If the old saying is true that we are what we eat, Americans may want to sit up and take notice: the Center for Food Safety has estimated that up to 75% of processed foods on grocery store shelves contain genetically engineered ingredients. Even the most health-conscious individuals have likely been unable to avoid consuming genetically modified foods, especially since food distributors are not required by law to label them. In this installment of yourTruth, we explore why some people wanted to alter the composition of crops in the first place, how GM food can impact your health, and what your elected representatives are doing in response to public concern. This is a lot to digest (so to speak), but we are confident you will emerge a more alert consumer.
Tools of Action
Fact Sheet (Right click and select "Save Link As" to download)
The Non GMO Project is North America's First Independent Non-GMO Verification Program. Learn about what they do and see who else is on board.
Say No to GMOs provides information, activities and resources for the public and encourages grassroots action that will insure consumer choice and a genetically viable future.
True Food Now is a project of The Center for Food Safety and has several stories detailing what's going on in Washington and several actions that you can take part of.
Tell Congress to Support the Labeling and Safety Testing of GM foods here
Stop the Approval of Genetically Engineered Fish here
Demand Labeling of Genetically Engineered Meat here
Guidelines to avoiding GMOs here
Learn what to eat, and how to shop to avoid GM products here
Sign up for the Organic Consumer Association Action Alerts here
Join Millions against Monsanto here
Sign the Millions against Monsanto petition
Tell Obama to Support Organic Food and Farming here
Support US Food Agenda 2015 Global Moratorium on GE Foods & Crops here
Stand up for Organic Integrity here
The Center for Food Safety is a non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy membership organization with the purpose of challenging harmful food production technologies and promoting sustainable alternatives.
The Biosafety Information Centre provides a flow of information, to help contribute to the enhancement of biosafety for policy makers, regulators, scientists, researchers and civil society organizations in developing countries so that informed decisions can be made.
Lobby Watch - Monitors and Reports PR Push for GM foods
Track the Genetically Engineered Food Safety Act in Congress
Support the Labeling of Genetically Modified Foods:
Write & Call your Representative here
Start your own Petition
Send a letter to you local supermarket to ask them to support GM labeling.
Petition to President Obama to make labeling GMO law. President Obama GMO Labeling law petition
Scientific Studies on Genetic Modification:
Study from NAGS on rats fed GM soy
GE Crops Contain Bacterial DNA That May Be Hazardous To Health
Austrian Government Study Confirms Genetically Modified (GM) Crops Threaten Human Fertility and Health Safety
Filipinos living next to a GM cornfield developed skin, respiratory, and intestinal symptoms and fever while the corn was pollinating
Report of Project Coordinator on data produced at the Rowett Research Institute (RRI) on GM Tomatoes
Report Breakdown
Kidney abnormalities and unusually high levels of white blood cells
French researchers find mon83 toxic
Resources
GMO food has been in the food supply for the last ten years
70-75% of all processed foods in supermarkets contain GM ingredients
Other countries taking initiatives against GM foods
GMO causes deaths to millions of Monarch Butterflies
50 Harmful Effects of GE, GM Foods
PBS- Genetically Modified Tomatoes
FDA issues guidance on GMO safety testing.
Modified-Crop Makers Faulted On Safety Data Sent to FDA
Frequently Asked Questions about Agent Orange
Monsanto talks about Benefits of Biotechnology
Activists, exporters protest Bt rice trials in India
The Thika Declaration on GMOs Statement from the Kenya Small Scale Farmers Forum
Monsanto's claim for better yield with GM seeds
Monsanto's claim for pesticide reduction
UCSD explains Bt GM Crops
25 Years after DDT Ban, Bald Eagles, Osprey Numbers Soar
Monsanto Overview as a Chemical Company
Monsanto and the Roundup Ready Controversy
RoundUp - Most commonly used Herbicide in the world
GM Crops Created the Superweed
The Instability of DNA in Genetic Modification.
93% of Americans believe GMO labeling should be required in ABC poll
Kucinich introduces Second GMO Labeling Bill
Legislation introduced in U.S. Congress to label genetically modified foods.
U.S. policy that all GM/GE foods are considered equal to non-GM/GE foods and are in fact deemed safe under 1992 George H. W. Bush Executive Order
H.R. 6636 The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act
H.R. 6635, The Genetically Engineered Safety Act
H.R. 6637, The Genetically Engineered Farmer Protection Act
Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Seed Patenting
GM Crops found to produce fewer yields than non-gm counterpart.
