Americans are part of a grand science experiment, one that may take generations to complete and one where the outcome is anything but assured.
I'm talking about the long-term effect on humans from being fed genetically modified organisms. People that eat chips, beef, pork, chicken, soda, salad dressing, breakfast cereal, infant formula, fast food or just about any food in America, they are eating...
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I'm talking about the long-term effect on humans from being fed genetically modified organisms. People that eat chips, beef, pork, chicken, soda, salad dressing, breakfast cereal, infant formula, fast food or just about any food in America, they are eating...
organisms with genes from completely different species forced together. GMOs are in virtually all of the commodity soy, corn, canola and cotton in America, and none of it is labeled.
For example, practically all of the corn grown in the United States now has DNA from a soil bacteria called BT that produces an insecticide. That corn now has the same toxin built into every cell. Recent studies have shown BT is now ubiquitous in breast milk in America. OK, BT doesn't rip our stomachs open like it does in bugs, but what does it do to humans who are fed it for decades? We don't know, but we will find out.
The FDA does not require the GMO industry to do testing before introducing a new product the way they do pharmaceuticals. But animal tests show laboratory rats and rabbits fed genetically modified corn develop serious liver problems in their lifetimes. Mice fed genetically modified corn had major problems, including infertility, after the third generation. Humans are still on their first generation of being fed genetically modified corn.
Why doesn't the government require testing and why doesn't the FDA support the labeling of foods containing GMOs? The FDA gives two reasons for this. The first, according to the FDA, is that genetically modified food is no different from natural food — tomatoes with fish genes are the same as tomatoes with only tomato genes, pigs with human genes are no different from pigs with pig genes, etc. But according to the FDA, the main reason they don't support labeling is if people knew GMOs were in a food product, they wouldn't buy it. I'm not kidding.
So what? Genetic modification is a miracle of modern technology. We're told it will solve the problem of famine and extend the lives of millions of people. Pigs with human genes will have organs that can be transplanted into humans. Goats with spider genes make milk that can be spun into bullet-proof vests. Primates with human genes can be trained to do menial tasks humans don't want to do.
But genetically engineered DNA gets passed into the environment. Genes from rapeseed (canola), modified to resist Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, passed this trait to its "weed" cousins, and now we have super-weeds resistant to Roundup. Studies show BT genes get passed to your gut bacteria when you're fed genetically modified food. When pollen from farmer A's GM crop is blown into farmer B's organic field, the contamination can cause the latter to lose his FDA certification. Not only that, Monsanto considers cross-breeding a violation of its patents and has filed hundreds of lawsuits against farmers whose fields turned up with traces of Monsanto's patented genes.
Most countries with genetically modified foods require them to be labeled. And it's high time GMOs were labeled in this country. A lot of Americans feel this way and they plan to march on Washington from Oct. 1-16. They're going to walk from the United Nations building in New York to the White House. The goal is to get GMOs labeled. Maybe someone in government will listen if enough people demand it.
See MoreFor example, practically all of the corn grown in the United States now has DNA from a soil bacteria called BT that produces an insecticide. That corn now has the same toxin built into every cell. Recent studies have shown BT is now ubiquitous in breast milk in America. OK, BT doesn't rip our stomachs open like it does in bugs, but what does it do to humans who are fed it for decades? We don't know, but we will find out.
The FDA does not require the GMO industry to do testing before introducing a new product the way they do pharmaceuticals. But animal tests show laboratory rats and rabbits fed genetically modified corn develop serious liver problems in their lifetimes. Mice fed genetically modified corn had major problems, including infertility, after the third generation. Humans are still on their first generation of being fed genetically modified corn.
Why doesn't the government require testing and why doesn't the FDA support the labeling of foods containing GMOs? The FDA gives two reasons for this. The first, according to the FDA, is that genetically modified food is no different from natural food — tomatoes with fish genes are the same as tomatoes with only tomato genes, pigs with human genes are no different from pigs with pig genes, etc. But according to the FDA, the main reason they don't support labeling is if people knew GMOs were in a food product, they wouldn't buy it. I'm not kidding.
So what? Genetic modification is a miracle of modern technology. We're told it will solve the problem of famine and extend the lives of millions of people. Pigs with human genes will have organs that can be transplanted into humans. Goats with spider genes make milk that can be spun into bullet-proof vests. Primates with human genes can be trained to do menial tasks humans don't want to do.
But genetically engineered DNA gets passed into the environment. Genes from rapeseed (canola), modified to resist Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, passed this trait to its "weed" cousins, and now we have super-weeds resistant to Roundup. Studies show BT genes get passed to your gut bacteria when you're fed genetically modified food. When pollen from farmer A's GM crop is blown into farmer B's organic field, the contamination can cause the latter to lose his FDA certification. Not only that, Monsanto considers cross-breeding a violation of its patents and has filed hundreds of lawsuits against farmers whose fields turned up with traces of Monsanto's patented genes.
Most countries with genetically modified foods require them to be labeled. And it's high time GMOs were labeled in this country. A lot of Americans feel this way and they plan to march on Washington from Oct. 1-16. They're going to walk from the United Nations building in New York to the White House. The goal is to get GMOs labeled. Maybe someone in government will listen if enough people demand it.
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