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Taco Bell's new Green Menu - YUMMY!

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Faos, Jul 15, 2009.

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ItsMyFault Member

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finalsbound said:

That salad you had a few weeks ago looked mighty delish. ;]
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Ha well... I had choices... at least that was pure fresh salad.. I'd never buy a salad from a fast food place...

#41 ItsMyFault, Jul 15, 2009

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moestavern19 said:

I just hope that by making people more aware, perhaps eventually consumer demand will force some of the FF giants to expose more of their practices so we are all more educated about what we're putting into our bodies and then we can go from there.
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True. Shoot first though we need people to just understand the differences between healthy and unhealthy foods in general. Stop eating out so much, stop it with the junk food and processed foods and eat a freakin' vegetable every now and then. So many people today don't even understand basic nutrition. A story I remember to this day from a CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) training I attended last year was of this parent who was having lunch with her child at school. The child picked up a piece of wheat bread, but the parent slapped it out the child's hand. Why you ask? Because the parent though it was burnt toast! Seriously, the parent didn't know what wheat bread was.

#42 JunkyardDwg, Jul 15, 2009
moestavern19 Member

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fmullegun said:

I agree with your point that people should watch what they eat. I think the better crusade is educating people about caloric intake and macronutrients rather than worrying about preservatives. If you follow a healthy diet the amount of prepackaged and McDonalds food you eat will be low anyways. The saturated fat will kill you much faster than the preservatives.
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Well sure, but most people already understand that fast food is the major source of excessive caloric and fat intake, It might take something a little more drastic like exposing the general public to the dangers of rampant biotechnological advancement in food without much of an FDA objection.

#43 moestavern19, Jul 15, 2009
juicystream Member

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moestavern19 said:

That is why I eat mainly organic food and have been for the past month and a half.
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I don't think I could afford my food cost to double on me.

A lack of organic choices isn't what is undermining our health in this country. Its the astonishing lack of exercise, the huge amounts of calories, the propensity to eat out, and the inability to slow down.

#44 juicystream, Jul 15, 2009
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Baqui99 said:

Wrong. I live 4 blocks from the Wharf. There's a McDonald's right on the Wharf, as well as a Burger King at at Taylor and Beach. Not to mention Johnny Rockets as well.
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Already admitted that was an outdated fact, but I'm sure you ignored that being the Whataburger champion you are.

#45 moestavern19, Jul 15, 2009
fmullegun Contributing Member

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moestavern19 said:

Well sure, but most people already understand that fast food is the major source of excessive caloric and fat intake, It might take something a little more drastic like exposing the general public to the dangers of rampant biotechnological advancement in food without much of an FDA objection.
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Because it is no where nearly as bad as the fat content, you are just making yourself out to look foolish. I am currently growing hybrid tomato plants. Scary!

#46 fmullegun, Jul 15, 2009
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True. Shoot first though we need people to just understand the differences between healthy and unhealthy foods in general. Stop eating out so much, stop it with the junk food and processed foods and eat a freakin' vegetable every now and then. So many people today don't even understand basic nutrition. A story I remember to this day from a CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) training I attended last year was of this parent who was having lunch with her child at school. The child picked up a piece of wheat bread, but the parent slapped it out the child's hand. Why you ask? Because the parent though it was burnt toast! Seriously, the parent didn't know what wheat bread was.
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I agree completely. Lets face it, Diabetes is an epidemic... and its not only the food we are eating, but the fact that crappy over-processed food, and fast food are cheap, and that we're eating such large portions of it. The indoctrination begins early. McDonalds entire early campaign was to make sure children by the age of 7 years old knew who Ronald McDonald was and to associate him with feelings of happiness.

Michael Pollan in The Omnivore's Dilemma said it best when he said (paraphrasing here) that it seems plain wrong that you have to have a certain amount of nutritional expertise just to figure out how to eat healthy these days.

The bottom line is we are getting sick, we are making the animals we eat sick before slaughtering them, and we are spending incredible amounts of money on food with very little nutritional value.

Knowledge is key. That is my whole mantra.

juicystream said:

I don't think I could afford my food cost to double on me.
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Its a problem for sure, I'm spending more on groceries... but not as much as I thought I might be.

Its amazing what not spending 50 bucks a week on quick fast food will do to a budget.

