not nearly as packed as other years when they’d be off on the week before with many other schools.
Plenty of Beer Pong pits. Plenty of young gals in their bikinis. Dom enjoyed the view....with binoculars from our balcony when not on the beach. *smiling*
As usual, the police were in full force. Beach Cops, City Cops, Sheriff’s Dept and State Boys. They had mobile jails set up. ATF agents.... A lot of arrests for DUI and underage drinking. We, however, had no problems. We arrive, park the car, then walk everywhere or take a cab.
I’ve got a 7 (?) year old Great Niece in Ohio- Lauren. She made me “sandals" using her rubber-band loom. The college gals went nuts over them. Lauren, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU! We love you dearly! (Ignore my hideous feet, please!)
The action near us was at the Holiday Inn, about 1/4 mile away from us. The weather was very pleasant. Spent 4 of 6 days in the sun. I was certain that I was going to take the plunge, but I chickened out. 63 degree water temp is just TOO COLD!
We had a good time as always. Two great new bartenders across the street. Handsome Jameson (pictured) and Gorgeous Lauren. Our Travis, Steve (pictured) and Eric are still there, too. Love the gang at Beach Bar & Package!
Found a new pizza joint that delivers.... we’re hooked. www.panamapizzeria.com
Had a fun visit with my handsome Eguardo at Los Rancheros. What a little doll!
Hit the road to head home yesterday morning. It was truly a ride from Hell. Serious rain for about 3 hours. Cars in the interstate ditches. Semi Trucks driving with flashers on. People stopped underneath overpasses. I didn’t verbalize it, but I thought.... “Great...let’s drive through a couple of tornados like our drive home from Ohio in September”.
http://nononan.blogspot.com/2013/09/our-two-day-drive-from-hell.html
Thankfully, we arrived home safe and sound. And Nanette is planning her next trip to the beach- SOON!
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Fortune Names Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) Founder and CEO, Kathy Giusti, to List of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”
Giusti Ranks #19, Applauds the MMRF Community and Partners for Helping Develop Model for How Cancer Cures Can Be Found
NORWALK, CONN. — The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is proud to announce that its Founder and CEO, Kathy Giusti, has been included in FORTUNE Magazine’s first-ever “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” list. Other leaders include Pope Francis (#1), Warren Buffet (#4), President Bill Clinton (#5) and the Dalai Lama (#9).
“The MMRF congratulates Kathy on this achievement, and joins with her in thanking our outstanding collaborators, our patient community and all supporters for their steadfast partnership in the urgent pursuit of a cure,” said Walter M. Capone, President of the MMRF.
FORTUNE Editors write about the new list: "In an era that feels starved for leadership, we’ve found men and women who will inspire you—some famous, others little known, all of them energizing their followers and making the world better… On six continents—in business, government, the military, philanthropy, religion—we identified men and women, young and old, who are leading the way people want to be led."
“Kathy's contributions to multiple myeloma embody what a leader should stand for in this field as a champion of collaborative research tied to a visionary plan that has produced models to fight all types of cancers,” said William S. Dalton, Ph.D., M.D., Director of The DeBartolo Family Personalized Medicine Institute, Moffitt Cancer Center and CEO, M2Gen. “Her ability to apply cutting-edge technology to collect, aggregate, and share big data has become the benchmark on how cancer research should be done now and into the future.”
Note: On how the list was selected, FORTUNE Senior Editor-at-Large Geoff Colvin writes: "We cast our net broadly to include leaders of strictly hierarchical organizations (including the Marines) as well as others whose followers may owe no formal duty to the leader but who look to that person for inspiration and guidance… We have drawn a distinction between leaders and people who are admirable and powerful but who are not transformative leaders. Simply running a large organization or serving in an influential role does not meet the threshold to be on this list. All candidates had to be currently active; thus no retirees or recently deceased great leaders, such as Nelson Mandela. We asked several noted leadership experts to suggest candidates, combined their ideas with others turned up by Fortune reporters, and vetted our nominees with experts in their respective fields. Then we made our final judgments based on the reality that while leadership can’t be measured, we all know it when we see it."
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 24,050 adults (13,500 men and 10,550 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014 and an estimated 11,090 people are predicted to die from the disease. The five-year survival rate for multiple myeloma is approximately 43%, versus 28% in 1998.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world's number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised $250 million since its inception and directs 90% of total budget to research and related programming. As a result, the MMRF has been awarded Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for 11 consecutive years, the highest designation for outstanding fiscal responsibility and exceptional efficiency. For more information about the MMRF, please visit: www.themmrf.org.
