body, bad for the community, bad for farmers, and bad for the environment. Here are some compelling reasons why you should avoid GMOs:
â¢Â We donât know the long-term health outcomes of consuming GM foods. GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, that have never been in the human food supply. Genetic engineering transfers genes across natural species barriers. It uses imprecise laboratory techniques that bear no resemblance to natural breeding and are based on outdated concepts of how genes and cells work. Gene insertion is done either by shooting genes from a âgene gunâ into a plate of cells or by using bacteria to invade the cell with foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant. It is unknown how these new strains of bacteria may affect our body systemsâ balance.
â¢Â As I write this, foods that contain GMOs are not labeled in the United States. Americans already have a tough time deciphering claims on nutrition labels and breaking down the nutritional status of a food. So if your labels arenât showing you what ingredients lie within, the margin of opportunity to eat clean foods diminishes. Several states are working to pass legislation mandating that GMO foods must be labeled as such, but large conglomerates invested in GMOs spend enormous amounts of money to defeat such attempts. The European Union has banned GMOs, as have Australia, Japan, and two dozen other countries. These countries recognize that a lack of long-term studies and testing may be hiding disastrous health defects.
   Here in the United States, the House of Representatives 2013 Agriculture Appropriations Bill contained a provision, dubbed by some as the âMonsanto Protection Act,â that gives the agriculture biotech industry the ability to get temporaryUSDA approval or derregulation of a GM crop, even if the safety of the crop is under challenge. The passage of this provision has been met with public outcry and several members of Congress have pledged not to extend it when the bill comes up for renewal. Only time will tell.
â¢Â Genetic engineering reduces genetic diversity. This pretty much tosses the evolutionary concept âsurvival of the fittestâ right out the window. When genes are more diverse, they are naturally more robust, which is why purebred animals have more health problems than mixed breeds. Plants with reduced genetic diversity cannot handle drought, fungus invasions, or insects as well as natural plants can. That can have dire consequences for farmers and communities.
â¢Â Studies conducted on GM foods donât look so hot. Thousands of sheep, buffaloes, and goats in India died after grazing on GMO cotton plants following harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems. Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating GMO corn varieties. About two dozen US farmers report that GMO corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs and cows.
Simple Tips to Avoiding GMOs
1. Purchase certified organic foods that are GMO-free, and tell your friends and loved ones to do the same.
2. Download your free Non-GMO Shopping Guide or Appleâs ShopNoGMO iPhone app and use it when you go food shopping. This is published by the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) and founded by activist and author Jeffrey Smith to educate policy makers and the public about GMOs.
3. Read the books Seeds of Change and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey Smith.
4. Sign petitions against GMOs at Food Democracy Now! ( www.fooddemocracynow.org ). FDN is a grassroots movement of over 650,000 farmers and citizens dedicated to building a sustainable food system that gives our communities access to healthy foods and respects
â¢Â We donât know the long-term health outcomes of consuming GM foods. GM plants, such as soybean, corn, cottonseed, and canola, have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, that have never been in the human food supply. Genetic engineering transfers genes across natural species barriers. It uses imprecise laboratory techniques that bear no resemblance to natural breeding and are based on outdated concepts of how genes and cells work. Gene insertion is done either by shooting genes from a âgene gunâ into a plate of cells or by using bacteria to invade the cell with foreign DNA. The altered cell is then cloned into a plant. It is unknown how these new strains of bacteria may affect our body systemsâ balance.
â¢Â As I write this, foods that contain GMOs are not labeled in the United States. Americans already have a tough time deciphering claims on nutrition labels and breaking down the nutritional status of a food. So if your labels arenât showing you what ingredients lie within, the margin of opportunity to eat clean foods diminishes. Several states are working to pass legislation mandating that GMO foods must be labeled as such, but large conglomerates invested in GMOs spend enormous amounts of money to defeat such attempts. The European Union has banned GMOs, as have Australia, Japan, and two dozen other countries. These countries recognize that a lack of long-term studies and testing may be hiding disastrous health defects.
   Here in the United States, the House of Representatives 2013 Agriculture Appropriations Bill contained a provision, dubbed by some as the âMonsanto Protection Act,â that gives the agriculture biotech industry the ability to get temporaryUSDA approval or derregulation of a GM crop, even if the safety of the crop is under challenge. The passage of this provision has been met with public outcry and several members of Congress have pledged not to extend it when the bill comes up for renewal. Only time will tell.
â¢Â Genetic engineering reduces genetic diversity. This pretty much tosses the evolutionary concept âsurvival of the fittestâ right out the window. When genes are more diverse, they are naturally more robust, which is why purebred animals have more health problems than mixed breeds. Plants with reduced genetic diversity cannot handle drought, fungus invasions, or insects as well as natural plants can. That can have dire consequences for farmers and communities.
â¢Â Studies conducted on GM foods donât look so hot. Thousands of sheep, buffaloes, and goats in India died after grazing on GMO cotton plants following harvest. Others suffered poor health and reproductive problems. Farmers in Europe and Asia say that cows, water buffaloes, chickens, and horses died from eating GMO corn varieties. About two dozen US farmers report that GMO corn varieties caused widespread sterility in pigs and cows.
Simple Tips to Avoiding GMOs
1. Purchase certified organic foods that are GMO-free, and tell your friends and loved ones to do the same.
2. Download your free Non-GMO Shopping Guide or Appleâs ShopNoGMO iPhone app and use it when you go food shopping. This is published by the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT) and founded by activist and author Jeffrey Smith to educate policy makers and the public about GMOs.
3. Read the books Seeds of Change and Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey Smith.
4. Sign petitions against GMOs at Food Democracy Now! ( www.fooddemocracynow.org ). FDN is a grassroots movement of over 650,000 farmers and citizens dedicated to building a sustainable food system that gives our communities access to healthy foods and respects
Similar Books
