(Healingtalks) Because federal laws do not require genetically messed-up food to be labeled, 14 states are debating whether to legally require such labeling. The debate is taking place from NY to California, as legislators consider the impact of also the first genetically messed-up animal (salmon) for our dinner plates
Genetically messed-up food and messed with organisms
By the way I decided to stop using the terms genetically modified, altered or engineered because such terms were invented to sell us on the notion that the use of gene guns to alter genetic codes, or genetic violence is something either positive or equivalent to foods in their natural state.
Genetic codes have evolved consciously over millions of years and now suddenly are being messed up or at least seriously messed with. That something serious will eventually go wrong is so obvious. But where huge sums of money are at stake, many can’t see that obviousness.
Again the terms modified, altered and engineered – or even enhanced – were themselves engineered to deliver the false connotation and propaganda that all is well. But its not. And the evidence is climbing higher than Everest.
Labeling frankenfish
In four states — California, Oregon, Vermont and Alaska - lawmakers are considering just the issue of frankenfish. We encourage you to contact your state legislatures in support these efforts.
Labeling all GMOs
In ten other states the labeling of all GMO-ingredient products is on the table. Contact your state legislators and encourage them to do the same.
(Healingtalks) Are genetically modified foods safe? The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) doesn’t think so.
AAEM’s report
The Academy reported that animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM foods including
Infertility
Immune and food allergy problems
Accelerated aging
Faulty insulin regulation
Changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.
The AAEM asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.
FDA’s own scientists ignored for political reasons
Before the FDA decided to allow GMOs into food without labeling, FDA scientists had repeatedly warned that GM foods can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects, including allergies, toxins, new diseases, and nutritional problems.
They urged long-term safety studies, but were ignored.
Animal studies
Since then, new findings among animals fed GMOs include:
Thousands of farm animals died after grazing on Bt cotton in India
Mice eating GM corn also had fewer and smaller babies. Manyof these babies died within three weeks.
Testicular cells in mice and rats also changed significantly
By the third generation, a GM soy-fed hamster study showed they lost their ability to have babies altogether
Rodents fed GM corn and soy showed immune system responses.
Cooked GM soy contains as much as 7-times the amount of a known soy allergen
Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK, soon after GM soy was introduced
Stomach linings of rats fed GM potatoes showed excessive cell growth, a condition akin to cancer.
Organ lesions appeared, along with altered liver, pancreas cells and changed enzyme levels
Human study
Unlike safety evaluations for drugs, there are no human clinical trials of GM foods. The only published human feeding experiment revealed that the genetic material inserted into GM soy transfers into bacteria living inside our intestines and continues to function. This means that long after we stop eating GM foods, we may still have their GM proteins produced continuously inside us. This could mean:
If the antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could create super diseases, resistant to antibiotics
If the gene that creates Bt-toxin in GM corn were to transfer, it might turn our intestinal bacteria into living pesticide factories.
Although no studies have evaluated if antibiotic or Bt-toxin genes transfer, that is one of the key problems.
The safety assessments are too superficial, and dangerously so.
(Healingtalks) Use of the term “organic” in a personal care product apparently does not ensure that they meet USDA-NOPstandards (or of the US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program. Personal care products labeled “organic” either
Are purely organic
May contain ingredients considered organic but not certified organic
Contain absolutely no organic content at all.
Contain harmful and toxic ingredients.
Initial consumer campaign
The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has started a “Coming Clean Campaign” to limit organic claims on personal care products to only those certified to USDA organic standards. Over 600 companies have joined the campaign since 2004.
New bans
Earlier in 2010, key retailers including Whole Foods Markets and National Cooperative Grocers Association stores announced a banning of products bearing false organic labels. It will force these brands to either change their labels or reformulate their products.
USA Seal
Currently, the USDA certifies personal care products with 95–100% organic ingredients and for companies that comply with its standards. These products are allowed to bear the USDA Organic seal.
The Organic Consumers Association, natural channel retailers and major body care companies are pressuring on the USDA to regulate this label in the same way they do for food and beverage products.
Growing statistics
According to SPINSscan Natural and SPINSscan Conventional data (for natural supermarkets excluding Whole Foods, Conventional Food/Drug/Mass excluding WalMart), sales of 100% organic body care products rose37.8% over the past year to $2,930,719.
Natural body care items labeled 95–99% organic experienced a 33.1% growth during the same timeframe (total sales of $8,383,609). These data represent the 52-week period ending October 2, 2010, compared with the prior year (52 weeks ending October 3, 2009).
II – GMOs
GMOs are not living up to their claims and offer us huge health and environmental hazards.
False hype plus dangers of GMOs
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that GMO crops do not produce increased yields, are not really drought tolerant, create more expenses for the farmer and ultimately yield deficient crops. In short, there is a deception. Moreover, animal studies have found GMO foods to pose serious health risks including abnormal changes to major organs with stomach ulcers, enlarged livers, precancerous conditions and reduced fertility.
Human research study of GMOs
To date, there has only been one published study on the effects of GMO foods on humans. The study found potential health hazards that were never further examined (1).
