Update. July 2011

Future of Food ... News ... Barbie it's over ... GM wheat ... No Harvey No ... Beyond the Supermaket ... ECG News

Screening this Thursday, 14th July, at Louise & Joels's place, Footscray, Melbourne's west. Dinner 6.30, Movie 8.00pm more, RSVP to Nick. >> find out more about meal & movie nights.

The Future of Food' outlines the growing network of grass-roots resistance to the Goliath of agribusiness and the genetically engineered products it favors. Should corporations have the right to patent genes? What are the long-term effects on humans of consuming genetically engineered food? more

• Senate passes palm oil labelling bill; June 24 more
• Bead Foods (maker of Gippsland Dairy & Rowena choc-tops) bought by Agro Farma (US); July 1 more
• Asahi to buy P&N's water & juice business (incl. Frantelle Water, Extra Juicy, Pop Tops brands); July 4 more

See more news.

Toy industry forest campaign
Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, is feeding a nasty habit by using paper packaging for the world's most famous toy from Indonesia's most notorious rainforest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). Check out this Greenpeace campaign and send an email to Bob Eckert, the CEO of Mattel. more

Genetically Modified Wheat
Australia’s national science body, CSIRO, has approved the world’s first human feeding trials of GM wheat. Nine trials are currently being planted across five states and territories. Greenpeace detail their findings on the health, economic and environmental risks in their report ‘Australia's wheat scandal: The biotech takeover of our daily bread.’ more Have your say, send an email to the government.

No Harvey No!
Harvey Norman, Australia's largest furniture and electronics retailer, has been criticised for helping to drive the destruction of Australian forests through its selling of furniture and flooring products. Check out the TV ad parody and sign the petition to have Harvey Norman implement better procurement polices and to clearly label their wood product's source of origin and certification. more

Grow your own fruit trees
There is a certain pleasure in munching into the produce of your garden and enjoying the freshness and taste of sun-ripened fruit. Winter is upon us and now is the time to get trees in the ground. Check out a huge range of heritage and dwarf trees at www.yalcafruittrees.com.au

Local Harvest project
We’re developing an exciting new project. Local Harvest will be a one-stop-shop website resource for finding food resources beyond the supermarket and industrial food system. This includes a national directory of food co-ops, food swap meets, community gardens, farmers markets, farm-gate products and more. Please let us know if you’d like to be involved. more

• We have a 'new look' homepage with some nice curves. www.ethical.org.au
• Our Shop Ethical iPhone app was in the Age's Good Weekend 'Top 100 apps' (one panelist's top five picks).
• We'll soon be running Skype sessions for training facilitators of SWAC workshops. Email if you're interested.
• Coming soon: New company assessment categories - Toys. Fragrances.

Upcoming NSW Ethical Shopping Tour >> Thursday 4th August, 6:30-8pm, Shearer's Bookshop, 99 Norton St, Leichhardt Register online or contact Kelly via facebook.

Neighbours, work-mates, class-mates, room-mates, friends at the gym, friends at the pub, friends in high places .... they're all wandering around the supermarket aisles bewildered with choice-fatigue. Be a buddy, help them out. Get that hot-little 'guide to ethical supermarket shopping' into their eager-little hands. Discounts for large orders. (..yes a shameless plug)