Last week the New York Times wrote about an upcoming report from The President’s Cancer Panel. The paper was “astonish[ed] to learn that [the panel] is poised to join ranks with the organic food movement and declare: [these] chemicals threaten our bodies.”
If you doubt that Genetically Modified (GM) foods threaten your body, here is a recent report from Russian biologists. They conducted what they thought would be a “routine” study of the long-term effects of the consumption of GM soy feed among a hamster population. For the first generation, the only untoward effects seemed to be constipation. The second generation didn’t seem too much the worse for wear either. But the third generation showed serious ill effects and turned out to be completely sterile.
Hamsters are not human beings and more research needs to be done, but other studies also point to reproductive ill effects. Eating frankinfoods would not seem to be the best form of birth control! In addition to the unknown but increasingly documented risks of ingesting organisms that are completely new to the human body, we also need to worry about contaminants found in GM foods such as Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” herbicide.
It should also be noted that GM food issues have for the first time found their way to the US Supreme Court. A lawsuit brought by organic farmers and The Center for Food Safety pointed out that biotech alfalfa would spread uncontrollably and take over US pasturelands. True organic beef would become an impossibility since all cows would be potentially exposed to the GM alfalfa. A federal judge agreed and halted the sale of biotech alfalfa from Monsanto until the USDA could do a full-scale environmental impact study.
The Supreme Court will decide if the federal judge had the constitutional right to take this action and a decision is expected in late summer. If GM leads to human sterility in succeeding generations, would we like to see all beef products contaminated? Even vegetarians will face the consequences when they try to farm GM contaminated land. This is a big, big issue and our thanks to The Center for Food Safety for defending common sense and fighting Monsanto in the Supreme Court.
Earlier this month, The [international] Codex Committee on Food Labeling met to discuss whether Genetically Modified food could be labeled “organic”. The decision remains to be made, but in this case the Europeans, whom we generally condemn for their ridiculously restrictive approach to supplements, are fighting the good fight and are expected eventually to carry the day.
It is of course appalling that this matter is being debated at all, and that it will eventually be decided based on the political weight of the different countries and regions. We do not need food decisions based on politics, nor bureaucratic meddling in organic standards, which began outside of government, and which just get watered down by government officials charged with protecting us who really answer to commercial interests.
A recent poll, conducted by the U.S. Consumers Union, found that two-thirds of US consumers would be concerned if they thought that GM ingredients were in organic food. There is overwhelming public opinion support for GM labeling, and more than 80 public health, environmental, and agriculture organizations are working to ensure genetically modified foods are labeled as such. Who is working in the opposite direction? The GM and food producers of course– and their powerful ally the US government.
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Many times I wish to have the info on how to let some institutions, growers or decision makers to know my position and defend my freedom to choose what I eat for example. However I do not know where to write, phone or e-mail, I have the address of senators and my rep in DC but I wish I know how to effectively contact others such as the FDA. Can you let me know? Thanks/ Nydia welles
Dear Nydia, Just call your library – they have the information you need.
Unfortunately, when you contact the political appointees of the Food & Drug Administration, or Dr.Schneermanm, the US head of the Delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Commission, they do not have to listen to you. As a matter of fact I would say, if they did listen to you they might lose their job. But YOUR congressional representatives do have to at least take into account your opinions and ideas. They have power over the bureaucrats budget and authority. If enough people contact them they will have an inpact.
My experience e- mailing to senators and congressmen has been that their staff is very quick to respond with generic form letters, obviously either written or guided by the corporation’s view points. They are not being given, nor have sought out the information we have. The letters I have received all are totally for suppliments being regulated, food having”healthy” additives, etc.
As long as lobbyists are able to spend millions on presentations, and advertising, as long as top FDA officials have come from a background at Monsanto Corporation, and until politicians start actually doing some of their own research, it looks pretty bleak. I mentioned to one of our congressmen that while I had voted for him in the past, would not do so next time around because of his views and refusal to look at any other information. My e-mail was labeled as “threatening”. ????
We need to find Leaders with integrity. We need to inform everyone we know, and raise the complacent mind set of the country.