GM crops with "extra nutrition" don't exist
GM foods are not more nutritious but can be toxic or allergenic
European Parliament paves the way for GMO-free Europe
EU States Affirm GMO Ban
Battle Over GMOs in EU Countries
Mendocino's Ban on GMOs
Conversations with folks in the first US county to ban GM crops
Mendocino County GMO Ban
Pharmaceutical's GMO: 'Pharma crop' interest grows; so does concern
Opposition grows to 'pharma-crops'
Genetic Engineers Back Growing Drugs in Food Crops,
'Pharma Crops' Threaten Food Safety
GM Crops "Ruin Fields for 15 Years"
UCS urges USDA to ban outdoor "pharma" crop production in new rules
Percentage of GM Crops Gown in the US in 2008
Japan to Label GMO Food Imports
Japan Consumers Protest against U.S. Biotech Corn outside U.S.Embassy
Goliath and David: Monsanto's Legal Battles against Farmers
Monsanto conducts their own scientific studies and submits them to regulatory agencies.
Additional Links of Interest:
"Doomsday Seed Vault" in the Arctic Bill Gates, Rockefeller and the GMO giants know something we don't
Seeds of Deception By Jeffrey M. Smith, A 10-Page Summary
Questions and Answers - GM Foods:
Europe blocks US effort to get GMOs accepted.
GMO Bans hold in Europe GMO Bans hold in Europe.
Future of Foods: Watch here
NY Times - GM crops are getting impossible to avoid.
Government Agencies announce that Genetically Engineered Cottonseed has contaminated the food system
How much of our food is bioengineered 20 questions on genetically modified foods with the World Health Organization.
Monsanto, Wall Street and the So-Called Regulators
20 questions on genetically modified foods with the World Health Organization.
Monsanto's Greatest Hits
Vanity Fair: Monsanto's Harvest of Fear
Who and What Is the Monsanto Chemical Corporation?
Transcript
Welcome to theN3TWORK. I'm Jane Baek. In this episode of yourTruth, we are going to talk about food! You like to eat, I like to eat…we all love to eat food. But did you know that you have been eating genetically modified (GM) food for the past ten years? We didn't. And it's in 70-75% of our nation's food! A long list of documented health complications associated with eating GM foods includes increased risk of certain types of cancer and fertility complications. What exactly are GM foods?
Simply put, scientists wanted to make crops more resilient to environmental factors. Suppose you grow tomatoes: at night it gets so cold that half of your tomatoes are frozen in the morning and you can't sell them anymore. Scientists were able to combat this problem with genetic modification. They figured out a way to take DNA from one organism and put it inside another organism to achieve a desired characteristic. Recognizing the Arctic flounder's ability to withstand extremely cold temperatures, bioengineers isolated that specific DNA trait in the fish to implant in tomatoes. The result: tomatoes highly resistant to cold and substantially greater crop yields.
The driving motivation for genetic modification was bringing 100% of your crop yield to the market; biotechnology was the answer to ending world hunger. Ironically, we unearthed studies that indicate just the opposite, showing instances where GM crops produce fewer yields. In some countries with high starvation rates, journalists documented cases of people burning GM food in protest.
Let's return to how GM food is created. Our friends at Lily Films and Deborah Koons Garcia made a documentary called The Future of Foods that explains it best.
We wanted to know what else agroengineers were capable of with this new technology. As The Future of Foods indicated, Monsanto, the largest biotechnology company in the world, successfully engineered seeds resistant to their Roundup herbicide. This allowed farmers to spray as much herbicide as they wanted without fear of their crops dying. But it didn't stop there. Scientists found they could engineer seeds that would mature into pesticide-producing crops, crops that literally emit pesticide as they grow.
How did they do this? Scientists found bacteria in soil that is lethal to many species of insects, called Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT), which they inserted into crops. What could the effects be when a bacteria once confined to soil becomes airborne? We will get into that later.
Instead of just making drugs in labs, scientists have been growing crops that produce their own pharmaceutical drugs, like research chemicals, blood proteins, antibodies, and vaccines. These are called pharma crops. According to the Society for Diabetic Rights, thousands of diabetics have experienced bad reactions and many have died as a result of genetically engineered insulin, called "human" insulin. Also, the Union of Concerned Scientists has been urging the United States Department of Agriculture to ban all outdoor production of pharma crops because of the potential to contaminate the nation's food supply.
How safe do you think GM foods are? The consensus is that there are some dangers associated with eating GM foods, but where is the proof? Through our investigation we found that many countries in Europe have taken action by either banning or labeling GM foods. Wait a minute, we're eating them while they are banning them? What does everyone else in the world know that we don't? Here is one of the many conclusive studies we came across in our quest for truth.
This study was conducted by Dr. Ermakova of the National Association of Genetic Security in Russia. Dr. Ermakova wanted to find out what eating GM foods did to pregnant rats and their offspring. The experiment had two parts. In part one there were three groups with three rats each. Let's call them Group A, Group B, and Group C. She fed each group of rats food two weeks before conception: Group A rats received no soy products; Group B received soy flour; Group C was fed GE soy flour.
