Widespread Seafood Fraud

The subject of deceptive restaurant menus took on new life last week when Oceana, an international organization dedicated to ocean conservation, released a report on seafood fraud. Using genetic testing, the group found tilapia and tilefish posing as red snapper. Farmed salmon was sold as wild. Escolar, which can also legally be called oil fish, was disguised as white tuna, which is an unofficial nickname for albacore tuna.Every one of 16 sushi bars investigated sold the researchers mislabeled fish. In all, 39 percent of the seafood from 81 grocery stores and restaurants was not what the establishment claimed it was. Mislabeling has been found in several cities, including Miami and Los Angeles, at shocking levels.

Even While Crossing One Of World’s Largest Aquifers, Keystone XL Would Not Use Advanced Leak Detection

Even after causing more than a dozen spills in 2011 from its newest tar sands pipeline — including a six story “geyser”of crude — Canadian energy developer TransCanada claimed its planned Keystone XL pipeline would “exceed” safety standards. But according to a new investigation of TransCanada’s development plans, the company does not plan to use advanced spill prevention technologies on a section of pipeline that would cross an underground reservoir providing nearly 30 percent of America’s irrigation water. Click here to read more.

 Top Non-GMO Achievements of 2012

2012 was a year of great progress for the non-GMO movement. Landmark efforts for mandatory labeling at home and abroad helped catapult the GMO issue into the mainstream, and consumer demand for non-GMO choices went off the charts. While there is still a lot of work to do in 2013, let’s acknowledge the recent successes in the fight against GMO’s. Click here to learn about the 10 highlights of the Right to Know Movement in 2012.