POLITICAL: Tell the National Organic Standards Board to Prohibit Nanotechnology in Organics

[Guest guest]

It only takes a minute to take action on this important organic foods issue (see

link below).

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Organic is under threat yet again. This time it's by the use of nanomaterials

and nanotechnologies in organic production systems.

The National <http://cfs.convio.net/site/R?i=cfghBsd54mUa_lcEq6DAAA..> Organic

Standards Board has as of yet failed to recommend a

ban on nanotechnologies and nanomaterials in organic, despite strong evidence of

health and environmental risks from some

nanomaterials and overwhelming public sentiment that use of the technology, like

genetic engineering, goes against the core

principles of organic.

Nanotechnology is the deliberate engineering of materials, structures, and

systems at the atomic and molecular level. It is a

platform technology that will work hand-in-hand with genetic engineering and

pesticides to further entrench our current industrial

agricultural systems. Examples already in progress include nano-engineering of

food and food packaging to allow further transport,

nano-encapsulating of substances in food and nano-size pesticides, increasing

their toxicity. There are also huge health and

environmental risks.

Many of the world's leading food companies are investing heavily in

nanotechnology applications for food and food packaging. The

European Parliament has called for nanotechnology to be prohibited for all food.

U.S. regulators have so far ignored nano-food

regulations. This is despite a growing presence of nano-enabled food packaging,

the beginnings of a nano-food market, and calls for

reform by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

In its Guidance Document - Engineered Nanotechnology in Organic Production,

Processing and Packaging - the NOSB acknowledges the

existence of " overwhelming agreement within the organic industry to prohibit

nanotechnology in organic production and processing. "

NOSB has already debated the topic for over two years. Yet, some NOSB members

would rather hold a further symposium to talk about

imagined obstacles to implementing a ban on nano in organic food production than

acting swiftly to protect organic integrity. These

symposiums are typically used by industry as a delaying tactic.

We cannot let industry pressure leave the door open for the future use of nano

when the evidence is clear that it threatens to

undermine consumer confidence in organic.

Tell the NOSB <http://cfs.convio.net/site/R?i=CPxUd1T6oy3OIdaAuD6LNg..> to do

the right thing and prohibit nanotechnology in the

Organic Standards now!