Over the last year I have written my democratic Senator probably 30 times…In his arrogance he has never even once voted in any way but what the “party” wanted…He don’t have a brain that thinks for itself…If a Democrat sponsored the bill, that’s good enough, don’t have to read it…just vote for it…I’m saving this information for when he next runs for the senate again…IF I have the freedom of speech to be able to use it!!!
GET RID OF THE GMO FOODS NOW……WE ALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE HEALTHY!
I HAVE THE RIGHT AS WELL AS OUR CHILDREN AND CHILDREN’S CHLIDREN!
THIS WORLD BELONGS TO ALL OF US…..& THESE HORRIBLE FRANKINFOODS ARE POISONING
EVERYONE………LEAVE THE HEALTHY FOODS ALONE ALREADY! THESE GMO’S WILL
CAUSE DESTRUCTION OF THE HUMAN BODY AS WELL AS THE BODIES OF ANIMALS…..
IT WILL EVEN EFFECT THE PEOPLE WHO DESIGNED THESE FOODS….AND THEIR CHILDREN!
WHAT A HORRIBLE THING TO DO TO OUR WORLD!
Hey Janice,
Do you really think that the folks at Monsanto are eating t heir own GMO frankinfood? I doubt it.
I’m grateful the GMO alfalfa bill was stopped but for a while…not permanent!! GMO is in so many foods now, you almost have to eat the stuff, even though it causes kidney and liver damage…we need somehow to rise up and get it stopped…but how!!!!
It should be noted and REMEMBERED, that Monsanto is also responsible for the problems with milk from cows fed their production increasing chemicals which produce cancer. They have tons of money invested in that product and want to be able to sell it regardless of the un-intended diastrous health consequences. The AMA, also not your friends, favor it because it gererates mor cancer patient business.
Monsanto and “Big Pharma” virtually own and control the FDA, who are NOT your friends, regardless of propaganda to the contrary. It’s all about MONEY. They pay FDA’s spokespersons, who are actually Monsanto employees, to hide negative reports and skew test results in Monsanto’s favor.
Did you know there is a G M golden rule? Try this: “He, with the most gold, makes the rules to his financial advantage.” Monsanto/FDA live by that rule and don’t give a damn about us, as long as they’re making big bucks.
I’ve mentioned this before, but here goes: READ “MILK the deadly poison” Author, Robert Cohen documents, authenticates and provides in-depth attribution to what I just told you. If you think I’m just blowing smoke, READ IT! Corporate profits are benind all the GN BS. It’s got to be STOPPED, or we’re all dead or have two heads and cant walk! NOT A JOKE!!!
You do your menbers and readers a great dis-service by not publicizing this informatiion.
Yours for better health through organic food,
D. J. Sadler
Sheridan, WY
i’m confused. are they thinking of banning the chemicals or the GMO, or both?
NO
NO
NO
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The wind blows pollen everywhere, and our organic crops will be effected, thus destroying the crop.
We need organic fruit and vegetables that is good for our bodies (and souls), not produce that is not genetically modified produce that is not, I repeat not modified so that our bodies can use the goodness in the “not modified” food – i.e., we want organic food for all in this great nation.
The purveyors of these modified foods should be forced to eat the garbage they are trying to force upon us. DO IT NOW. WE NEED A HEALTHY NATION, ONE THAT EATS FOOD THAT IS GOOD FOR OUR BODIES AND SOULS. DO IT NOW!
Don’t change how organic food is grown, I have come back form being sick for 20 years, Since I have found organic foods my sicknesses have all but disappeared. My memory is clearer and faster.
There is no need for pesticides and chemicals in our food, just to make a cow or pig fatter to make more money with commercial industries.
DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN, I AM NOT FOR GMO ( genetically modified Foods) FOODS!
NO< NO< NO< NO< NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gm foods should be illegal period. How is it possible the is is being considered to be able to pass them off as organic! They are toying with the entire ecosystem for short term profit that will lead to disaster and the costs will enormous in the end. I get sick when I eat GM foods as I am like the canary in the coal mines. If humanity does not start listening to it’s canaries there will be a lot of suffering and a big price to pay in the future.
I don’t want to be eating GM foods–PERIOD!
