ACSH Weekend Update - GMO Labels, Pesticides In Beer, And More

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When wacky biased claims about pesticide residues in breast milk came out, it was derided as a silly diversion by desperate environmental groups who take their advice from Deniers For Hire at places like SourceWatch and U.S. Right To Know.

Anti-science activists trying to get GMO warning labels placed on competitors of the organic marketing groups that fund them had wisely avoided suggesting labels on things like alcohol or restaurant food. In Vermont, the list of labeling exemptions to protect Vermont businesses from the public's "right to know" is long and bizarre.

Pesticide activists have broken ranks and used the fact that in 2016 we can detect almost anything anywhere to go after a sacred cow in science and culture - beer.  Professor Kevon Folta is having none of it and you can read his dissection of the latest anti-science woo about glyphosate here.

The Science Is Settled, But Can This Politician Solve The Political GMO Debate?

With Vermont’s July 1st GMO food labeling deadline rapidly approaching, how will the GMO food labeling debate end? It's too soon to tell. While optimistic predictions are that food companies will not kow-tow to 500,000 people in a tiny state, the reality is that food companies are anarchists so they will sell wherever they can sell - and just pass the costs along to the rest of the country.

For the first time ever, anti-science groups don't want a federal standard on something (which sends the Hypocrisy Richter Scale right to about 9.8) and are spending hundreds of million to create a fractured patchwork of state and local laws that will be cost so much that organic food is actually reasonably priced by comparison.

As Sean McBride notes, the answer may lie with Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN). You can read about his amendment here.

Cosmopolitan Magazine Does Food Science!

Katherine Schreiber, Health Editor at Cosmopolitan, wanted to get to the bottom of the issue on one diet fad that’s been around for decades – giving up carbohydrates. So she got together with the Council’s Senior Nutrition Fellow, Dr. Ruth Kava, to talk about the downside to low carbs.

CrossFit CEO Goes On An Ideological Bender Against ACSH

Greg Glassman is CEO of the $4 billion Crossfit video outfit. He needs to spend a little of that money on getting a biology education. He insists, incorrectly, that Coca-Cola "causes" a condition that no one even agrees exists - "pre-diabetes" - and insists if the CDC mentions it, it must be real. Glassman claims to be libertarian but invokes big government decision-making on health...when it agrees with his agenda. But the CDC is the same group that told women they shouldn't drink alcohol if they aren't on birth control, so their committee decisions produce all kinds of statements that make no sense.

When shown the error of his ways. Glassman claimed an unrestricted grant from Coca-Cola six years ago meant we were somehow shills for them - and claimed if we denied his beliefs about nutrition, we must also deny cancer exists. He then sent one of his infamous social media thugs to threaten and libel ACSH. What was lost in his logic; if Coke controls our performance, it means they also control the performance of all Olympic athletes, the NBA, the NCAA, and NASCAR.

By all means, continue to exercise, but if you are doing Crossfit, you should hope there is more of a science basis for their videos than there is in their nutrition beliefs.

Sugar is sugar, there is no special sugar that causes diabetes, nor is there a magic bullet where banning a food prevent diabetes. It's irresponsible to claim there is.