THE GMO SCRAPBOOK: RUSSIA, SERIOUS ABOUT THAT GMO LABELING AND BAN, IS ...
In yesterday's News and Views from the Nefarium(Aug 21, 2014) I reported about two articles, one, a two year old article about some provocative admissions from a Nestle's manager, and the other, a more recent article about Russia's imposition of fines on agricultural producers in that country that do not properly label GMO products. Most of you who are regulars here know that I've been arguing a hypothesis that we might be watching the moves among the BRICSA nations, and particularly Russia and China, to coordinate their GMO and agricultural policy, and to eventually make the GMO issue a geopolitical one. As a component of that speculative scenario, I've been arguing the idea that those nations could eventually challenge western agribusiness giants whose profits in large part depend on the expansion of the the of GMO crops. Such a move, I've been arguing, would be a propaganda masterstroke, since those nations could play to the growing opposition in western nations to GMOs, and to the growing feeling in those nations that their governments are increasingly non-responsive to consumer concerns.
To make such a scenario work, however, I suggested that this would have to occur in three broad stages: first, a "sorting out" of the individual BRICSA nations' policies with respect to GMOs, then secondly bilateral agreements on agriculture between its member states on the GMO content of their imports and exports to each other(as between Russia and China), then thirdly, an expansion of these bilateral agreements to the entire BRICSA bloc.
So if anything, we're still in stage one, but Russia means business, and it is taking aim at one "institution" in the western corporate world precisely over the content of its food, McDonald's:
Russia taking McDonald's to court, threatens countrywide shutdown
Note this paragraph:
"The Interfax news agency reported that Russia's consumer protection agency has identified several product quality violations that have called into question the safety and integrity of the entire McDonald's food chain. The McDonald's products under question contain more fats and carbohydrates than are allowed by Russia's health-conscious regulations."
The "consumer protection agency" being talked about here is most likely the Rospotrebnadzor that I mentioned in yesterday's News and Views, That agency, it appears, is behind the calls to take McDonald's to court:
"Inspections at two McDonald's restaurants in Novgorod found that caloric values of milk shakes, fish sandwiches and Royal Cheeseburgers (the Russian equivalent of Quarter Pounders) exceeded safety standards, harboring two to three times more calories per serving than legally allowed.
"This means that the court could temporarily shut down all of McDonald's operations in Russia. A spokesperson for the Tverskoi District Court, Yekaterina Korotova, didn't comment on the matter but relayed that the consumer protection agency is demanding that the court "halt McDonald's illegal activity."
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one of my former Icelandic co-workers a few years ago said the best thing that happened to Iceland after its banking crisis was its getting rid of its three MacDonald restaurants…
Larry
Most of the McDonald’s bashers undoubtedly eat at fast food chains at least several times a month (including myself). Most of the restaurants in the US are in the mediocre to garbage range. The “mom and Pops” are also serving you non organic GMO crap such as the “syrup” served with pancakes. We like to support the “little guy”. But you can patronize the little guy for the next thousand years and you’ll never get an organic egg,etc Let’s face it; very few people are committed to changing the food culture and remember there are millions in the US if you mentioned GMO’s wouldn’t know what you are talking about.
“Most of the McDonald’s bashers undoubtedly eat at fast food chains at least several times a month (including myself)”-
so why do you continue to do it?- you can’t be exactly ‘stoopid’ otherwise you be on this website-
Larry
1. Lack of willpower 2. convenience 3. cheap food. 4. lack of substanially better alternatives. I could pay double for a tunafish sandwich in a diner instead of subway, but my point is: Is that the more expensive sandwich healthier just because the restaurant isn’t a chain? I don’t think so. There are no organic/vegan restaurants in my bklyn neighborhood and it is the same throughout America with some exceptions. Here’s how the immigrants here shop. They disperse several family members out on the avenue and call each other comparing prices. If tomatoes are 99C at store A and 1.19 at store B. They buy the cheaper. There is NO thinking of GMO’s, organic, quality – it is simply a crude price comparison. In many cases just making the food stamps go further. And recycling night the bottle/can,deposit- scavengers go hunting up and down my block well into the night!
My main point is that we are trapped. So you walk by Mcdonald’s. Down the road is BK. Then subway or Wendy’s. Wow a rundown sleazy “little guy” diner. Wait there’s a Denny’s! Intl pancake house with their gross flavored omelletes. Finally a Waffle house- We can watch the locals douse their cigarettes into the pancake remains.
