Genetically modified foods are making news again, and not in a good way. Rather, they are making headlines that truly earn their nickname of “Frankenfoods”.
Here at Green Earth Organics we never, ever sell foods with GMO (genetically modifed organism) ingredients. Food that is 100% certified organic, by law in Canada, cannot contain GMOs. In addition, we are active in organizations that provide important opposition to the GMO-dense agenda of international agribusiness giants.
Attack of the Killer Genes
New scientific evidence proves that the same genes that “modify” their plant or animal hosts can “modify” the DNA of the animals that consume them—including humans. Here is some of the latest news that we only wish was science fiction. This article, which we have condensed for your convenience, can be read in its entirety on http://www.responsibletechnology.org/.
GM corn and cotton are engineered so that they produce their own built-in pesticide in every cell. This pesticide, called Bt, is produced from the soil bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt has been used safely by organic farmers and others as Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the killing.
However, the Bt-toxin produced in GM plants is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray. Designed to be more toxic, it has properties of an allergen. It also cannot be washed off, unlike the spray.
Studies also confirm that even the less toxic natural bacterial spray can be harmful. When used to kill gypsy moths in the Pacific Northwest, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like symptoms. Some had to be admitted to the emergency room.
Indeed, farm workers in India handling Bt cotton are now reporting these same symptoms that are related to BT cotton farming. According to GM food safety experts, and Monsanto’s own research, changes in the immune status of GM animals are "a consistent feature of all the studies."
GM soy and corn are potent allergens -- each contain new proteins with allergenic properties, leading some scientists to theorize that the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.
Large Numbers of GM Animals are Dying
In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Investigators said preliminary evidence "strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin. . . . most probably Bt-toxin." In a small follow-up feeding study by the Deccan Development Society, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants died within 30 days; those that grazed on natural cotton plants remained healthy.
In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, buffalo grazed on cotton plants for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, the buffalo grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All 13 were sick the next day; all died within 3 days.
Bt corn was also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.
In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died; 7 of 20 rats fed a GM tomato developed bleeding stomachs; another 7 of 40 died within two weeks. Monsanto's own study showed evidence of poisoning in major organs of rats fed Bt corn.
And the Really Bad News: GMOs Remain Inside of Us
The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.26 This means that a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.
Warnings by Government Scientists Ignored and Denied
Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned about all these problems even in the early 1990s. According to documents released from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at the agency was that GM foods were inherently dangerous, and might create hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, gene transfer to gut bacteria, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require rigorous long-term tests. But the White House had ordered the agency to promote biotechnology and the FDA responded by recruiting Michael Taylor, Monsanto's former attorney, to head up the formation of GMO policy.
That “See No Evil” Policy is Still in Effect Today.
Famed Canadian geneticist David Suzuki has said, "The experiments simply haven't been done and we now have become the guinea pigs." He adds, "Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,' I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying."
If other GM foods are contributing to the rise of autism, obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, allergies, reproductive problems, or any other common health problem now plaguing Americans, we may never know. In fact, since animals fed GMOs had such a wide variety of problems, susceptible people may react to GM food with multiple symptoms. It is therefore telling that in the first nine years after the large scale introduction of GM crops in 1996, the incidence of people with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled, from 7% to 13%.
Of course, since Canada and the US are linked in so many ways, this is potentially bad news for Canadians as well.
Take Action to Avoid GM Foods
There are some things we can do in our everyday lives. People can stay away from anything with soy or corn derivatives, cottonseed and canola oil, and sugar from GM sugar beets--unless it says organic or "non-GMO." There is a pocket Non-GMO Shopping Guide, co-produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology and the Center for Food Safety, which is available as a download, as well as in natural food stores and in many doctors' offices. It can be downloaded at their website: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Non-GMOShopping/Shopping
By insisting on non-GMO brands, as you do by being a conscientious supporter of organic foods and Green Earth Organics, we in North American may be able to force the food industry to respond as they did in Europe, by removing all GM ingredients.
Here at Green Earth Organics we never, ever sell foods with GMO (genetically modifed organism) ingredients. Food that is 100% certified organic, by law in Canada, cannot contain GMOs. In addition, we are active in organizations that provide important opposition to the GMO-dense agenda of international agribusiness giants.
Attack of the Killer Genes
New scientific evidence proves that the same genes that “modify” their plant or animal hosts can “modify” the DNA of the animals that consume them—including humans. Here is some of the latest news that we only wish was science fiction. This article, which we have condensed for your convenience, can be read in its entirety on http://www.responsibletechnology.org/.