Go back to your Bible. Somewhere (in Leviticus or Deuteronomy, I think) there is an express prohibition against hybridizing plants. I think GM goes beyond hybridizing and should also be prohibitied based on this very wise law in the Old Testament.
May future generations enjoy safe, healthy eating!
I have never heard of anything in the bible about this could you lead me to the words?
First of all, thanks very much for sending me emails to support you guys. I thank God for you. I was wondering if President Obama has ever been written about all this. I honestly don’t know where he stands, i’m sure he has, I was just wondering what his response was to all this crap that we should not even have to fight for. Let me know please, I would write him for us. Great working with you for the good of all. God bless and take care.
I vote to ban all GM foods out of existence. I want no more franstein foods.
I am appalled that GM food production is allowed in the first place. This is totally disgusting. It’s taken a long time to get organic foods into stores, and now some other health hazard is out there. It should be clearly labeled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CURRENT HOMO SAPIENS DO NOT HAVE THE GENOME TO PROCESS “HIGH TECH FOODS”. WE CARRY THE GENOME OF HOMINIDS THAT EXISTED 2 YO 3 MILLION YEARS AGO—-PALEOLITHIC HOMINIDS. WE PROCES PROTEINS, INULINS AND OLIOGOSACCHARIDES—ANYTHING ELSE WILL CAUSE CRITICAL SYSTEMIC UPSET. MONSANTO ONLY CARE ABOUT THE “BENJAMINS” THE PUBLIC AT LARGE SHOULD BE AWARE!
GM Foods are a menace. There are already something like 80,000 new chemicals in our foods that have not been really tested. I think there is a link between today’s obesity, diabetes etc. and all the junk in our food supply. We can’t even filter out the drugs in the water supply! I’m 68 years old and nobody was sick like today when I was young.
Another frightening aspect of Monsanto GM alfalfa is that they may claim ownership of all seeds produced. I have friends that have planted Monsanto cotton seed and are not allowed by law to keep the seeds they grew in that cotton. They belong to Monsanto! It’s their patented seed no matter who grows them.
I am an organic grower Producer and I am very much opposed to genitic modified foods in our diets.
Member of Tilth Producers of Washington State & Certified Naturally Grown.
I detest and am outraged by the food industry using GMO!!!! The food industry badly needs
severe oversight!!!
Hello, Thank you for the information about GM foods. What I would like to have is more specific information on what was found when the GM foods were tested. You say “But the third generation showed serious ill effects and turned out to be completely sterile.” OK, got it that sterility was one of the observations. What facts are in the “…showed serious ill effects…” portion of the study. We need to know these things. Not just the hype type of info. Please, at least provide a link so we can see the full information.
Also, was any study done to find out what the actual nutritional differences are between GM foods and organic? If we are going to win this argument we have to be armed with more than just a couple catch phrases. What specifically is the difference?
Best,
Robert
A good source is Genetic Roulette:The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M. Smith. He also wrote The Seeds of Deception. http://www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
The Institute for Responsible Technology was founded by Jeffrey M. Smith to “end the genetic engineering of our food supply and the outdoor release of GM crops”. There is documentation and good resources and ways to help. I bought my own copy as there is so much information you want it as a resource yourself. Otherwise, you might check your local library.
There is a non-GMO shopping guide availble. NONgmoProject.org/consumers. http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org and http://www.HealthierEating.org I don’t have this following book, but it was recommended:Your Right to Know:Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food by Andrew Kimbrell. Hopes this gets you started.
A neighbor of mine 2 doors down is a Genic scientist for Pioneer here in Des Moines Iowa. I don’t like the guy and haven’t really challenged him on what he is doing to us. I’m sure he thinks he’s doing something great. His wife is a real screwball, by-polar if that is a real disease. He was hauled to the hospital 4-5 months ago after going out to dinner and comming home fell down in his back porch and couldn’t get up because of to much boose. He blew a point 4 which is in most cases alchol poisioning for any other person. Just stating this cause real screwed people are causing us harm thru there efforts to change our food. As are the screwed up companies they work for.