#47 moestavern19, Jul 15, 2009

finalsbound Member

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JunkyardDwg said:

True. Shoot first though we need people to just understand the differences between healthy and unhealthy foods in general. Stop eating out so much, stop it with the junk food and processed foods and eat a freakin' vegetable every now and then. So many people today don't even understand basic nutrition. A story I remember to this day from a CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) training I attended last year was of this parent who was having lunch with her child at school. The child picked up a piece of wheat bread, but the parent slapped it out the child's hand. Why you ask? Because the parent though it was burnt toast! Seriously, the parent didn't know what wheat bread was.
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lolz, don't you love when people try to "eat healthy" by having a salad, even when it's drenched in cheese, ranch dressing, and fatty salty meats? Taco Bell even had that commercial for a "salad" where they proudly claimed that the tiny amount of lettuce was at the very bottom.

#48 finalsbound, Jul 15, 2009
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juicystream said:

I don't think I could afford my food cost to double on me.
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Hit up the farmer's market instead of the supermarket for veggies and other "organic" items.

Honestly, the only real organic budget breaker is meat (especially beef).

#49 rhadamanthus, Jul 15, 2009
moestavern19 Member

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fmullegun said:

Because it is no where nearly as bad as the fat content, you are just making yourself out to look foolish. I am currently growing hybrid tomato plants. Scary!
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So you think the Monsanto Corporation is fine and dandy and their practices over the years have helped better society? You'll a fool if so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Company

Environmental and health record

Monsanto has been identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as being a "potentially responsible party" for 56 contaminated sites (Superfund sites) in the United States.[12] Monsanto has been sued, and has settled, multiple times for damaging the health of its employees or residents near its Superfund sites through pollution and poisoning.[1][13][14] In 2004 The Wildlife Habitat Council, (which has incidentally also given awards to nuclear power companies, waste management companies, steel manufacturers, and oil companies[citation needed]), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Performance Track presented a special certificate of recognition to Monsanto Company during WHC's 16th Annual Symposium.

Monsanto is the largest producer of glyphosate herbicides through its popular brand, Roundup. Roundup has been a source of ongoing controversy, as researchers in several studies have argued that it leads to the first stages of and/or causes cancer,[15][16] while a review of the toxicity of roundup concluded that "under present and expected conditions of new use, there is no potential for Roundup herbicide to pose a health risk to humans".[17].

Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications (referring to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) explained the company's regulatory philosophy to Michael Pollan in 1998:
“ Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is FDA's job.[18] ”

[edit] MON863 liver and kidney toxicity

MON863 is a variety of maize genetically engineered to be resistant to corn rootworm[19] and intended for human consumption. The MON863 grain is approved for human consumption in Japan, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and the European Union.[20][21]

Both Monsanto experts, and independent toxicology experts attached to research institutions and food safety authorities internationally did not indicate statistically significant adverse effects. The European Food Safety Authority has found that "the placing on the market of MON863 is unlikely to have an adverse effect on human and animal health or the environment in the context of its proposed use."[22]

However, a statistical analysis conducted on results of a Monsanto 90-day feeding study by Gilles-Eric Seralini, Dominique Cellier, and Joel Spiroux de Vendomois found it increased triglycerides in female rats by 20-40%, caused increased weight gain in female rats of 3.7%, a decrease in male rat weight of 3.3%, and increased certain indicators associated with liver and kidney toxicity.[23]

[edit] Terminator seed controversy
Main article: Terminator Technology

In June 2007, Monsanto acquired Delta & Pine Land Company, a company that had patented a seed technology nicknamed Terminator. This technology, which was never used commercially, produces plants that have sterile seeds so they do not flower or grow fruit after the initial planting. This requires customers to repurchase seed for every planting in which they use Terminator seed varieties. In recent years, widespread opposition from environmental organizations and farmer associations has grown, mainly out of the concerns that these seeds increase farmers' dependency on seed suppliers, especially in the third world.

