Author Archives: Norm Benson

Look for the Non-GMO Seal of Approval on the Package; it’s Your Sign of Assurance That You are Getting Lower Nutrition at a Higher Price.

Many [people, even those with digital watches,] were increasingly of the opinion that they’d all made a big mistake coming down from the trees in the first place, and some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no-one should ever have left the oceans. Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide toContinue reading “Look for the Non-GMO Seal of Approval on the Package; it’s Your Sign of Assurance That You are Getting Lower Nutrition at a Higher Price.”

Let Me Tell You a Story

We love a good story. In fact, we are hardwired for stories.[1] [2] “And the elements of a good story are always the same,” says journalist Dan Gardner. “It has to be about people. And it has to have novelty, drama and conflict.”[3] “The elements of a good story are always the same. It hasContinue reading “Let Me Tell You a Story”

Organic Pesticides and Labels: Good for the goose and all that…

This caught my eye this morning: American Council on Science and Health President Hank Campbell was on the airwaves Saturday with host Mike Olson and an organic trade rep to talk about labeling GMOs. Most fun was when the organic trade rep sputtered at the notion that there should be complete transparency on food labelsContinue reading “Organic Pesticides and Labels: Good for the goose and all that…”

Foodites Rejoice: Campbell’s Right to Tell…and Sell

Hank Campbell, President of the American Council on Science and Health (and co-author of Science Left Behind), wrote an interesting (and intelligent) post at Science 2.0: “GMO Labeling Is A Smart Marketing Strategy.” He notes that “anti-science groups are hailing [Campbell’s announcement about labeling GMOs on their products] as a victory. US Right To Know,Continue reading “Foodites Rejoice: Campbell’s Right to Tell…and Sell”

Water is Free, Isn’t It?

“If people can’t trade water, then they just keep doing the same things that they’ve been doing.” – Reed Watson, executive director of the Property Environment Research Center (PERC) I live in California. You may have heard that it is in a major drought. At the end of the winter in 2015, the snowpack whichContinue reading “Water is Free, Isn’t It?”

What made you change your mind?

I’ve been pondering this lately, what makes you change your mind? Is it data? A well told story? Did you research and test hypotheses or something else? What eventually got you to accept that a view you held was not right? A paper published in Science called When contact changes minds: An experiment on transmissionContinue reading “What made you change your mind?”

Past as Prologue: What the Campbell’s Execs Forgot About Organic Labels

[Insert George Santayana quote here] Steven Novella over at the Neurologica blog, follows up on Campbell’s decision to label their products made using genetic engineered products, even if there is no mandated nationwide standard. He first talks about the lack of science for labels. “The very notion of GMOs is a false dichotomy. Opponents thenContinue reading “Past as Prologue: What the Campbell’s Execs Forgot About Organic Labels”

Is Campbell’s GMO Announcement Mmmm mmm…good?

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) today [January 7, 2016] announced its support for the enactment of federal legislation to establish a single mandatory labeling standard for foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)….Campbell is prepared to label all of its U.S. products for the presence of ingredients that were derived from GMOs. There’s an interestingContinue reading “Is Campbell’s GMO Announcement Mmmm mmm…good?”

What Campbell’s Got Right and Wrong in Their GMO Label Announcement

Campbell’s announcement coincided with the new U.S. government’s eating guidelines; “Campbell Announces Support for Mandatory GMO Labeling.” “Genetic engineering,” California’s legislative analyst wrote in 2012, “is the process of changing the genetic material of a living organism to produce some desired change in that organisms characteristics.” In other words, GE is not an ingredient, likeContinue reading “What Campbell’s Got Right and Wrong in Their GMO Label Announcement”