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Issue 14 — May 2005 Greetings! Our new super sales guy, Rick Albano, walked into the buyer's office for Ralph's, one of California's largest supermarket chains. As Rick opened up a jar of our delicious Organic Coconut Oil, the buyer said, "You're not going to believe this. My wife just gave me a shopping list because she's starting a new diet, and on the list is Nutiva's Coconut Oil!" Need I say that Ralph's plans to purchase our coconut oil? This story shows that our approach of making the best product and letting word of mouth do the rest is working beautifully. And now for an ironic story. On April 27 the California Assembly Agriculture Committee held hearings on the Hemp Bill. After proponents of the bill spoke (no one showed up to oppose), several legislators conveniently left the room before the vote. Even though the Chair of the Agriculture Committee supported the bill, there weren't enough members present to make up a quorum. And thus the bill died because no vote was taken! While this was deeply disappointing to advocates of agricultural hemp, at least the media covered the story. And at least we educated many in Sacramento about how hemp agriculture can boost American farming and manufacturing. Now we have another year in which to lobby and further inform our California legislators about hemp. In the meantime, Nutiva has contracted with its Canadian farmers to grow more than a million more pounds of organic hempseed. May you, like Nutiva, plant and harvest your field of dreams. In health, John W. Roulac P. S.: I'm hoping you'll help spread the word about Nutiva to your friends and family members by clicking on Forward to a Friend.
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I
hope you're enjoying these lovely spring days. This month I want to share
with you a couple of recent stories about Nutiva--one of them funny and
one not so funny.
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Growers Push to Legalize the Hemp Plant, Not Pot By Arin Gencer,
Columbia News Service/The Arizona Republic
It's the hemp plant, a relative of marijuana that advocates say doesn't share the mood-changing properties of its illegal cousin, although they look the same. Members of the hemp industry have fought for years to remove the product from the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of forbidden substances so Americans can share in what they say are its many benefits. Last year, their cause gained momentum after a federal court struck down the DEA's ban on hemp food products. And with new pro-hemp legislation in four states -- California, Oregon, New Hampshire and North Dakota -- and action stirring in Congress, advocates say the campaign to legalize industrial hemp farming in the United States is on an upswing that could soon expand the size of the fledgling $250 million industry. The United States is already the largest consumer of industrial hemp, but it all has to be imported, said Adam Eidinger, spokesman for Vote Hemp, a Washington lobby group. "There's no good reason why it's not legal to grow it here in the United States." Hemp is used to make a variety of products, including food, clothing, canvas, rope and soap. Car manufacturers have begun to use its fibers in door panels and bumpers. And it can also be used for making paper, something its proponents say would go some way to helping conserve the country's trees. Originally found in Asia, hemp has not always been taboo in America. The English colonies had laws requiring its growth to supply shipyards with hawsers, or large ropes. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were hemp farmers. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written on hemp paper. Today, U.S. hemp product companies depend on imports from the 31 countries where hemp farming is legal, including Canada, Britain and Germany. The irony that manufacturers can use hemp but cannot grow it themselves comes from the wording of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act. In the law, marijuana is defined as "all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa," the Latin name both plants share. The ban excludes mature stems and fiber, oil or cake made from the stem or seeds. Thus Americans can use and sell these parts of the plant, they just can't grow the plant itself. "We spend over $100,000 a year just on transportation costs that we would save if we grew hemp in America," said John Roulac, founder of the California health food company Nutiva, which processes hemp products in Canada. He estimates his costs would go down by at least 25 percent, as would retail prices, if everything were manufactured here. Despite federal hurdles, the industry has grown, Roulac said, as more people learn about hemp's nutritional value and taste, which some compare to that of pine nuts. Back in 1999, when he started the company, Roulac would search out stores to sell items like hemp protein powder and hempseed. Now, 2,500 stores nationwide carry his products, including Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppe. "People aren't necessarily saying: 'Oh, I'm looking for hemp, where is it?' " Roulac said. "But what people are saying there is, 'I'm looking for healthier fats, I'm looking for high-quality protein, I'm looking for organic foods.' " That's where hemp's nutritional profile comes in. It's high in protein and has a near ideal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are usually found in vegetable oils and are considered essential nutrients for preventing cardiovascular disease and lowering cholesterol, respectively. Hemp supporters still face the challenge of disassociating hemp from marijuana in the public's mind. They're quick to point out, for instance, that marijuana has at least 10 times the amount of THC, the psychoactive organic compound that causes those infamous highs. "With hemp and marijuana, the difference is just like a bell pepper and a chili pepper: One is hot, and one is not," said Barbara Filippone, who owns EnviroTextiles, a Colorado company that sells hemp clothing and yarn. "If you smoke hemp, you get a headache," Roulac said. "There's no drug qualities." Last year's defeat of the DEA's 2001 ban on hemp food has given Vote Hemp a new sense of purpose, Eidinger said. Because they're no longer worried about protecting product sales, they can focus on the push to legalize hemp farming. "We need to go on the offensive because we're no longer on the defensive," he said. Several bills in state legislatures proposing hemp legalization have either died in committee or failed to get beyond the floor of either chamber. In California, a bill made it all the way through the legislature, only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Gray Davis. But on March 9, North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven signed legislation legalizing hemp farming. Another bill in New Hampshire passed the House and was introduced into the Senate in mid-April. In Oregon, similar legislation is headed to the floor, after repeatedly dying in committee in years past. And in California, Vote Hemp is working with Assemblyman Mark Leno to create "the perfect bill," Eidinger said, with language that sidesteps the federal permit required to grow hemp and gives the state jurisdiction over what its farmers may cultivate. Federal legislation is also in the works. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is looking to introduce the first national hemp farming bill this summer, said Jeff Deist, Paul's spokesman. Although hemp advocates are fairly realistic about the prospects of getting it passed right away, they still see this as an opportunity to get out the truth about hemp and eradicate myths. "Ultimately, the fate of hemp in America will be determined by markets, not by legislators sitting in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.," Roulac said. "They can pontificate all they want and have all these different debates. Meanwhile, the marketplace is voting, Americans are voting, for hemp."
