27
Jan
Are Genetically Modified Foods Dangerous?
Do you know what’s in your food? Well you might be surprised to find out that much of the food you eat has been genetically modified. In the USA, the FDA does not require GM food to be labeled as such. Have you ever wondered why they were introduced into our food supply as if it was business as usual and without any long-term studies on health or environment being done first?
The claim is that GM crops are better because they can be designed to resist disease, drought, pesticides, and herbicides. Also, extra nutrients can be added to make the food more nutritious. While Biotech firms are confident that GM crops are beneficial, they never seem to consider the negative effects on human and animal health, the future of the food chain, nor the environment as a whole. However, many others have serious concerns about the dangers.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) states, “Genetically Modified foods have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) is also concerned about GM foods, primarily with three areas.
Allergenicity
Because of the way genes from different organisms are combined, a person might have an allergic reaction to a food that is normally safe. For example, if you are allergic to peanuts and eat corn that has been genetically modified with peanut genes, you could have an allergic reaction. This effect could also lead to the creation of brand new allergies.
Gene transfer
When eating genetically modified foods, strange and potentially dangerous genes can be transferred to a person. Imagine what would happen if anti-biotic resistant genes became part of your body. These genes can also be transferred to the bacteria in the stomach.
Outcrossing
When genetically modified crops are grown, the wind and other pollinators inadvertently contaminate conventional crops grown nearby.
Jeffrey M. Smith, Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology has written several books on the subject including Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette. He points out numerous findings from studies that are disturbing. These include, for instance, a greatly increased death rate of the offspring of rats fed GM soy, immune responses in mice fed GM peas, and rats fed Monsanto’s GM corn (which produces a pesticide called Bt-toxin) that developed kidney inflammation, altered blood cell counts and organ lesions.
Have you heard of Monsanto? Well you should have. Monsanto’s stated aim is to own the patents for all the food crop seeds in the world. Do you know what Monsanto does when their patented GM crops contaminate neighboring farmers’ fields? They issue a lawsuit to the farmer for infringing their patent. Hundreds of farmers are being forced to pay Monsanto to have their fields contaminated by genetically modified organisms.
So, why is it that GM food does not need to be labeled in the USA? Oh yeah, the guy in charge of regulating food in this country was the former Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto Corp. from 1998 until 2001. That’s right, President Obama appointed Michael Taylor as the new Food Czar so don’t expect any changes in regulation any time soon.
Are GM Foods Dangerous?
Absolutely!
So what can you do about it? Well, to start off, try to avoid all GM food. This can be very difficult without the proper labeling regulations. Eat organic foods whenever possible. Get to the source. Buy your produce at a farmers market or shop at a local food co-op. Another thing you can do is to join the Millions Against Monsanto Campaign which is organized by the Organic Consumers Association.
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