Organic Bytes
Newsletter #877: Ban Carcinogenic & Neurotoxic Artificial Food Dyes!
 

TAKE ACTION

Tell the FDA to Ban Carcinogenic & Neurotoxic Food Dyes

A ban on carcinogenic and neurotoxic food dyes is long overdue–if you were born after 1990, they should have been taken off the market before you were born! Beets, red cabbage, and black currants make great red dyes–that’s what’s used in organic food (if it’s colored at all). But, the FDA continues to allow petroleum-derived synthetics like Red 3 and Red 40 to be used in thousands of different foods and drinks sold in the U.S., including frozen desserts, cocktail cherries, breakfast cereals, candy, sugary drinks, and cake frosting.

Red 3, manufactured by United States Biological, is banned in Australia, China, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, because long-term animal feeding studies show it causes cancer in animals, specifically thyroid tumors. As of 2027, Red 3 will be banned in California, too, and ten other states have introduced similar legislation.

The Food & Drug Administration is required to ban any color additive that has been found to induce cancer in humans or animals at any dose. The FDA determined that Red 3 causes cancer back in 1990, but it never took action–and it has ignored a 2022 petition filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, even though it was supposed to respond within six months.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the FDA to Ban Carcinogenic & Neurotoxic Food Dyes!

BAN GLYPHOSATE

Danger in the Dough: Unveiling the Toxic Contaminants in Girl Scout Cookies

Article by Michelle Perro, MD, Stephanie Seneff, PhD, and Zen Honeycutt; BFA:

“Consumer groups, GMOScience, Moms Across America, and supporters have commissioned the testing of Girl Scout cookies for toxic metals and glyphosate/AMPA (an herbicide and its byproduct), to promote awareness and positive change for health. The results were extremely concerning.

* 100% of the samples were positive for glyphosate

* 100% were positive for toxic metals

* 22 out of 25 (88%) of samples were positive for all 5 toxic metals

* 76% were positive for levels of cadmium that exceed EPA limits in water

* 24 out of 25 (96%) of samples were positive for lead

(The consumer groups involved reached out to the GSUSA for a meeting before releasing these results and did not receive a response.)

One hundred percent of the 13 types of 25 cookies tested from 3 states, California, Iowa, and Louisiana, were positive for very elevated levels of glyphosate/AMPA, responsible for multiple health issues including cancer, endocrine disruption, gut issues, miscarriages, sperm damage, autism, neurotoxicity, and reproductive damage.”

Read more about the public health concerns with Girl Scout Cookies

TAKE ACTION: Make Your State the First to Ban Monsanto’s Roundup Weedkiller!

CARE WHAT YOU WEAR

Why Natural Hollow Fibers Outperform Traditional Materials

Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola:


“STORY-AT-A-GLANCE

* Natural hollow fibers like silk and wool contain microscopic air channels that create superior temperature regulation and moisture management compared to solid fibers like cotton and linen

* A single wool fiber can contain up to 2,500 air chambers per inch, while silk has a unique triangular cross-section with three hollow chambers that create its characteristic sheen

* Hollow fibers can absorb significant moisture while still feeling dry. Wool can absorb 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet, unlike cotton, which becomes heavy and cold when damp

* Eucalyptus-derived hollow fibers (Tencel/Lyocell) represent a modern, sustainable alternative that combines natural benefits with manufacturing precision, using just a fraction of the water required for cotton production

* While hollow fiber materials like silk and wool typically cost more upfront, they often prove more economical over time due to superior longevity — a silk pillowcase can last five years compared to a cotton one lasting only one year”

Learn why the transition to hollow fiber materials represents more than a simple upgrade in textile choice — it’s an investment in personal comfort, environmental sustainability, and long-term value

MILLIONS AGAINST MONSANTO

Mexican President Confident Congress Will Ban Planting GM Corn in 2025

Reuters reports:

“Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expects Congress to approve a ban early next year on planting genetically modified corn in the country, she said on Saturday.

Sheinbaum’s announcement comes a day after a trade-dispute panel ruled Mexico’s restrictions on U.S. exports of GM corn violate the USMCA trade agreement.

‘With the help of Mexico’s Congress, we are going to reverse this resolution because very soon, in February, they are going to legislate, I am sure, that you can’t plant genetically modified corn,’ Sheinbaum said at a public event. Mexico’s Congress is dominated by the ruling party.

‘We must protect Mexico’s biodiversity in our country … without corn there is no country.’

The impasse escalated when the U.S. government called on a dispute resolution panel to overturn Mexico’s February 2023 presidential decree that banned the use of GM corn to make tortillas and dough.”



Learn more

A note from OCA’s International Director, Ercila Sahores:

“For the past 11 years, our sister organization, Via Orgánica, has been fighting to protect the 64 native corn varieties and hundreds of local strains in Mexico. These corn varieties not only represent a traditional food source for millions of people but are also key to the country’s biodiversity, culture, cosmogony, and religious rituals. Above all, they are part of the defense of ancestral seeds that have been passed down over 10,000 years by generations of farmers, contributing to both Mexico’s and the world’s agricultural heritage.

We have successfully halted the planting of genetically modified corn in the heart of the crop’s origin region through a civil lawsuit that led to a precautionary measure preventing its commercial cultivation. This victory also serves as a powerful defense against multinational corporations like Bayer-Monsanto, Syngenta, and Dow Agrosciences.”