I have a bird feeder in my back yard and I noticed they weren’t eating as usual so I checked it out and found out that the bird food had been motified with GM grain.Hell the critiers in our world are smarter than we are. This GM stuff is just one big mess controlled by one or two big companies and the federal government which has been no good for the past 30 or so years. Thanks for listening.
Sincerely,
Don Newsom
GMS’s! REALLY! One more reason to re elect no one. Our food sources should not be “owned” by Monsanto or anyone else. Protect organics. It’s the only logical, moral thing to do.
Awesome to here some good news in the fight for true food of mother earth. This federal tyranny not jus here but across the global sickens me and troubles me every time i think about the future. All of you true american constitutionalists, it seems like twilight zone sometimes when you realize all the things purposely going wrong due to corrupt powers of govt. but you all can count on me to fight on the side of truth. dont forget our heavenly father, heavenly cuz “HE” is beyond our realm yet the great conscience is what matter and energy consists and fatherly cuz of “HIS” masculine qualities as we are the recievers of “HIS” light, is on our side.
I am totally against any genetically mofified foods including alfalfa.
To produce and sell something that might hurt someone is criminal. So why aren’t these big Pharma tyrants in prison?
A quick peak behind the curtain will give you a clue as to what the GMO boys are planning to do with their Frankenfoods.
The GM-industry—Monsanto, et al—are scared spitless right about now at the consumer steamroller barreling down their free-pass road they’ve had for the last 20 years to stuff dangerous, sterilizing drugs down humanity’s throat.
They’ve been outed, thanks to the Internet, and consumers are voting at the check-out counters with their pocketbooks. Big time. So much so that the organic food industry (read: GM-free food) is now the fastest growing, double digit consumer market around.
Meanwhile, Whole Foods and other natural food outlets have initiated a non-GMO food labeling project on their own.
Fearing the consequences of the consumer movement against GM foods and the GM labeling of their products, the ghouls that produce and sell this poison rushed back to their WTO organization just this past week to write a global law through their controlled World Trade Organization WTO to make it illegal to tell consumers (through the non-GMO label) which food will make them sick, sterilized, or even kill them long-term if they keep eating it.
You can read about this at the letter link (written to the USDA/FDA and signed by 80 organizations) in this article
http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=377
Also strongly recommend the mother’s comment at the link, third reader response down. The problems surrounding—and being forced to consume—Monsanto’s wonderful GM/GMO food can’t be said any better.
Here’s some additional background about these monsters and the movement against them. Recommend the links in the article for additional background as well.
http://ppjg.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/vittles-for-diminishing-populations/#more-8804
What we’re dealing with here folks are mega-rich elitist pests and corporations who’ve purchased state and national governments; who’re tip-toeing around the globe behind their curtain with all the guns and money; playing God; touching people with their magic GM wands; deciding en mass who gets to procreate and who doesn’t; elite criminals and psychopathic individuals with no heart, soul, or conscience—liars and thieves all whose sole love is their money and its leverage to decide what’s “best” for humanity [read: theirs]; whose end game is to control and own it all for themselves—food, fiber, water, minerals, land, money, information., jobs, people, and hope.
History and the Bible say schemes to control the earth don’t work.
Keep the light shinning on these bilge rats.
I don’t get the hysteria. How about brocoli? It is a hybridized vegetable. Or tomatoes? Rice and corn have been htbridized over the last 1000 yeRS. should we not eat them either? Or does genetic modification equal bad in any and all cases?
The hysteria is about the insertion of chemicals and animal proteins into plant species. The chemicals poison our bodies and the animal proteins can harm individuals because they are not supposed to be in the plant product. It is a bad idea to insert foreign substances into food stuffs. Hybridization by itself is not the problem. That has been done for a very long time. It is the modification done in the lab with the cells that worries me the most. And it wouldn’t even bother a lot of us if someone were to do this with full disclosure and studies done except that these altered species cannot be isolated. Once they are grown in crop form, they are loose in the world. In addition to their spreading nature, they are patented substances and once they are found in your organic garden through wind contamination or insect pollenization, then you cannot save or sell your own seeds because they contain patented substances. This is a big deal and a nightmare for those who want to keep the food supply pure.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you for your concerns about GMFs!! It is sooo importantant for many people to grow organic gardens!! We need to teach our children the importance of this. Of course we do not want anyone to change this in any way! I would like to donate, but am on a limited budget. Thanks for all you do.