Enjoy these hemp nuts in smoothies, cereal, and omelettes, and sprinkle them on your yogurt, soups, salads, and vegetables. This is a great way to get your essential fatty acids (EFAs) each day! Shelled hempseed is not only 33 percent protein, but it is rich in Vitamin E as well Omega-3 and GLA--the EFAs doctors recommend. Just two tablespoons of shelled hempseed provide the following whopping amounts of recommended daily allowances: 10 percent of iron, 15 percent of zinc, 30 percent of phosphorus, and 30 percent of magnesium. Learn more about Nutiva's products here. Coconut Hemp Veggies Want to liven up your vegetables and enjoy a higher level of health? Here's a simple and creative way to combine organic veggies with the benefits of hempseed plus a healthful and delicious oil. Chop up a variety of vegetables that are in season--carrots, beets, onions, celery, parsnips, cauliflower, brocoli, turnips, kale, chard, etc. Place these in a metal or bamboo steamer and add some dried herbs of your choice. Steam the vegetables till they're done and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle on some celtic sea salt, add a few generous tablespoons of virgin coconut oil and hempseed, and serve. You can cook up some extra veggies and store them in the fridge for a quick lunch the next day. Let us know how you enjoy this nutritious dish, rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins, and high-quality fats. Organic Farming Research Foundation
This month we're delighted to honor the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF).
To learn more about the Organic Farming Research Foundation, visit http://www.ofrf.org. Vote with Your Dollars for a Healthy World How many of us want to see a world where everyone has access to fresh organic foods as well as clean air and water? We can continue to turn this shared vision into reality by improving our purchasing habits. For example, we can choose to purchase organic foods or a better-MPG vehicle, install a solar panel on our home, invest in socially responsible organizations, and just do our best, as often as we can, to bike or walk or carpool. These small but vital actions are simple yet powerful steps to building a world worth living in. As we become walking examples, our friends and family members may be inspired to follow this path. Sharing our exemplary lifestyle in a positive, lighthearted way (versus harping or lecturing) creates a better opening for new information to be received by the observers in our life. Don't like corporate lobbyists helping the passage of harmful laws? Then stop buying products made by the numerous Fortune 500 firms that support weakening pesticides laws, logging old-growth forests, and keeping alive tax credits to buy Hummers while canceling credits to buy hybrids (yes, the 2005 Energy Bill recently passed by Congress and signed by President Bush did just that). Each one of us can be a lobbyist when we visit stores. Ask for more organic foods, including hemp foods and coconut oil, and let your lifestyle share a message of greater health. And always remember: Health is wealth. • A
California bill to allow hemp farming falls short in committee • Hemp
Flap Discs Improve Material Abrasion • USDA Will
Allow Misleading Organic Label Claims to Continue • Pomegranate
Juice May Clear Clogged Arteries
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NEW YORK
-- It can give you all the protein you need, earn millions for American
farmers, even help reduce the destruction of trees. And, don't worry,
it won't make you high.
We
continue to be surprised that so many people have yet to learn about this
marvelous superfood. Nutiva shelled hempseed looks like sesame seeds and
tastes like pine nuts. Nutiva has removed the tiny hard shells for you.
Hempseed's sweet, nutty flavor makes it an ideal gourmet addition to almost
any dish. See our Recipe of the Month: 
Our
special packaging locks out oxygen and seals in freshness. We’re
fanatical about the idea that Fresh is Best! After all, it's a given
that fresh foods are always more healthful and delicious. 
Nutiva donates
1 percent of its sales to groups supporting sustainable agriculture. The
efforts of these groups, taken as a whole, may range from community gardens
or GMO labeling to the banning of toxic pesticides or of mutated gene
fragments. To date, Nutiva has donated more than thirty thousand dollars
to these efforts. 
OFRF
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