There is also concern that the Terminator effect will be spread to native vegetation through pollination, rendering all plants unable to reproduce fruit. In 1999, Monsanto pledged not to commercialize Terminator technology.[24]

[edit] rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone)
Main article: Bovine somatotropin

Monsanto sparked controversy nationwide with the introduction of Bovine somatotropin, abbreviated as rBST and commonly known as rBGH. It is a synthetic hormone that is injected into cows to increase milk production. IGF-1 is a hormone stimulated by rBGH in the cow's blood stream, which is directly responsible for the increase in milk production. IGF-1 is a natural hormone found in the milk of both humans and cows causing the quick growth of infants.

Though this IGF-1 occurs naturally in mothers' milk to be fed to their infants it produces adverse effects in non-infants, behaving as a cancer accelerator in adults and non-infants; this biologically active hormone is associated with breast cancer (corellation shown in premenopausal women[25]), prostate cancer[26], lung cancer[27] and colon cancers[27][28].

However, a large Monsanto-sponsored survey of milk showed no significant difference in rBST levels in milk labeled as "rBST-Free" or "Organic milk" vs milk not labeled as such.[29]

According to the New York Times[30] Monsanto's brand of rBST, Posilac, has recently (March 2008) been the focus for a pro-rBST advocacy group called AFACT, made up of large dairy business conglomerates and closely affiliated with Monsanto itself. This group has engaged in large-scale lobbying efforts at the state level to prevent milk which is rBST-free from being labeled as such. As milk labeled as hormone-free has proved enormously popular with consumers, the primary justification by AFACT for their efforts has been that rBST is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that the popularity of milk sold without it is damaging what they claim to be the right of dairy producers to use a technology that maximizes their profits.

Monsanto claims[citation needed] that labeling of hormone-free milk takes advantage of consumers by allowing higher prices for the milk by suggesting that it is "better" or "safer" than BST milk, when in fact, there is no difference. Monsanto is requesting that companies that advertise their milk as "rBST-free" be required to add the FDA label claiming that rBST has been found safe for human consumption and no differences exist between hormone and hormone-free milk.

Thus far, a large-scale negative consumer response to AFACT's legislative and regulatory efforts has kept state regulators from pushing through restrictions that would ban hormone-free milk labels, though several politicians have tried, including Pennsylvania's agriculture secretary Dennis Wolff, who tried to ban rBST-free milk labeling on the grounds that "consumers are confused". The statement by Agricuture Secretary Wolff was reported by pro-biotech site Earth Friendly-Farm Friendly which elaborated on the issues of rBGH/rBST labling:

“Consumers are getting confused with the extra labels,” said Pennsylvania Ag Secretary Dennis Wolff. “They deserve a choice, and so do producers. But from the standpoint of safety, all milk is healthy milk. Our milk is a safe product. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is not in a position to say use rBST or not. The key word is: choice. I used rBST from day one of its approval to the last day that I milked cows. It was an important management tool on my dairy farm. What we oppose is the negative advertising or the selling of fear. If producers are asked to give up a production efficiency, and if that efficiency nets them $3000 or $10,000 a year for their dairy farm… That’s a lot of money. http://www.earthfarmfriendly.com/News/frustvenmilkmrkt-102606.html

Proposed labeling changes have been floated by AFACT lobbyists in New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Utah, Missouri and Vermont thus far[citation needed].

[edit] Pollution in Anniston, Alabama

On January 1, 2002, New Year's Day, The Washington Post carried a front page report on Monsanto's legacy of environmental damage in Anniston, Alabama. Plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit provided documentation showing that the local Monsanto factory knowingly discharged both mercury and PCB-laden waste into local creeks for over 40 years.[31]. In a story on January 27, The New York Times reported that during 1969 alone Monsanto had dumped 45 tons of PCBs into Snow Creek, a feeder for Choccolocco Creek which supplies much of the area's drinking water. The company also buried millions of pounds of PCB in open-pit landfills located on hillsides above the plant and surrounding neighborhoods.[32].

[edit] Legal issues

Monsanto is notable for its involvement in high profile lawsuits, as both plaintiff and defendant. It has been involved in a number of class action suits, where fines and damages have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, usually over health issues related to its products. Monsanto has also made frequent use of the courts to defend its patents, particularly in the area of biotechnology.

[edit] As defendant

In 1917, the US government filed suit against Monsanto over the safety of its original product, saccharin; Monsanto eventually won, after several years in court[citation needed].