I wouldn’t eat McDonalds with somebody else’s mouth.
What happened to good ol’ fish and chips ?????
Fish and chips? They usually are tasteless and soggy. Maybe a spot or two left in WA. Best seafood? Oregon coast.
“good ol’ fish and chips” never disappeared; just go to Great Britain for confirmation of that;
I just spent 10 days in Norwich singing Wagner (imagine that) where the staple of the English diet (as far as restaurants go) continues to be fish and chips interrupted a few yards later by a glorified hamburger restaurant; I kid you not-
the British have an absolute command of fish and chips (only to be out-trumped by the Irish- I speak from experience) but it’s their only ‘national heritage,’ as far as food goes they command; but the Irish are a bit farther (like start with their incredible authors) which is why the English prefer to refer to them derogatorily as ‘Paddys’-
I could go on and on…
stay well!
Larry
Larry,
Paddy could be a reference to rice paddies fields and the world order agarian societies pre Renascence., a staple food that first appears during a world wide famine 8000 years ago, depending on sources cited.
Shockingly it is still presented in Lackydamia that caveman hunter gatherers, uped its chromozone count over 40 generations to produce it, from its microscopic origins…lol, another pyramid food using manipulated EM frequencies.
Also the tradition of rice being thrown on newlywed couples most likely dates back to this amazing food that as a reminder prevented starvation.
The Irish were subjected to so many scams by the Lords, they actually tried to tax sunlight in there homes which is why the windows are still bricked up to this day. That might be the source of the English hatred of it oppressed revenue source. A common human trait of the slave keeper, you see this in the talmudic crowd referring to people as cattle, sheep etc….basically non human, and subject to very harsh treatment.
Assuming Russia can force McDonalds to comply with their standards in order to remain open in Russia; no change will take place here in the USA, of that you can be sure. Government agencies are bought and paid for by the global corporations here and the disease is spreading as fast as they can spread it.
The only question remaining is at what point does mankind become aware en masse and what happens at the tipping point. Every animal will fight for its life when cornered, and that includes man.
The same cycle seems to occur over and over, sometimes taking long periods of time to do so. Eventually, we may figure out as a species to learn from our mistakes; for they are our mistakes on both sides of the issue.
You don’t get to the place we’re at today with out compliance on one side.
This is what happens when you fail to do your part, no matter how small.
“A bought & sold government is worthless.”
– Alexander Hamilton
You are right about the US. The 10- deep line of pickup trucks at the take out window ain’t there cause they didn’t get to the food co-op on time. Hope nobody steals their guns at home while they’re waiting and their coupons haven’t expired.
Russia would be wise to single out US Corps. They are keenly aware FedGov.Inc is run by the multinationals. CAF once said if you can cause a drop of 10% in a large .Inc’s income stream. It affects there bottom line by ~30%. Due to the fact that they count their income thrice. Good ole Enron accounting is alive and well. Russia may not be as technically advanced as the West. But, the West definitely has seriously vulnerabilities. Due in great part to systemic corruption. I expect Putin to exploit all of those vulnerabilities.
Rossburger today Russia tomorrow the World. Just read the article what McDonald’s makes it’s bread buns for the hamburgers is terrifying enough. What other poisons go into the rest of it’s menu. Well Russia killing two birds with one stone protecting it’s citizens health and sticking it To The Man.
I agree the buns are bad but are the buns in the suoermarket really much better? Nitrates, glucose, MSG all over. What good is Just avoiding Mc donald’s when the crap is everywhere?
TROTSKYBURGER: A veggie burger split with an axe
Traditional Russian cuisine is not exactly conducive to having a sylph-like figure…
In the ongoing Economic Warfare the Russians are not only strategically going after on of the West’s highly prized army of GMOs; but strategically targeting one of their generals in the transnationals: McDonalds. Of course, in the background the invisibility of the ongoing covert warfare, under the guise of “acts of god”, are counterattacking. India is on the fence? Or is she taking on the role that has been assigned, actress? Then there’s the possible “hot war” in the backdrop of the Ukraine “conflict. And don’t forget all the “games”; of which some will get the green light to go…
as the Turtle Man says, “It’s Live Action!”
all together now……oh snap.