LINK
NORWALK, CONN. — The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is proud to announce that its Founder and CEO, Kathy Giusti, has been included in FORTUNE Magazine’s first-ever “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” list. Other leaders include Pope Francis (#1), Warren Buffet (#4), President Bill Clinton (#5) and the Dalai Lama (#9).
“The MMRF congratulates Kathy on this achievement, and joins with her in thanking our outstanding collaborators, our patient community and all supporters for their steadfast partnership in the urgent pursuit of a cure,” said Walter M. Capone, President of the MMRF.
FORTUNE Editors write about the new list: "In an era that feels starved for leadership, we’ve found men and women who will inspire you—some famous, others little known, all of them energizing their followers and making the world better… On six continents—in business, government, the military, philanthropy, religion—we identified men and women, young and old, who are leading the way people want to be led."
“Kathy's contributions to multiple myeloma embody what a leader should stand for in this field as a champion of collaborative research tied to a visionary plan that has produced models to fight all types of cancers,” said William S. Dalton, Ph.D., M.D., Director of The DeBartolo Family Personalized Medicine Institute, Moffitt Cancer Center and CEO, M2Gen. “Her ability to apply cutting-edge technology to collect, aggregate, and share big data has become the benchmark on how cancer research should be done now and into the future.”
Note: On how the list was selected, FORTUNE Senior Editor-at-Large Geoff Colvin writes: "We cast our net broadly to include leaders of strictly hierarchical organizations (including the Marines) as well as others whose followers may owe no formal duty to the leader but who look to that person for inspiration and guidance… We have drawn a distinction between leaders and people who are admirable and powerful but who are not transformative leaders. Simply running a large organization or serving in an influential role does not meet the threshold to be on this list. All candidates had to be currently active; thus no retirees or recently deceased great leaders, such as Nelson Mandela. We asked several noted leadership experts to suggest candidates, combined their ideas with others turned up by Fortune reporters, and vetted our nominees with experts in their respective fields. Then we made our final judgments based on the reality that while leadership can’t be measured, we all know it when we see it."
About Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cell. It is the second most common blood cancer. An estimated 24,050 adults (13,500 men and 10,550 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2014 and an estimated 11,090 people are predicted to die from the disease. The five-year survival rate for multiple myeloma is approximately 43%, versus 28% in 1998.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) was established in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by twin sisters Karen Andrews and Kathy Giusti, soon after Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. The mission of the MMRF is to relentlessly pursue innovative means that accelerate the development of next-generation multiple myeloma treatments to extend the lives of patients and lead to a cure. As the world's number-one private funder of multiple myeloma research, the MMRF has raised $250 million since its inception and directs 90% of total budget to research and related programming. As a result, the MMRF has been awarded Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for 11 consecutive years, the highest designation for outstanding fiscal responsibility and exceptional efficiency. For more information about the MMRF, please visit: www.themmrf.org.
LINK
20 years later, donor and recipient repeat stem cell transplant
This is a real "FEEL GOOD STORY"!!!
DALLAS — Though he feels a little weary, Drew Harrison has a strong story of survival.
“That was probably the hardest thing in the world — to convince me that I was relapsed,” Harrison said.
A bone marrow transplant in 1994 saved Harrison’s life. But the Dallas resident hadn’t counted on needing it saved a second time.
“At one point in time, I had almost given up. She and my other daughters kept trying to convince me that even though I’m older, that I had years left,” he said.
"She" is Michele Tanner of Longview, the donor the first time around. When Tanner heard Harrison needed her again, 20 years later, she had an immediate answer.
“I told him whatever we needed to do, we’d get it done,” Tanner said.
And that’s what they did Wednesday, with drip after drip of the life-saving stem cells from Tanner’s bone marrow feeding into Harrison’s arm.
When Tanner first donated her marrow to Harrison, the procedure required a long hospital stay. Today, it’s done on an outpatient basis.
It’s the only cure, according to Harrison’s doctor, who was involved in both transplants.
“[It's] unusual after all that time doing well [to need another transplant], but sometimes it happens,” said Dr. Luis Pineiro from Baylor Medical Center, where both transplants were performed.
It’s not likely, but if it ever happened again?
Michele Tanner seems the type who’d gladly walk with Harrison down that road again.
LINK
DALLAS — Though he feels a little weary, Drew Harrison has a strong story of survival.
“That was probably the hardest thing in the world — to convince me that I was relapsed,” Harrison said.
