Heck No, GMO!

You've probably heard of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) by now, but you may not know what they are or what the big deal is. I acquired a nice pamphlet from my favorite herbalist so I thought it would make a good blog post.

"Yes you're eating them. No, they're not safe."

- Since 1996 Americans have been eating GMO's in most processed food and some whole foods.
- A GMO is a food that has been genetically altered with foreign genes from bacteria and viruses.
- There are eight GM food crops - soy, corn, cotton, canola, and sugar beets are the biggest five. Hawaiian pineapple, zucchini, and yellow squash are the other three. About 10% of the nation's sweet corn is GMO, and that number is rising.

A GMO product is a plant that has had its DNA altered. Basically the way they alter a food's DNA is by "shooting" foreign genes into a cell or using bacteria to invade the cell with the foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant. You may be wondering why anyone would want to alter the DNA of a plant. The largest crop producer in the United States is Monsanto. Monsanto is an agricultural biotechnolgy corporation that produces herbicide and genetically engineered seeds (GE). They require their farmers to ONLY use their GE seeds which are genetically altered to withstand their specific herbicide, called Roundup. They produce "Roundup Ready Soy" which is GE to survive heavy doses of Roundup. The mutated genes of their soy and other plants allow Monsanto to spray Roundup killing all other plants besides their specific variety. This also causes a heavy residue of herbicide on the foods. Another reason for genetically modifying seeds is that they can create the plant, usually corn or cotton, to have its own built-in pesticide. A study in the journal "Reproductive Toxicology" found the bacteria used to modify the DNA of corn and cotton to not only show up in her blood stream, but to cross the placenta of a pregnant woman and pass it on to her unborn child. Essentially, GM foods are not only unnatural, but either have large doses of herbicide, or built-in pesticides.

The agricultural companies like Monsanto do this purely to make more money. They control the food supply and the farmers. Using their own GE seeds with their own GE herbicides allows them to produce many more crops than could be done naturally. See the documentary, Food, Inc for more details on Monsanto and the food supply.

Some may see more supply and more money as a good thing, but the problem is that GMO crops have been proven bad for us. Soy is now one of the top allergens, but soy allergies sky rocketed after the introduction of GM soy. A skin prick test shows that some people are allergic to GM soy and not natural soy. Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7 times the amount of allergens of a known natural soy. The toxin used in the DNA of corn and cotton has also been linked to allergies. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine states "Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food", including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They ask physicians to advise patients to avoid GM food.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) essentially is turning a blind eye to GMO foods. In 1992, they claimed they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different from conventionally grown foods, and were therefore safe to eat. Because they deemed the food "safe to eat" no safety studies were required. Yet internal memos in the FDA made public by a lawsuit reveals their position was staged. The pamphlet states "The FDA official in charge of creating this policy was Michael Taylor, the former attorney for Monsanto, and later their vice president." In actuality, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard to detect side effects including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems. The same GMO companies that have been found guilty of hiding toxic effects of their chemical products are in charge of determining whether GMO foods are safe.

Just last year, the Obama administration passed a bill that would allow biotech companies to genetically modify alfalfa. This is a huge blow for organic farming. Organic farmers feed their cows alfalfa, as is their natural diet, as opposed to GMO corn. Essentially if alfalfa is now GMO, cows are no longer eating their natural diet and there will be no such thing as organic dairy products or beef because the very source of the food is GMO.

What you can do: Refuse to buy GMO food. The best way to do that is to buy certified organic products, considering it is not required in the U.S., unlike other countries, to label GMO foods. I'll never forget my high school economics class that taught me that whatever you buy is your stamp of approval for that item. If you buy GMO corn you are announcing that you want GMO corn and you want them to continue to produce GMO corn. Refuse to buy and the demand goes down. If more people understand GMO and refuse to buy those products then we are telling biotech corporations that we do not want GMO; we want natural food!

Further reading: www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
and download a Non-GMO shopping guide at www.nongmoshoppingguide.com