GM corn and cotton are engineered so that they produce their own built-in pesticide in every cell. This pesticide, called Bt, is produced from the soil bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt has been used safely by organic farmers and others as Bt bacteria spray for natural insect control. Genetic engineers insert Bt genes into corn and cotton, so the plants do the killing.
However, the Bt-toxin produced in GM plants is thousands of times more concentrated than natural Bt spray. Designed to be more toxic, it has properties of an allergen. It also cannot be washed off, unlike the spray.
Studies also confirm that even the less toxic natural bacterial spray can be harmful. When used to kill gypsy moths in the Pacific Northwest, about 500 people reported allergy or flu-like symptoms. Some had to be admitted to the emergency room.
Indeed, farm workers in India handling Bt cotton are now reporting these same symptoms that are related to BT cotton farming. According to GM food safety experts, and Monsanto’s own research, changes in the immune status of GM animals are "a consistent feature of all the studies."
GM soy and corn are potent allergens -- each contain new proteins with allergenic properties, leading some scientists to theorize that the US epidemic of food allergies and asthma is a casualty of genetic manipulation.
Large Numbers of GM Animals are Dying
In India, animals graze on cotton plants after harvest. But when shepherds let sheep graze on Bt cotton plants, thousands died. Investigators said preliminary evidence "strongly suggests that the sheep mortality was due to a toxin. . . . most probably Bt-toxin." In a small follow-up feeding study by the Deccan Development Society, all sheep fed Bt cotton plants died within 30 days; those that grazed on natural cotton plants remained healthy.
In a small village in Andhra Pradesh, buffalo grazed on cotton plants for eight years without incident. On January 3rd, 2008, the buffalo grazed on Bt cotton plants for the first time. All 13 were sick the next day; all died within 3 days.
Bt corn was also implicated in the deaths of cows in Germany, and horses, water buffaloes, and chickens in The Philippines.
In lab studies, twice the number of chickens fed Liberty Link corn died; 7 of 20 rats fed a GM tomato developed bleeding stomachs; another 7 of 40 died within two weeks. Monsanto's own study showed evidence of poisoning in major organs of rats fed Bt corn.
And the Really Bad News: GMOs Remain Inside of Us
The only published human feeding study revealed what may be the most dangerous problem from GM foods. The gene inserted into GM soy transfers into the DNA of bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function.26 This means that a corn chip produced from Bt corn might transform our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories, possibly for the rest of our lives.
Warnings by Government Scientists Ignored and Denied
Scientists at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned about all these problems even in the early 1990s. According to documents released from a lawsuit, the scientific consensus at the agency was that GM foods were inherently dangerous, and might create hard-to-detect allergies, poisons, gene transfer to gut bacteria, new diseases, and nutritional problems. They urged their superiors to require rigorous long-term tests. But the White House had ordered the agency to promote biotechnology and the FDA responded by recruiting Michael Taylor, Monsanto's former attorney, to head up the formation of GMO policy.
That “See No Evil” Policy is Still in Effect Today.
Famed Canadian geneticist David Suzuki has said, "The experiments simply haven't been done and we now have become the guinea pigs." He adds, "Anyone that says, ‘Oh, we know that this is perfectly safe,' I say is either unbelievably stupid or deliberately lying."
If other GM foods are contributing to the rise of autism, obesity, diabetes, asthma, cancer, heart disease, allergies, reproductive problems, or any other common health problem now plaguing Americans, we may never know. In fact, since animals fed GMOs had such a wide variety of problems, susceptible people may react to GM food with multiple symptoms. It is therefore telling that in the first nine years after the large scale introduction of GM crops in 1996, the incidence of people with three or more chronic diseases nearly doubled, from 7% to 13%.
Of course, since Canada and the US are linked in so many ways, this is potentially bad news for Canadians as well.
Take Action to Avoid GM Foods
There are some things we can do in our everyday lives. People can stay away from anything with soy or corn derivatives, cottonseed and canola oil, and sugar from GM sugar beets--unless it says organic or "non-GMO." There is a pocket Non-GMO Shopping Guide, co-produced by the Institute for Responsible Technology and the Center for Food Safety, which is available as a download, as well as in natural food stores and in many doctors' offices. It can be downloaded at their website: http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Non-GMOShopping/Shopping
By insisting on non-GMO brands, as you do by being a conscientious supporter of organic foods and Green Earth Organics, we in North American may be able to force the food industry to respond as they did in Europe, by removing all GM ingredients.
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