It was sued, along with Dow and other chemical companies by veterans for the side effects of its Agent Orange defoliant, used by the US military in the Vietnam War.[33]

Monsanto was the defendant in the longest civil jury trial in U.S. history, Kemner v. Monsanto. This case ran from February 1984 through October 1987. The case involved a group of plaintiffs who claimed to have been poisoned by dioxin in a 1979 chemical spill that occurred in Sturgeon, Missouri. [34]

In 2000, GLC sued Monsanto for the $71 million dollar shortfall in expected sales.

[edit] Related to PCB's

More recently, it lost a series of court decisions resulting in US$700 million in damages being awarded to thousands of residents of the town of Anniston, Alabama that had been polluted over a period of years by Monsanto's PCB byproducts. It was settled with the following judgment. Though the PCB production was outlawed in 1979 and Monsanto ceased production in 1977, it failed to clear up the levels of PCB already in the natural population, until detection by the federal Soil Detection Service.

Monsanto dredged a few hundred yards of the Anniston's contaminated Snow Creek and surrounding tributaries. After the truth was uncovered by the wider public, swift investigations by the EPA and incinerators were introduced to burn large quantities of sarin and mustard gas produced by Monsanto.[35] On February 22 2002, Monsanto was found guilty of “negligence, wantonness, suppression of truth, nuisance, trespass, and outrage.”[36]

[edit] Proprietary wheat

On October 13, 2004, the European plant variety rights on a conventionally-bred strain of soft-milling wheat owned by French company RAGT Genetique were withdrawn at RAGT's request. The strain, called Galatea, was developed by Unilever and purchased by Monsanto in 1998; RAGT purchased the strain from Monsanto in May 2004 along with Monsanto's European wheat and barley business. Galatea is a cross between a European wheat strain and a conventional Indian variety Nap Hal.

Greenpeace considers RAGT's withdrawal to represent a victory by Greenpeace over Monsanto and claim that they played a central role by proving that the variety in question was not the cross-bred strain described in the application but was really the traditional strain Nap Hal bred by Indian farmers, despite the contrary text of the application. RAGT says it withdrew its plant variety rights for commercial reasons and Greenpeace played no role in its decision.[citation needed]

Also in 2004, the world's largest agrichemical company, Switzerland's Syngenta, launched a US lawsuit charging Monsanto with using coercive tactics to monopolize markets.[37] There are several lawsuits going both ways between Monsanto and Syngenta.

Monsanto is on trial in Carcassonne, France, as of September 20 2006[update], for having allegedly illegally imported 100 tonnes of soya seed contaminated with GM varieties, of which 50 tonnes were sold to local farmers. 50 tonnes were sent back to the USA.[38]
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As plaintiff

Since the mid-1990s, it has sued some 150 US farmers for patent infringement in connection with its genetically engineered seed. The usual claim involves violation of a technology agreement that prohibits farmers from saving seed from one season's crop to plant the next. One farmer received an eight-month prison sentence, in addition to having to pay damages, when a Monsanto case turned into a criminal prosecution.[citation needed] Monsanto reports that it pursues approximately 500 cases of suspected infringement annually[citation needed].

In 2003, Monsanto sued Oakhurst Dairy in Maine for advertising that its milk products did not come from cows treated with bovine growth hormone, claiming that such advertising hurt its business. The president of Oakhurst responded by saying,

"We ought to have the right to let people know what is and is not in our milk."[39]

Because Monsanto specializes in production of genetically-modified seeds for crops such as corn, soybeans, and cotton the company has financial interest in protecting their intellectual property. This is advantageous to the company, since consumers must continue to buy new seed each season or risk lawsuit for violating Monsanto's patent. [40] Such patents are supported by the U.S. government under free-trade considerations[citation needed], though Monsanto's large market share over the seed buying market leaves a choice between Monsanto or its top competitor, DuPont. [41] This genetic engineering has brought more problems than just cornering the market. [42]

In 1998 Monsanto's patented genes appeared in canola crop on Percy Schmeiser's 40-year old farm. Monsanto Canada sued the 70-year old farmer for 'stealing' their patented seeds. This high profile case, Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser, went to the Supreme Court level. Monsanto sued Percy Schmeiser for patent infringement for growing genetically modified Roundup-resistant canola. The 1998 case was portrayed in the media as a classic David and Goliath confrontation[citation needed]. In March 2001, Supreme Court Judge W. Andrew MacKay ruled that Schmeiser had violated Monsanto's genetically engineered patent.

