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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 1 0 GMO Labeling Continued from PAGE 1 disregarded dozens of scientific studies – specifically genetic toxicity studies – that support the conclusion glyphosate is not a human health risk," says a statement issued by Monsanto. "IARC's classification is incon- sistent with the numerous multi-year, com- prehensive assessments conducted by hundreds of scientists from countries world- wide who are responsible for ensuring public safety." The suspicion that there might be a link between glyphosate and cancer as well as in- creased use of herbicides on American crops due to the development of glyphosate-resis- tant weeds should be enough reason to re- quire food manufacturers to label products that contain genetically-modified ingredi- ents, Hirshberg said. "The reality is, how can you say that GMOs are safe when there's a di- rect correlation to herbicide use," he said. "I have not said a word about whether GMOs are safe to eat or not. We don't bother going there." Hirshberg made the remarks during Natural Products Expo East, held September 16-19 in Baltimore. "Though poll after poll has shown that more than 90 percent of consumers want la- beling, there is no consistent answer about why people are concerned about GMOs," he said. "In a civil society, we would let people know, and then let them find out." Hirshberg noted that in the 19 years since the first genetically engineered corn was in- troduced into the marketplace with the promise of crops with higher yields and greater drought-resistance, farmers have seen much different results. "There's no evidence that there's been higher yields in corn and soybeans versus non-genetically engineered crops. There's no evidence that non-geneti- cally engineered varieties have evolved any faster or any slower than genetically engi- neered crops," he said. He pointed out that use of glyphosate by American farmers has grown greatly because genetically engineered crops are designed to withstand the effects of the herbicide, which means that the herbicide can now be applied throughout the growing season. "Glyphosate is now the most-used agrichemical in our country," he said. Increased use of glyphosate and other her- bicides has led to the evolution of herbicide- resistant weeds that have become a nuisance to American farmers, according to Hirshberg. "Today, more than 61.2 million acres of U.S. farmland are infested with weeds resistant to Roundup," he said. In response, farmers are being encouraged to use a solution of a stronger herbicide, 2,4- D, which is a component of the Agent Or- ange defoliant used during the Vietnam War, according to Hirshberg. "You have the foxes guarding the henhouse telling us what is and isn't harmful," he said. "That was effective for one season, but now we have 2,4-D-resistant weeds being developed. We're using more and more of this stuff and getting less and less results.... Farmers are becoming more and more dependent on this herbicide tread- mill without seeing any effect." Glyphosate is commonly found in the air and in rain and streams in Iowa and Missis- sippi, said environmental scientist Paul Capel, Research Team Leader for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program, who spoke by telephone a few days after Hirshberg's presentation at NPEE. His team measured the incidence of glyphosate in air and rainwater samples in both Iowa, where glyphosate is primarily used on corn and soy- bean crops, and in Mississippi, where glyphosate is used on a wider range of crops and in non-agricultural areas throughout the growing season. The analyses found glyphosate in the air in weekly samples taken in Mississippi during the growing season from April through October 86 percent of the time in 2007 and 100 percent of the time in 2008. Glyphosate was found in Mississippi rainwa- ter samples 73 percent of the time in 2007 and 68 percent of the time in 2008. For rainwater, the USGS team found glyphosate in the water in 73 percent of the samples in 2007 and 68 percent in 2008 in Mississippi. In Iowa, the team found glyphosate in 71 percent of the samples in 2007 and 63 percent of the samples in 2008. Capel was also involved in a 2004 study in Indiana that found glyphosate present in rain water 92 percent of the time. Despite the chemical's presence in air and rainwater, there's little evidence at this point that glyphosate is a danger to groundwater supplies. Studies have shown that glyphosate is rarely detected in shallow groundwater, Capel said. He noted that glyphosate is typi- cally applied by spraying from an airplane or mechanized equipment on the ground, and as it's sprayed, some fraction of the chemical enters the air directly and never makes it to the ground. Of the chemical that does make it to the ground, some will be tied up in the soil, and thus unavailable to percolate into the groundwater. While Capel's USGS research documents that glyphosate is frequently found in rivers, streams and the air in areas where it's heavily used on farm fields, the jury is still out on what that means about the health risk to hu- mans, which depends both on level of expo- sure and how bioreactive the chemical is, according to Capel. "We're trying to docu- ment environmental concentration off of the farm fields," he said. "This is the exposure part of the health risk." He noted that scientists have associated glyphosate exposure with a number of differ- ent health issues, including autism, cancer and kidney disease. "Most of these studies are still under debate," he said. "There's not a clear linkage between exposure and some sort of detrimental end point.... These are questions that still need to be asked." Banning the chemical is not an immediate solution to this problem, according to Hirsh- berg. "The simple reality is, with fire retar- dants for an example, it's been a 30-year fight. You need epidemiological research. You need deep pockets for lobbyists," he said. His organization is advocating in favor of mandatory labeling