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Not to be flippant but what "agricultural unions" are your talking about? Perdue Chicken and the American Cattleman's Association? The only unions I can think of are collusive arrangements between the producers, the shippers, the sellers and the regulators. That is not a union but pure corrupt collusion to stifle any competition and public awareness of the consequences of eating their products.
It keeps food lasting longer. Haven't you noticed that most milk from the carton doesn't expire for a good three weeks these days? That's not how it used to be.
I don't like that much of our food is genetically modified today, but agricultural unions have done a great job to make sure we the people continue to vote in their favor. There's not much that can be done except to educate the public so that when votes on the matter come up, people will have an informed opinion.
Yeah I have noticed that milk lasts a lot longer.. is it just better to drink rice or almond milk?
The hormone used to increase milk production in dairy cows is not estrogen. It is bovine growth hormone.
The issue of bovine growth hormone has been extensively studied and there is no evidence that its use in dairy cows is harmful to humans. For one thing, it cannot be absorbed when it is consumed orally. It is even inactive when injected into humans.
There is no reason for anyone with an estrogen dependent cancer to avoid milk products from cows treated with growth hormone.
"EXTERNAL REVIEWS HAVE CONFIRMED VALIDITY OF FDA REVIEW
The FDA's review of rbGH [recombinant bovine growth hormone] has been scrutinized by both the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) and by GAO [General Accounting Office], as well as by JECFA*. On February21, 1992, the OIG announced that an audit of issues related to FDA's review of rbGH found no evidence to question FDA's process for determining the human food safety of rbGH. The OIG found that sufficient research had been conducted to substantiate the safety of the milk and meat of rbGH-treated cows for human consumption. In addition, the OIG found no evidence that indicated that FDA or Monsanto engaged in manipulation or suppression of animal health test data. As noted above, the August 6, 1992 GAO report found that FDA's review of rbGH had met all established guidelines and concluded that bovine growth hormone did not pose a risk for human consumption. In its reviews, JECFA also came to the conclusion that rbGH can be used without any appreciable risk to the health of consumers."
*The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is an international expert scientific committee that is administered jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
I think if we were being poisoned by our food supply, we would be dying earlier. Since life expectancy is increasing, that obviously is not happening.
Clearly, the less we impact our environment, the better off we all are. Organic farming practices have greatly advanced the use of non-chemical means to control pests, as mentioned earlier.
Unfortunately, these non-chemical methods do not always provide enough protection, and it's necessary to use chemical pesticides. How do organic pesticides compare with conventional pesticides?
A recent study compared the effectiveness of a rotenone-pyrethrin mixture versus a synthetic pesticide, imidan. Rotenone and pyrethrin are two common organic pesticides; imidan is considered a "soft" synthetic pesticide (i.e., designed to have a brief lifetime after application, and other traits that minimize unwanted effects). It was found that up to 7 applications of the rotenone- pyrethrin mixture were required to obtain the level of protection provided by 2 applications of imidan.
It seems unlikely that 7 applications of rotenone and pyrethrin are really better for the environment than 2 applications of imidan, especially when rotenone is extremely toxic to fish and other aquatic life. It should be noted, however, that we don't know for certain which system is more harmful. This is because we do not look at organic pesticides the same way that we look at conventional pesticides. We don't know how long these organic pesticides persist in the environment, or the full extent of their effects.
Not to be flippant but what "agricultural unions" are your talking about? Perdue Chicken and the American Cattleman's Association? The only unions I can think of are collusive arrangements between the producers, the shippers, the sellers and the regulators. That is not a union but pure corrupt collusion to stifle any competition and public awareness of the consequences of eating their products.
"Agricultural unions" was a gross misstatement. My apologies, what I meant was lobbyists.
I used to have a little shop in a market where there was a fruit/vegetable type store. It was considered by some to be a farmer's type market, but it wasn't. The stuff was shipped in from CA, Mexico, etc. Anyway, one day I walked by the owner, who was sitting on a stool picking the tiny, oval labels off peaches, one by one. I asked him why on earth he was doing that. He told me he sold the peaches to a lady who took them to a neighboring town outside Farmer's Market and sold them as locally grown and fresh off the tree.
Moral: If you really want fresh, go to the farm or orchard and pick it yourself. Even then, you can bet your bottom dollar it's been sprayed.
It is very much of a concern, but it is not just the chemicals in the food, chemicals are used in so many other products we consume. It's all around us and most of the time, you don't even think about it. The chemical companies do not have a clue of the long term health concerns that their products inflict on our society, and unless it affects the bottom line, they really don't care. When you really stop and think of all the chemical and pollutant risks around us, it is a wonder any of us are able to continue to survive.
It is very much of a concern, but it is not just the chemicals in the food, chemicals are used in so many other products we consume. It's all around us and most of the time, you don't even think about it. The chemical companies do not have a clue of the long term health concerns that their products inflict on our society, and unless it affects the bottom line, they really don't care. When you really stop and think of all the chemical and pollutant risks around us, it is a wonder any of us are able to continue to survive.
Yet average life expectancy continues to go up.
However, the level of obesity in this country creates a distinct hazard of stopping the rising trend.
The problem with our food is not traces of chemicals, it's that we consume too much of it.
You can buy hormone free milk but you have to look hard to find it. Anyone who has had a female cancer that was estrogen sensitive like breast cancer or ovarian cancer should probably be even more careful than anyone else. You don't mess around with hormones without getting the consequences in most cases. I say this from experience and the experience of friends.
There are several brands available widely here, though I don't know if they sell out of the area. They sell well even if they cost a bit more. I buy milk and icecream from Brahms if there is one in your area. Not only is their milk hormone and anti biotic free but formuated with a good solid taste if you like the lowered fat type. It also does not go bad days after it hits the refrigerator. They sell it through their own restraunts and it actually runs less than the other brands they sell at walmart.
It is worth it to find someone who sells meat without added hormones too. It costs a bit more but just eat less. The taste makes up for it.
I'd love to be able to not eat meat, but due to a compromised system can't digest a lot of them at a time, and need food in more concentrated servings. I actually tried to go the veggie route, but it didn't work out for me.
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