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Issue 6— July 2004 Greetings! As part of our donation of 1 percent of Nutiva sales to sustainable-agriculture groups, Nutiva has contributed two thousand dollars to the GE-Free Sonoma County initiative scheduled to go onto the ballot on November 2, 2004. A handful of such California counties are working to place a countywide ballot referendum to ban the release or planting of genetically engineered plants. Pig genes in corn? Fish in blueberries? I think it best not to let such wild gene fragments escape from mad scientists' labs onto our dinner plates! And now back to current reality . . . In late June San Francisco's 9th Circuit Court rejected the DEA's petition for a second appeal of the Court's February 6, 2004, ruling keeping hemp foods legal. Thus the ruling stays in effect, and Americans don't have to worry about the law looking into their smoothies or salads to see if there's any hempseed or hemp oil in the mix. The United States Justice Department was given 90 days, or until September 26th, 2004, to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court. In the event that such an appeal does reach the Supreme Court, it won't be until the latter half of 2005. We'll keep you informed as this story continues to unfold. In health, John W. Roulac |
I
hope you're enjoying the warm summer months and eating lots of delicious
organic foods. And speaking of foods, did you know that California
is leading the way in a slow-down of the release of genetically
engineered foods and organisms?
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Enjoy Our Organic Hempseed Bar on Your Next Hike or Bike Ride
Back in the summer of 1999, Nutiva introduced its first product — a delicious whole-food bar with four kinds of seeds (hemp, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower) and honey. After we had sold about ten thousand of our hemp bars, the DEA seized a Canadian truckload of hempseed intended for use as birdseed. They surrounded the truck with guns drawn and confiscated the "contraband." For the next three months, Nutiva couldn't bring any of its Canadian-made hemp bars into the United States. Luckily we had just received a large pallet of more than ten thousand bars and were able to keep filling orders. US Customs sent Nutiva letters demanding that we turn over the bars in our warehouse. We told the Feds they didn't have jurisdiction and kept on selling. In fact, sales shot up as our customers kept emptying the cases on store shelves. After a barrage of media focus, the DEA and US Customs backed off and ended the illegal hemp blockade. Yet, as we can see, the DEA persists in its resolve to ban not just the hemp bar but an entire class of foods. People tell us they love Nutiva's Original Hempseed Bar as a simple, satisfying, and highly nutritious snack. It has no ingredients that you'd need a chemistry degree to understand, and its organic seeds are packed with protein, fiber, good fats, vitamins, and minerals. Learn more about Nutiva's products here. 1%
Donation Spotlight:
Nutiva donates 1 percent of its sales to groups focused on sustainable agriculture — those supporting efforts ranging from GMO labeling to community gardens to the banning of toxic pesticides or mutated gene fragments. This month we feature GE-Free Sonoma County, a grassroots organization working to keep Sonoma County's farms, ecosystems, and public lands free from contamination by genetically engineered (GE) organisms. Made up of farmers, gardeners, health professionals, chefs, business owners, teachers, environmentalists, and local government officials, the group is committed to an ecologically and economically sustainable future for food and farming. Their immediate goal is to raise funds and gather enough signatures to place the GE-Free Sonoma County Initiative on a countywide ballot in the November 2004 election. Nutiva customers, please consider helping out in this vital effort. FYI, California's Mendocino County was successful in passing its own GE ballot measure in March of this year. With your help, we can make it 2-0 for the Mighty Organic Davids vs. the Biotech Goliaths. Since its inception, Nutiva has donated more than twenty thousand dollars to various exemplary organizations, including: •Bioneers •Californians for GE-Free Agriculture •Ecological Farming Association •Hemp Industries Association •GE-Free Sonoma County •Organic Farming Research Foundation •Organic Consumers Association •Oregon Concerned Citizens for Safe Food •The Land Institute •Vote Hemp •Watts Garden Club
What the #$*! Do We Know!? is an amazing breakthrough film that explores the leading edge of science and spirituality in a highly entertaining and humorous way. It stars Marlie Matlin as an antidepressant-popping photographer who discovers the oneness of life beyond the illusion of separation, as revealed through the film's 14 articulate scientists, physicians, and other sources of scholarly and mystical wisdom. When the producers first approached theater owners, they were told there would be no audience for a film on quantum science. As one indication of just how wrong they were, the film played 17 weeks at one theater in Portland, Oregon, and continues to set records everywhere it opens. What the Bleep seamlessly combines three formats — feature, documentary, and animation — providing a rich, multidimensional theater experience. The profound ideas about quantum science are illustrated with great animation that, among many other things, demonstrates peptides connected to "molecules of emotion" that ultimately become addictive repeating forms of behavior when stimulated. This is highly useful information, because these connections can also be broken by new ways of thinking and being. The film's Web site is definitely worth a visit, to meet the filmmakers and scientists, read the extensive book list, learn when the film opens in new cities, and sign up for free email updates. Review by Jeff Hutner Hemp Goddess Supreme 2 scoops
Nutiva
Protein Powder Place the seeds in a blender with the water, blend them into a thick paste, and then add the fruits and green food powder. The Hemp Goddess Supreme is a super-healthy smoothie brimming with protein, fiber, good fats, vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll. Remember to place your Nutiva Protein Powder, Hemp Oil, or Shelled Hempseed in the refrigerator or freezer. This protects the healthy hemp fats and prolongs shelf life. Beware of Some Misleading Organic Soy Claims One of America's leading energy bar manufacturers claims "Made with Organic Soybeans" on its product's front label. So naturally you'd think the soy in the bar would be organic. The fact is, the main soy ingredient in these bars, Soy Protein Isolate, is not organic because it's processed with hexane, an industrial solvent similar to paint thinner used to remove the fat from the soybean meal. The resulting soy meal is converted into Soy Protein Isolate, and DuPont is the largest supplier to natural food manufacturers who resell this. Tragically, two soy factory workers died in Iowa last fall from inhaling hexane. Somehow this label claim is legal, as Soy Protein Isolate is not considered a soybean in the eyes of the USDA Organic regulations. In today's Orwellian society in which illusion is reality, one must keep in mind the old adage "Buyer beware." • North Dakota
firm utilizes hemp fibers for snowmobile engine covers
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