Until this past week when Michelle Obama led a group of school kids in breaking ground for a new organic garden, the White House lawn had not accommodated a food garden since Eleanor Roosevelt’s “victory garden” in 1943. The 1,100 square foot bed signals a gesture of support for the growing organic and local food movements and somewhat of a snub to corporate agriculture, which has sacrificed sound growing practices and started tinkering with plant genetics. “Why?”you might ask. It has much more to do with the large amount of money to be made by controlling food supplies, rather than any real concern for public health and wellness.
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People have been dabbling with the earth’s abundance of plant life for food and medicine since the advent of agriculture at the Fertile Crescent nearly 10,000 years ago. Recently, attempts have been (and are being) made through food crop “technology” to genetically alter plant traits considered more valuable, and then patent the seed generated, a genetically modified organism (GMO). At face value, unless you have religious concerns about scientists playing God, genetic modification seems like a nifty idea.
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However, from following news of the actions of corporations involved in this endeavor known as the “GMO industry” I’m convinced that the public is not being adequately informed about the dangers for themselves or the environment. What gives me this hunch? The company Monsanto, for instance, has successfully sued (for lost profits) the organic farmers whose crops their GMO seed has inadvertantly polluted, or offered them deals in “cleaning up” their mess, providing the farmers agree not to speak to the press or public about the arrangement. Although Europe has successfully maintained their bans on most GMO use, they’re continually under attack by industry wasps who tout GMO safety and attempt to use Free Trade loop holes to force them to release the bans. It appears that the proper safety testing has not been done and the industry has ignored the simple requests of consumers for labeling that lists the presence of GMOs in products. If, in fact, GMOs are completely safe, why do the companies fail to answer the concerns of consumers and adequately address the reports of possible dangers?
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Unfortunately, like Dr. Frankenstein’s creation, we have no idea of the consequences, which potentially, if not most likely, outweigh the benefits of GMOs. I admit I haven’t done the research myself, but some others I trust (about 20 times more than the corporate-funded studies) have… and from their work, I’ve compiled a list of reasons why to avoid GMOs, otherwise known as “Frankenfoods”.
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GMOs (Frankenfoods)…
1) Will not end world hunger… because food shortages are not the cause of world hunger.
2) Will not reduce pesticide/herbicide use… in fact will increase their use with herbicide resistant seeds, and the resulting monocropping increases the likelihood of pest infestation.
3) Will not provide extra-nutrient rich food… since nutrients come from the soil and the kind of fertilizer and herbicide dependent farming promoted by GMO companies destroys nutrient content in soil.
4) Will reduce biodiversity… because GMO companies promote monocropping and their goal is to have THE number one best genetic creation… like the Frankenstein monster.
5) May disrupt the functioning of other essential genes
6) May allow for destructive genetic mutations
7) Are insufficiently tested for safety… for example, there is a great potential for genetic modifications to predispose people to food allergies.
8 ) Will encourage world domination by industrialized countries with access and control over the genetic modifications.
9) Will have a negative environmental impact… for example, “Bt corn”, a genetically modified species, grows with a pesticide in its stalks. This pesticide, Bt toxin, has been shown to leech into soils and concentrate there. It has also been found to be much more toxic than industry reps report.
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For a list of links that support these claims and give more detailed information, please go to Seeds of Deception.
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In the meantime, Rainbow Remedies has many products that are specifically labelled GMO-free. Let’s support this labeling by purchasing those products when possible.