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GM Soybean Oil Damages Liver and Kidneys
A diet containing GM soybean oil damaged the liver and kidney of rats in a new 90-day feeding study conducted by Iranian scientists. The study provides further proof that GM soy is not substantially equivalent to non-GM soy, meaning that regulatory authorizations given on the assumption of equivalence are invalid, GMWatch reported.
The study, by Horyie Taheri of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and colleagues, was conducted on 18 male rats in three different groups (6 rats per group). One group was fed a diet containing 10% GM soybean oil for 90 days, while the other two groups served as control groups, receiving either non-GM soybean oil or a standard lab diet, respectively.
The scientists carried out biochemical analysis of the blood and at the end of the experiment, microscopic tissue analysis (histopathology) of the liver and kidneys.
The scientists found that GM soybean oil caused several histological abnormalities in the liver, including congestion, necrosis, and bile duct hyperplasia (increased cell production, which may indicate a pre-cancerous state).
North Carolina Farms Face Depleted, Toxic Soil After Historic Helene Flooding
Hurricane Helene took much from western North Carolina where I live, farm and raise my family. The stories are harrowing: houses obliterated by landslides, whole families washed away, corpses revealed as the waters receded.
Suddenly, there’s deep climate trauma here, in a place where we mistakenly thought hurricanes happened to Floridians and coastal communities, not us. Helene stole our sense of security: we now side-eye trees, which crushed homes, power lines, cars and people. And the rain, the farmer’s frequent wish, turned our rivers maniacal.
It’s not just a question of what Helene, now the nation’s deadliest hurricane since Katrina, took. It’s also a question of what it left behind: tons of soil, sediment and toxic sludge in places where it shouldn’t be — including covering our region’s farms.
In Marion, North Carolina, Chue and Tou Lee of Lee’s One Fortune Farm are Hmong farmers who grow rice (a rarity in the mountains), a wide assortment of Asian vegetables, and reportedly the best peaches in the region.
When nearby Canoe Creek flooded, it drowned $60,000 of produce, a significant amount for any small farm to lose. Their lower field is now buried under almost 4ft (1.2 meters) of sand and sediment, which they’ll need a machine to move before replanting.
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More Frozen Waffles and Pancakes Recalled Over Possible Listeria Contamination
A recall of hundreds of frozen waffle products and other toaster foods sold in many U.S. grocery stores has expanded because they may be contaminated with dangerous listeria bacteria, the manufacturer said Tuesday.
TreeHouse Foods Inc., of Oak Brook, Illinois, said the updated recall includes all products made at a factory in Ontario, Canada, and sold at stores including Albertson’s, Aldi, Dollar General, Kroger, Publix, Target, Walmart and others.
The recall includes frozen toaster waffles, Belgian waffles and pancakes, the company said. No illnesses linked to the recall have been confirmed.
Bird Flu Update as Virus Suspected in Four Washington Farmers
Four egg farm workers in Washington state have tested “presumptively positive” for bird flu.
This suspected outbreak in Franklin County marks the first time the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in humans in Washington. It is now the sixth U.S. state where humans have tested positive for this highly infectious strain of the virus.
Around 800,000 chickens at the same farm were euthanized after the Washington State Department of Agriculture found they had been infected by an outbreak of avian influenza on Oct. 15.
Workers at the farm were subsequently tested, leading to four testing “presumptively positive” for the virus, the Washington State Department of Health said.