of foods containing GMOs, which he believes would create con- sumer pressure on manufacturers to exclude GMOs from their products. If farmers could- n't sell their genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops, they'd revert to conventional crops that can't withstand glyphosate's ef- fects, so they wouldn't spray so much glyphosate, he reasons. His immediate objective on the way to that larger goal is to stop passage of the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July with the expecta- tion that it would face a tougher fight in the Senate. The bill allows for voluntary label- ing of GMO ingredients but prohibits states from requiring mandatory labeling. Oppo- nents of the bill typically refer to it as the DARK Act, which stands for "Denying Americans the Right to Know." "Our mission is not just to stop this bill," Hirshberg said. "Our mission is to get manda- tory labeling.... The real critical societal ques- tion is if we're going to be a society that's satisfied with labeling the absence, or are we going to say what's in it.... The reality is we vote every time we shop, and unless we have information, we can't vote.... The other side has spent over $100 million denying your right to know. What are they hiding?" GN Cibo California Continued from PAGE 1 Italian-Americans who speak Italian as their native language, will use their knowl- edge of Italian culinaria as well as their Ital- ian language skills and their ability to navigate the culture to bring authentic Ital- ian specialty food products to an American public that's eager to taste them, Cannas says. "Thanks to my relationships with the food producers, I have had the opportunity to find products from suppliers who have opened every door to me," he says. "My face is known there, and I have had the chance to explain what the company is about.. The Italian foods that most Americans are already familiar with are but a small sampling of the range of authentic and de- licious products that are being produced for commercial sale in Italy today, accord- ing to Cannas. Over the past 30 years or so, the Italian specialty foods industry has de- veloped from a few large companies that made products characteristic of the owners' culinary traditions. For years, those com- panies dominated the export market to the U.S., leaving many Americans with the im- pression that once they'd tasted, and come to love, those products, they knew all there was to know about Italian food. But Italy is a country, not with a few basic recipes for foods that the entire country has in common, but with a multitude of in- tensely local culinary traditions, Cannas says. As he speaks, the Italian-accented words begin to tumble over themselves as they rush to explain why this is important to American consumers. "When you drive for 10 miles in Italy, you find yourself every 10 miles in a new Italy. Nothing is similar to what you tasted 10 miles ago. In Italy, we have dialects. Every 10 miles, there is a different dialect. Everyone speaks Italian, but be- tween neighbors, they speak local dialects. With that, the va- rieties of wine are different. The kind of bread is different. The pasta, the soup, the meat, the fish, the cured meats, the cheese, the extra virgin olive oil, the wine, the mineral water, the cookies, they're all different. This is why Italy is so very interesting to the food lover. It's always a discovery, day after day." "For an example, recently I found a pro- ducer who makes what I consider the very best hand-made breadsticks," he continues. "We drove for six hours in the rain and wind to arrive for a visit with this artisan that produces these breadsticks, which are very unique. It's a family-owned company, and after a couple of hours, they have granted us the exclusive right for distribution in the U.S. Now it's up to us to translate this to the American consumers and to restaurants, but we are positive that we are going to be success- ful.... Americans today are excited to discover these new things coming from Italy. It's no longer spaghetti and meatballs and pizza. There are specialty foods from every region to be discovered here. This is what we are trying to do. This is exactly why Cibo California is excited to discover for all of our customers and for everyone who loves food and who loves Italy." For more information, visit www.cibo california.com or call Cibo California at 949.427.5555. To place orders, call 800.991.5199. GN Litehouse Foods has named Brent Carr to the executive role of Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In his new role, Carr will report directly to President and CEO Jim Frank and lead the company's fast-paced growth in the dressings, dips, cheese and herbs categories. A graduate of Boise State University with a degree in marketing, Carr is a 30-year in- dustry veteran who spent the first 15 years of his career at consumer packaged goods giant, Colgate-Palmolive. He then ex- panded his skill set with deep experience in the produce industry, working at Fresh Express for 10 years leading its national ac- count teams. Carr joined Litehouse in 2009 to help build the value-added channel and was promoted to Vice President of sales in 2012. "Brent has been instrumental in helping our brand achieve year-over-year double digit growth in our category, creating deep relationships with our customers and working cross-functionally at Litehouse to achieve outstanding results," Frank said. "He is widely respected in the produce business, and we are proud to have him lead our sales and marketing teams." Carr lives in Idaho with his wife Lorri. He has four children and a granddaughter. "My focus in this new role will be to align our sales and marketing teams and strive to strengthen our cross-functional relation- ships with our customers in each channel," he said. "Litehouse is a fast-growing brand, and I am excited to work with our team to continue to build category-leadership and innovation." GN Litehouse Foods Names Brent Carr SVP of Sales and Marketing

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