Monsanto representative Trish Jordan commented: "This is very good news for us, Mr. Schmeiser had infringed on our patent." The court rejected Monsanto's claim for damages and did not impose punitive damages (which would not have been expected in a case involving a new question of law) on Schmeiser.

The case did cause Monsanto's enforcement tactics to be highlighted in the media over the years it took to play out. [43] In 2008, agreed to pay the Schmeiser $660 to settle the original small-claims court case for the cost of removing the patented Roundup Ready canola from their field in 2005. Monsanto had offered to settle the case in 2005, but Schmeiser refused the original offer because it required that the couple sign a release (gag order) stipulating they would never discuss the case or the terms of the agreement.[44] In the settlement, Monsanto Canada assumed no liability. [45]
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#50 moestavern19, Jul 15, 2009
Fatty FatBastard Member

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This is the saddest fast food thread on here in history.

This is a sad day for Fatty.

#51 Fatty FatBastard, Jul 15, 2009
kaleidosky Member

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finalsbound said:

lolz, don't you love when people try to "eat healthy" by having a salad, even when it's drenched in cheese, ranch dressing, and fatty salty meats? Taco Bell even had that commercial for a "salad" where they proudly claimed that the tiny amount of lettuce was at the very bottom.
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agreed, but don't completely condemn all "fast food" salads. I'm a big fan of the salads at Panera and Quiznos..

#52 kaleidosky, Jul 15, 2009
Dr of Dunk Clutch Crew

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BrieflySpeaking said:

so this is a joke right??
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Nope. It's absolutely real.

#53 Dr of Dunk, Jul 15, 2009

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Who's making salads with fatty meats? Don't they usually come with grilled chicken?

#54 pmac, Jul 15, 2009
JunkyardDwg Member

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finalsbound said:

lolz, don't you love when people try to "eat healthy" by having a salad, even when it's drenched in cheese, ranch dressing, and fatty salty meats? Taco Bell even had that commercial for a "salad" where they proudly claimed that the tiny amount of lettuce was at the very bottom.
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I know right! Those damn salads from the fast food chains are 3-4 servings easy; and then you add all the other fat content to it. What the hell is the point in eating them then?!

Or how bout a place like Sweet Tomatoes. A salad and soup BUFFET.

#55 JunkyardDwg, Jul 15, 2009
fmullegun Contributing Member

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moestavern19 said:

So you think the Monsanto Corporation is fine and dandy and their practices over the years have helped better society? You'll a fool if so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Company
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#56 fmullegun, Jul 15, 2009
Baqui99 Member

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moestavern19 said:

Already admitted that was an outdated fact, but I'm sure you ignored that being the Whataburger champion you are.

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I would kill everyone on this board for a double-meat, double cheese Whataburger with jalapenos and grilled onions.

#57 Baqui99, Jul 15, 2009
moestavern19 Member

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Even I'm surprised that I, moestavern19 have turned a thread about Taco Bell into a political opportunity.

I blame the D&D for corrupting my mind, I apologize to my beloved Hangout... I did not intend for it to come to this.

#58 moestavern19, Jul 15, 2009

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moestavern19 said:

Even I'm surprised that I, moestavern19 have turned a thread about Taco Bell into a political opportunity.

I blame the D&D for corrupting my mind, I apologize to my beloved Hangout... I did not intend for it to come to this.
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For realz. We need fatty to come in here and lay down the law.

#59 rhadamanthus, Jul 15, 2009
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kaleidosky said:

agreed, but don't completely condemn all "fast food" salads. I'm a big fan of the salads at Panera and Quiznos..
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When I got a salad at Quiznos they put some shredded iceberg lettuce in a bowl and topped it with sliced tomatoes. It was a little disappointing. But Panera Bread - aughhh. Their house salad is awesome. Lots of fresh vegetables tossed with balsamic vinaigrette...and very THINLY-sliced onions (The only way I'll eat onions on salad). They seem to be always very fresh. That mediterranean veggie sandwich rocks. I try not to eat there a lot though cause it's kind of pricey.

#60 finalsbound, Jul 15, 2009

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