You know Barbara Kowalcyk, founder of The Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention, from the hit documentary Food Inc. Her son tragically died from eating e.coli-tainted beef. Barbara has been making large strides towards increasing the safety of our food and was a recent recipient of The LennonOno Award for Peace. She took some time out of her busy schedule to call us from the Netherlands to talk about what’s going on with CFI, and to help us decipher S.510, the much debated Food Safety Modernization Act.

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Superweeds, a side-effect of growing Roundup-Ready genetically modified (GM) crops, are a growing problem. Roundup-Ready crops, engineered to tolerate weedkiller, are the most popular variety of GM crop today. However, many native weeds have evolved their own defense to weedkiller and now occupy 10 million acres of US farmland. Despite this issue being a direct result of growing GM crops, the Obama administration and USDA recently made it clear, they firmly stand beside biotechnology.

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Think you know what’s in your drinking water? The truth may surprise you. Lono Kahuna Kupua Ho’ala, water expert and author of Don’t Drink the Water, joins us on the show to discuss one of the most vital substances needed for life.

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High-fructose corn syrup has been under siege lately and the Corn Refiners Association is desperate to do something about it. Companies have been advertising their products with the statement “high fructose corn syrup-free” and the CRA recently lobbied the FDA to allow a name change. In a desperate move that will only reflect badly on all parties involved, the Corn Refiners Association hired Mom Central and a few dozen mom bloggers to assist in rebuilding the tarnished name.

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There are so many aspects of the GMO debate, one might find oneself at a loss for where to start. There are studies indicating GMOs cause organ damage and infertility. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine released a paper showing more than a causal association between GMOs and adverse health effects.

According to the AAEM,

several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signaling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.

Then there is the issue of GM crops contaminating neighboring farmer’s fields through cross-pollination. These are all issues that the biotech giants want to sweep under the rug while cheerfully touting that their seeds will save the world. Biotech has had a good run over the past ten years, it promised farmers an easy way to grow crops with higher yields. It did deliver, for a time, but now farmers are beginning to see the promise of a quick fix was not without repercussions.

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No, that’s not strawberry ice cream you’re looking at. The pink goo in this picture is on it’s way to getting breaded to become delicious chicken nuggets and patties.

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T. Colin Campbell joins us on the show to discuss his bestselling book, The China Study. His work examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products and disease such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and macular degeneration. Campbell, in detailing the correlation between diet and disease, along with his recommendation of a plant-based diet, has shaken up industry giants who have profited off of the traditional American fare of meat, milk and potatoes.

In this show, we get Dr. Campbell’s viewpoints on the widespread and controversial field of genetic engineering, discuss the response of the medical, meat and dairy industries, and find out what projects he has coming up next.

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Amy Kalafa, award-winning documentary filmmaker and creator of Two Angry Moms, joins Carol on the show to discuss her new film that is waking up moms across the U.S. as to what “food” their kids are eating at school and what they can do about it. The film peers onto the lunch trays of schools across the country, examining what needs to change in most and giving examples of what that change can be in others.

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In a startling story featured in The Nation, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill revealed that in 2008, Monsanto hired a Blackwater subsidiary to spy on activist groups who conflicted with company interests. Blackwater, the controversial private military company now operating under the name Xe, is the largest of the U.S. State Department’s three private security contractors. Monsanto, the company that brought you rBGH, PCBs, DDT and Agent Orange, also produces 90% of the world’s genetically-engineered seeds.

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