A bone marrow transplant in 1994 saved Harrison’s life. But the Dallas resident hadn’t counted on needing it saved a second time.
“At one point in time, I had almost given up. She and my other daughters kept trying to convince me that even though I’m older, that I had years left,” he said.
"She" is Michele Tanner of Longview, the donor the first time around. When Tanner heard Harrison needed her again, 20 years later, she had an immediate answer.
“I told him whatever we needed to do, we’d get it done,” Tanner said.
And that’s what they did Wednesday, with drip after drip of the life-saving stem cells from Tanner’s bone marrow feeding into Harrison’s arm.
When Tanner first donated her marrow to Harrison, the procedure required a long hospital stay. Today, it’s done on an outpatient basis.
It’s the only cure, according to Harrison’s doctor, who was involved in both transplants.
“[It's] unusual after all that time doing well [to need another transplant], but sometimes it happens,” said Dr. Luis Pineiro from Baylor Medical Center, where both transplants were performed.
It’s not likely, but if it ever happened again?
Michele Tanner seems the type who’d gladly walk with Harrison down that road again.
LINK
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Journalist Akre and Monsanto: One Story of Many
A recent report from California refers to a disgraced journalist by the name of Stephen Glass, who in 2007 applied for a license to practice law and was subsequently denied. He was fired from The New Republic magazine in 1998 after being found to have fabricated dozens of high-profile stories. This tale is in stark contrast to other reports re-emerging in the news recently. A well-known case, and lawsuit, was that of journalist Jane Akre and Monsanto and is one of many stories highlighting the moral fortitude of some journalists.
Akre stood up for her personal beliefs, refusing to back down on a story regarding Monsanto and bovine growth hormones (rBGH). Monsanto is a large chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Akre worked for Fox News, at the time, and was allegedly fired for not changing her story following her hard-sought investigation.
Journalist Akre had a show on Fox’s Florida station known as WTVT. The investigation that prompted her to pursue Monsanto was due to her own curiosity and the safety of her daughter’s health. Her child grew a taste for ice cream and Akre wanted to know more about the milk in this food product that she would be often providing her daughter to consume. The investigation uncovered dangers in milk containing rBGH, which is often injected into cows to produce more milk.
The Moral Courage Project is a channel that broadcasts stories similar to Akre’s so that proclaimed injustices can be heard around the world.
Akre said that Monsanto threatened to sue Fox if they ran her story. They requested Fox to take out the word “cancer” and the credibility of the scientists in her report. Allegedly, Monsanto representatives offered to bribe the media outlet, but Akre really wanted this story to be heard.
The Daily Beast reports that Fox News management was feeling the pressure from Monsanto, and buckled–requiring Akre to re-edit the story.
The editing and revision phase is known to be a standard procedure for any news channel, but as Akre says, a story can be killed, but the news organization cannot manhandle the story so that it becomes untruthful. Reportedly, this manhandling consisted of 83 rewrites to her report. Akre and Monsanto is just one story of many journalists leaving their news stations because of corporate pressure or corruption.
JUMP
Akre stood up for her personal beliefs, refusing to back down on a story regarding Monsanto and bovine growth hormones (rBGH). Monsanto is a large chemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Akre worked for Fox News, at the time, and was allegedly fired for not changing her story following her hard-sought investigation.
Journalist Akre had a show on Fox’s Florida station known as WTVT. The investigation that prompted her to pursue Monsanto was due to her own curiosity and the safety of her daughter’s health. Her child grew a taste for ice cream and Akre wanted to know more about the milk in this food product that she would be often providing her daughter to consume. The investigation uncovered dangers in milk containing rBGH, which is often injected into cows to produce more milk.
The Moral Courage Project is a channel that broadcasts stories similar to Akre’s so that proclaimed injustices can be heard around the world.
Akre said that Monsanto threatened to sue Fox if they ran her story. They requested Fox to take out the word “cancer” and the credibility of the scientists in her report. Allegedly, Monsanto representatives offered to bribe the media outlet, but Akre really wanted this story to be heard.
The Daily Beast reports that Fox News management was feeling the pressure from Monsanto, and buckled–requiring Akre to re-edit the story.
The editing and revision phase is known to be a standard procedure for any news channel, but as Akre says, a story can be killed, but the news organization cannot manhandle the story so that it becomes untruthful. Reportedly, this manhandling consisted of 83 rewrites to her report. Akre and Monsanto is just one story of many journalists leaving their news stations because of corporate pressure or corruption.
JUMP
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