Hi,Can you make soap out of canola oil? Came across two 5 gallon cans for cheap. We don't use it to cook with because of the GM thing.I want to find some use to put it to. Thanks, Daryll

-- Daryll in NW FLA (twincrk@hotmail.com), December 25, 2001

Answers

Response to soap?

Yes they can be part of the oil mix used for soap. By it's self it makes a softer soap.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), December 25, 2001.

Response to soap?

What is the "GM" thing?

-- CJ (cjtinkle@getgoin.net), December 26, 2001.

The GM thing;most canola oil is genetically altered. Daryll

-- Daryll in NW FLA (twincrk@hotmail.com), December 26, 2001.

Sorry Daryll, not most, ALL.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), December 26, 2001.

Genetically altered canola oil?Have been using canola oil because of cholesterol problems.Didn't know it was altered, more info please.

-- VickiP. (countrymous@webtv.net), December 26, 2001.

Check out canola oil that is sold in health food stores. I'd be really surprised if they didn't have non-GM oil available. Of course, it will be more expensive but it will have been processed with a healthier method, too.

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), December 26, 2001.

But since it is illegal to label a product as free of Genetically Engineered ingredients, you won't know whether it's GM/GE free or not unless you buy Organic canola oil. Organic standards do not allow GM, so buying Organic is the only way to be sure you are avoiding GM and are not supporting GM agriculture.

After learning more about this last year, we made a commitment to buy organic whenever possible. It is expensive, but we are voting with our wallets (and try not to buy too much food, anyway!).

What I hope to see in the near future is a labeling law that allows us to know what we are eating/buying. Seems pretty basic, doesn't it?

-- (steph@windhamhill.com), December 26, 2001.

Trusting the memory here, can't cite a source. I seem to remember something about canola being an industrial oil, unsuitable for use as food at all. Seeds were irradiated and thereby changed genetically so that the oil was supposedly safe to use as food. Even the canola oil I had when I found this bit of information said nothing about the seeds having been irradiated and it was from a health food cooperative. The label did point out that it was a cold pressed oil which is healthier but that was all.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), December 26, 2001.

http://www.besthealth.com.au/canoladangers.ht

Just one of the many sights about rapeseed (canola) oil. There are many of them out there, each I'm sure, written by folks with different agendas, but the common theme in all of these is that after rapeseed was found to be toxic for human consumption, genetically modifying and irradiating "rapeseed" became "canola" (Canada Oil)

-- Sue (sulandherb@aol.com), December 26, 2001.

Absolutely correct Sue. It does not matter how the seeds are grown, organic or with chemicals, the seeds ARE genetically modified. The term Canola as you sorta point out is a marketing ploy CANada OIL, as few would buy GM rape seed oil.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), December 27, 2001.

WOW!!! The things you learn on this forum! I didn't have a clue about canola/rapeseed oil. So... Joe, what oil do you use for cooking? Just olive oil? There are a few things that we make that I definitely don't like the taste of olive oil in. Do you use an alternative oil for those circumstances?

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), December 27, 2001.

Now i have some issues to research on 'toxicness' of rape seed [mustard] that i think are not accurate. but here is a little of what i dug up on % gmo canola crops grown.

hey there joe!, the giant chicken foot was in the freeway median towards arcata and the funky rebar?/metal people & sculptures were right next to the bay i think it was destoyed in the late 70ies. it was a geat mental picture to think of another foot sticking up in another country, not to mention a chicken head somewhere!

Kanina Holmes Reuters Winnepeg Manitoba April 25, 2001

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 25 (Reuters) - Two of Canada's major grain companies deployed dozens of employees and a fleet of trucks as they scrambled to retrieve thousands of bags of a genetically modified canola seed that Monsanto Co. (NYSE:MON - news) voluntarily recalled on Wednesday after discovering trace amounts of an alternate version of a genetic trait.

"If we see a farmer in the field and we know that farmer purchased Quest, we'll be stopping him right on his seeder," said Diane Wreford, a spokeswoman for Agricore.

"We're taking this very seriously because this is a potential trade issue," Wreford said.

Monsanto said that the quality tests on canola seed, initially conducted by Saskatchewan Wheat Pool late last week, had detected trace levels of an alternative version of the Roundup Ready trait, a version that has not been registered for canola by Japan, Canada's largest canola seed customer, or the United States, the largest buyer of Canadian canola oil and meal. Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" series of soybean and canola seeds, engineered to withstand the company's popular Roundup herbicide, are the most widespread GMO oilseeds planted in North America. The Quest canola variety represented between 10 and 12 percent of the 12 million canola acres seeded in western Canada last year.

Monsanto, the St Louis, Missouri-based biotechnology company, has been one of the biggest boosters of the use of GM crops globally. The company said that it was working with the two western Canadian distributors of Quest, Agricore and the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, on the voluntary withdrawal and replacement of the seed for spring planting.

"This is a product that's fully approved for food, for feed and for planting. There are no health, safety or environmental issues," said Wassell.

Late last year, discovery of traces of a GMO corn variety, StarLink, unaofficials from Agricore and Monsanto nevertheless moved quickly on Wednesday to reassure overseas buyers.

"We have people now on their way to Japan to talk to the processors and to just assure them that we're doing everything we can to work with them," said Wreford, speaking from Agricore's head office in Winnipeg. pproved for use in foods, caused a massive recall of tacos and other foods in the U.S. and Japan, and cost its manufacturer, Aventis SA unit Aventis CropScience millions of dollars and put world corn trade on a roller coaster.

Vocal opponents to GMO crops have also used the StarLink debacle to raise consumer demands for more testing, segregation and labeling of GMO seeds and foods.

Canada ships about 1.8 million tonnes of canola seed annually to Japan, worth about C$800 million. Exports of canola meal and oil to the U.S. amount to 1.2 million tonnes annually or about C$500 million per year.

-- bj pepper in C. MS. (pepper.pepper@excite.com), December 27, 2001.

Two words "partially hydrogenated". There is something about the thought of eating oil or fat from anything that just doesn't sit right with me. But anyone who doesn't know much about it should do a search on "partially hydrogenated. I found one site that swears there was no such thing as type 2 diabetes before hydrogenated oils were introduced. Cold pressed oils are healthier because they are a more natural state. But like I said, I just don't use any oil myself. Faced a few challenges in shopping and cooking with that decision, but my wife and I are much healthier and can shop cheaper because of it.

-- Dan (zipporahsdad@seedofabraham.zzn.com), May 04, 2002.