Elena Kagan AND Barack Obama are supporters of GM foods, regardless of what either may say – it is their actions that matter: http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/05/elena-kagan-toward-a-pro-gm-supreme-court/56587/
I vote for keeping genetically modified foods off the market in the US and everywhere if possible. Chemicals in our food are harmful to our health. I am against any genetically modified food including alfalfa. I vote to stop big businesses from making more big money at the cost of the general public’s health. Keep Waxman’s measure out of any reform bill’s.
I want to see it made illegal to patent any life form so that companies like Monsanto cease to try to patent all the seeds they grow and sell. It is not the federal government’s job to regulate my food choices or my drug choices for that matter when you look at the constitutional constraints of the the federal government’s job. I want the Constitution to be respected and obeyed and big companies like Monsanto to find it more profitable to raise and sell organic and non-GMO seeds.
Personally, I’m into administration of justice. The good old boys in the FDA who cycle in and out of Big Pharma, and Monsanto, etc. need to go to the hoosegow or more for the death and destruction they’ve sown. I want names. You?
the more I read about GMO’s the more alarmed I am. It’s really frightening how all the studies point to the dangers and yet these company’s can move forward without even having to label their products as GMO. It lands on the small (clean) company to create a new lable to state that they are NOT GMO instead. How sad.
GMO’s have been banned in many other countrys, let’s get busy and get it done here before
we allow a few giant company’s to contaminate the worlds food supply.
just look at the contamination of soy and corn crops. there is no way to control the pollen…do you really think we will be able to hold these company’s accountable years from now when all corn and soy is contaminated with mutant genes, and we are paying the price with our health.
For those who still wouldn’t know the film:
“The World According to Monsanto” DVD available at http://films.nfb.ca/monsanto
I think you can also view it in seperate parts on YouTube.
The film is VERY WELL documented.
This isn’t adding anything to the discussion about saving ourselves from the like of Monsanto.
If American’s havn’t woken up to the reality of Monsanto poisening us with their genetic modifications to plant life, which is now tainting US/world food supplies in earnest, (and it will only worsen), then Americans are asleep at the wheel.
Let us put the blame squarely on our own shoulders. We may not be able to stop the US military entering other countries unethically, or even stop the U.S.A. economic hitmen from overthrowing democratic countries for Illuminati cartels, but we can sue (and support those that do) Monsanto and stop buying all their products and convince everyone else to stop buying them too. Right now, I believe that is corn, soy and potatos (all?) (and some cotton products) are being genetically altered by Monsanto. I am sure there are list everyone can go off for complete information, Rense.com has one such list on their site.
There are company’s not using GMO versions of each of these foods/clothing. It is like not using plastic bags, it become a practice.
We may not be able to get people interested in demonstrating, either too afraid to try-it does feel like we are in a military police state, but we can do a lot, now, by not buying anything they have altered.
It is a decision we all must face, whether to die painfully by their hand, or to stand up and educate ourselves about what is and is not safe to eat these days!
Let’s not forget MONSANTO was the mastermind behind Agent Orange…now the U.S. Gov is spending $300 mill over the next ten years cleaning up Vietnam…Do they not think they are going to have to clean-up this country after MONSANTO contaminates it???
NO GM Alfalfa!!! Monsanto is evil and out of control and they are going to destroy this country’s food supply. Thats what greed does, and the FDA allows it. Disgusting!
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
I DON’T THINK THESE CROPS ARE SAFE FOR US
My son has Gardeners (6) two are large and four little. Their favorite diet is worms, I’ve watched them chow on worms and they consume baby toads too. Go to youtube, and type in feeding gardeners, and you are able to click on the pics and watch them eat various things. It’s cool! Good luck! Wickepedia will tell you that worms are their preferred diet.
government jobs are still the best when it comes to job security ,~*
Amen brother and sisters. The corporations took over big time in 80’s govt.ethanol plan to create new energy alternative.( control food production) large scale profit. laws changed to allow all kinds of stuff. The farm aid didn’t work, but maybe someone has a new plan.