Watch Via Orgánica International Director, Dr. Mercedes Lopez, comment on a Mexican national news program

FOOD TRADITIONS

For Siċaŋġu Nation, Taking Food Sovereignty Back Means Eating Climate-Friendly

Grace Hussain writes for Sentient Media:

“On a Wednesday summer evening on the Rosebud Reservation, members of the Siċaŋġu Nation arrange twelve tables to form a U around the parking lot of a South Dakota Boys & Girls Club. The tables at the Siċaŋġu Harvest Market are laden with homemade foods for sale — tortillas, cooked beans, pickles and fresh squeezed lemonade. The market is one of many ways the nonprofit increases access to traditional and healthful foods that also happen to come with a low climate impact. The Lakota, of which Siċaŋġu is one of seven nations, were traditionally hunters and gatherers, but today, the Siċaŋġu Co nonprofit is building on both new and old traditions to fulfill its mission.

The market is one component of the group’s food sovereignty work, which also includes cultivating mushrooms and caring for a bison herd. Siċaŋġu Co is also working on housing, education and programs that support physical and spiritual wellness. But food came first. ‘We started with food because it’s so universal. Not just as a need but as a grounding cultural and family force,’ says Michael Prate, who spearheaded the program in its initial stages. ‘It’s where people come together to build relationships.’”

Learn how mushrooms, bison and foraged plants are a critical mix of new and old food traditions, and much more

SUPPORT OCA & RI

Positive Trends and Best Practices

It can feel like there is an excess of gloom and doom clouding our collective vision, reinforcing the walls and silos that divide us, and robbing us of the life-giving optimism and positive energy that we need to carry out a political revolution.

But from Main Street and beyond we can draw inspiration from the positive trends and best practices (alternative energy, organic and regenerative food and farming, ecosystem restoration, political insurgency and direct action) in our millions of cities, towns and rural communities across the globe.

Together we have the power to put an end to business as usual!

To those of you who have been supporting us, thank you! Your ongoing support fuels this critical work.

For those of you have not donated recently, please consider making one, so that together we can work towards regenerating the earth, restoring justice to our food systems, and creating a future of peace and abundance for all.

Make a tax-deductible donation to Organic Consumers Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

Make a tax-deductible donation to Regeneration International, our international sister organization

Consider a making a grant request from your Donor-Advised Fund. Our EIN is 41-1908341

BIODIVERSITY

Artificial Lights at Night Do More Harm Than You Realize: Here’s How To Light Your Garden Responsibly

Molly Blair, Gardens Illustrated:

“Lighting is a crucial part of garden and landscape design. Lights are used to extend the hours of use in the garden, light driveways and pathways to make them safe and for general security. However, all artificial lighting has an effect on wildlife and the local ecosystem, so it is important to light gardens responsibly.

‘All living things, including animals, plants and microbes, have evolved under a natural rhythm of night and day,’ says garden designer Rachel Bailey MSGD. ‘As the world has rapidly become urban and light pollution extends into rural and offshore areas, the distinction between night and day has become blurred.’

Artificial light at night, also known as ALAN, has wide-reaching effects on the organisms around it. DarkSky International, the global organisation combating light pollution, said in its annual report that ‘ALAN is one of the most pressing and imminent threats to global biodiversity.'”


Learn the steps that we can take to reduce the impacts of artificial light

NEW BOOK

Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy

Mercola.com:

“Unlock the science of longevity and joy with Dr. Mercola’s new guide to optimizing your mitochondrial function! Here are some groundbreaking health principles you’ll get from this book:

* The crucial link between cellular energy and virtually every aspect of your health
2- How to identify and eliminate the hidden factors sabotaging your mitochondria

* A comprehensive plan to boost your cellular energy production

* Revolutionary insights on diet, sun exposure, and lifestyle solutions for optimal health

* Practical strategies to heal your gut and supercharge your metabolism

”Your Guide to Cellular Health” offers a paradigm-shifting approach to wellness, focusing on the often-overlooked powerhouses of your cells — the mitochondria.”

Order this new book here

SAVE THE POLLINATORS

Bee Alert: Pesticides Pose a Real Threat to More Than 70% of Wild Bees

From Phys.org by University of Ottawa:

“A new study reveals alarming risks that pesticides pose to ground-nesting bees, which are crucial for pollination and food production. As agriculture increasingly relies on pesticides to protect crops, the unintended consequences for these essential pollinators are becoming clearer.

The research highlights the urgent need to reassess pesticide safety standards to protect these essential pollinators. The work is published in the journal Science.

The study reveals that current pesticide risk assessments, which primarily use honeybees as test subjects, fail to account for the unique vulnerabilities of wild bees that nest in soil. ‘Our findings show that over 70% of wild bee species, which are crucial for pollinating our food crops, face significant risks from pesticide residues in soil—a threat current regulations overlook,’ says Dr. Rondeau.”

Read more of the study’s key discoveries

TAKE ACTION: Ban Bee-Killing Neonic Seed Treatments!

COMING CLEAN

Getting Toxic Chemicals Out of Makeup, Clothes, and Other Products

Fiona Hines, Legislative Advocate, CALPIRG:

“As we ring in the new year, Californians will no longer have to worry about toxic chemicals in our makeup, unnecessary plastic waste in the produce aisle, nor inescapable online subscriptions. In 2025, Californians can look forward to a number of new laws that CALPIRG helped pass going into effect.

Removing toxic chemicals from cosmetics – The Toxic Free Cosmetics Act bans 24 of the most toxic ingredients found in cosmetics and personal care products, including mercury and formaldehyde. These chemicals ought to be banned from consumer products in the U.S. and are banned in most of Europe. Now at least Californians will be protected from these harmful chemicals.”

Read more about this and other healthy new laws going into effect in California in 2025