The next phase of the experiment introduced two new groups with three rats each. We will call them Group D and Group E. She fed Group D food with no soy products and Group E GM soy flour. In total, Group A and Group D ate no soy products and those rats gave birth to 44 babies. Group B ate regular soy products and those rats gave birth to 33 babies. Group C & E ate GM soy products and these rats gave birth to 45 babies. Three weeks later, the results were a little shocking. In the group with no soy at all, three baby rats died. In the groups with regular soy three baby rats died. In the groups who ate GE soy, twenty five baby rats died! According to Dr. Ermakova, the reason why this is so shocking is because "the biochemical structure of rats is very similar to the biochemical structure of humans."
What are some of the other effects? Unfortunately, animals were tested in the process of these experiments… Sorry PETA! Also remember that these animals were fed GM food for every meal during the course of the study. Experiments performed on other animals resulted in pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers and testicles, damaged immune systems, liver malfunctions, lesions in the liver, stomach and kidneys, inflammation of certain organs, cell malfunctions, higher blood sugar levels, fertility problems, and unexplained increases in death rates.
We also found that avoiding the consumption of GM food is still no guarantee for good health. What do we mean? Remember when we mentioned that the BT toxin is now airborne? In the Philippines, people living next to a GE cornfield developed recurring skin, respiratory and intestinal problems. Blood tests done on 39 of the Filipino residents revealed that their immune systems had been compromised by the BT toxin.
What are the consequences for the environment? Crops pollinate as they grow, and allergy sufferers everywhere can testify that pollen spreads everywhere. Some scientists are frantically trying to save natural seeds because when GE crops pollinate, they infect surrounding natural plants. Once they mix, there is no turning back. An example of the result of cross pollination is the super weed. What is the super weed? We mentioned earlier that some plants were engineered to resist herbicides, but pollination contamination has caused surrounding natural weeds to develop herbicide resistance. But it doesn't stop there: every species in the animal kingdom is at risk. Ever heard of the butterfly effect? Cornell University did a study and found that the BT toxin released from the crops is lethal to monarch butterflies. And that's just one study on one species! We also found that natural fish and marine life are threatened because GE fish have been accidentally released into the wild.
At this point you are probably wondering if we can make informed decisions to buy GM and non-GM products. Unlike many other countries in the world, there is no law in the United States that requires GM foods to be labeled. How could this be? In 1992, George Bush Sr. signed an executive order that deemed GM food as equal to non-GM food. This executive order permitted biotech companies to present GM foods as "substantially equivalent" to non-GM foods. Doesn't the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate products in the food supply? Actually, because they are "substantially equivalent," the FDA classifies GM foods under the "Generally Recognized as Safe" category. Under this category, the government does not require additional testing or labeling. Also, every GM seed has its own patent. If seeds are unique enough to patent, how can they be substantially equivalent to other crops? To learn more about seed patenting and testing, check out our separate video about Monsanto on our chapter guide.
Is there anything being done? We found an organization taking initiative to give consumers a choice in the matter, called the non-GMO project. The non-GMO Project provides an independent verification process to food distributors who don't use GM foods to put a "GMO-free" label on their packaging, thus allowing consumers to know if their food is GM or not. We sat down with director Meghan Thompson to hear more.
Some of our elected officials have begun standing up for consumer rights. Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced H.R. 3377, The Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act in November of 1999, but the bill was never voted on and eventually expired. Still persevering, Kucinich introduced three similar bills in July of 2008, designed to protect consumers and food safety while defending farmer rights. H.R. 6635, 6636, and 6637 are still in the infancy stages of the legislative process. If you want to make an impact, inform your friends and family of these resolutions and lobby our representatives to work on behalf of conscious food consumption.
Labeling is the only way to make safe food purchases. When polled, 93% of Americans said that they want GM food labeled! We should follow in the footsteps of Japanese activists who pressured their government to label GM foods after years of struggle. From 1996 to 2001, Japan's "Down with Genetically Engineered Food campaign" pressured the government to label GM foods, even presenting a 2,000,000-signature petition to the Japanese Health and Ministry in 1998. In Europe, citizens from all different countries started to fight for consumer rights in 1996. Since then, 43 European regions have taken measures to regulate, label or ban GM foods.
What progress has been made in America? In Mendocino County, California, citizens mobilized an effective grassroots campaign. Their efforts resulted in the passage of Measure H, which states "It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to propagate, cultivate, raise, or grow genetically modified organisms in Mendocino County." A spokesperson for the Campaign for a GMO-Free Mendocino County said, "The only thing we set out to do was educate people what GMOs are, who makes them and why. Once people figured that out, they wanted to learn more, and had a tendency to reject them."
People all over the world are making their voices heard. We encourage you to get involved and you can start by checking out our Tools of Actions. The world is watching, so how will you make a difference?