Labeling of GMOs and non-GMO products
In response to consumer concerns, retailers helped to start the Non-GMO Project, a non-profit organization that aides shoppers to identify which products are not genetically modified. This created a third-party verification program with its own uniform seal for products that do not have GMO ingredients. The Non-GMO trend is taking root among retailers and shoppers.
Common GMO produce
GMO crops to be on the look out for are canola, cotton, corn, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini and crookneck squash. Many more are in the future pipe lines.
GMO trend statistics
The Non-GMO Project’s label is the first one indicating a third-party verification or testing for GMOs. During the 52-week period ending October 2, 2010, sales of Non-GMO Project-certified foods were $343,201,976. This is a 14.4% growth compared with the previous year (52 weeks ending October 3, 2009), according to SPINSscan Natural and SPINSscan Conventional (natural supermarkets excluding Whole Foods, Conventional Food/Drug/Mass excluding WalMart).
Awareness and controversy grows
As the awareness of the dangers of GMOs increases, so does the legal and legislative controversy. Several states are considering laws that will mandate GMO labeling. Also individuals and organizations are filing lawsuits, to fight back. The recent lawsuit against the USDA over the agency’s decision to allow the immediate planting of genetically modified sugar beets (2) is a case in point
III – Gluten Free
Another hot issue and major consumer trend is Gluten-free foods. This address the needs of shoppers with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune reaction. It damages the small intestine, potentially leading to malnutrition and deficiency diseases. This disorder is found in genetically disposed individuals who eat gluten, a protein found in many grains including wheat, rye and barley. About 1% of the US population has celiac disease (3). The majority remain undiagnosed for the percentage is likely much higher. It is not common to test for celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
Growing awareness
Mounting awareness, self-diagnosis and going to alternative health practitioners has hotly moved this issue into the limelight.
Statistics on Gluten free products
In the natural and conventional FDM channels, gluten-free foods experienced a 16.3% growth in the 52-week period ending October 2, 2010 (source: SPINSscan Natural, SPINSscan Conventional, powered by Nielsen). SPINs estimates gluten-free sales during this period reached over $2.5 billion.
Reading Labels
Reading labels has gotten easier where there are new verification programs in place with readily identifiable seals. More stringent labeling laws are coming to assist consumers.
Nathan Batalion, Global Health Activist, Healingtalks Editor
(Healingtalks) This week the grassroots Committee For the Right to Know, a wide-ranging coalition of consumer, public health and environmental organizations, food companies, and individuals submitted the California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act to the State Attorney General for title and summary, prior to circulation as an initiative measure for the November 2012 election. This is part of a nationwide campaign to also raise consumer awareness and thereby reach a triggering a “tipping point” or sufficient rejection (approximately 5% of consumers) to have GMOs largely removed from the marketplace.
What the Right to Know GEFA Requires
The initiative would require genetically engineered foods (also known as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs) and foods containing GMO ingredients to be clearly labeled, similar to current labels with other nutritional information.
Genetically engineered food is usually plant or meat product that has had its DNA artificially altered in a lab with genes from other plants, animals, viruses or bacteria, in order to produce foreign compounds in that food. This genetic alteration is experimental, and is not found in nature.
Risks of GE Foods
The risk of genetically engineered foods is unclear, and unlike the strict safety evaluations required for the approval of new drugs, the safety of genetically engineered foods for human consumption has not been adequately tested, the group said. Recent studies show that genetically engineering food can create new, unintended toxic substances and increase allergies, cancer risks and other health problems, especially for children.
Experts Agree Labeling Is Necessary
Experts agree that by labeling genetically engineered food, we can help identify foods that cause health problems, the committee said.
“Because the FDA has failed to require labeling of GMO food, this initiative closes a critical loophole in food labeling law. It will allow Californians to choose what they buy and eat and will allow health professionals to track any potential adverse health impacts of these foods,” says Andy Kimbrell, Director of the Center for Food Safety.
Most Common GMO Traits
The two most common genetically engineered traits are the expression of an insecticide in the tissue of “Bt Corn” and the expression of a compound in “Roundup Ready Soy” which enables high doses of Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer to be sprayed while the plant survives.
As much as 85 percent of corn in the U.S. is genetically engineered. BT Corn is currntly regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as an insecticide.
Worldwide GMO Labeling Movement
Robyn O’Brien, author and founder of the Allergy Kids Foundation says, “I support labeling genetically engineered foods because allergy-sensitive people can exercise caution with essential information to make informed decisions about what they eat.” Fifty countries including the European Union and Japan have laws mandating that genetically engineered foods be labeled, but the United States does not have such a requirement.
Public opinion polls indicate that over 90 percent of California voters support the labeling of genetically engineered foods. Efforts to enact labeling laws in Congress and the California legislature have been blocked by big food and chemical company lobbyists. This measure will take the issue directly to the people to decide whether genetically engineered foods should be labeled.
“These genetically engineered foods have been allowed into our food supply without warning, and they aren’t labeled,” said Pamm Larry, founder of the grassroots movement and the Committee For the Right to Know. “The bottom line is Californians have a right to know what’s in the food we eat and feed our children. It’s time to send a strong, direct message to those who govern us, whether they be agency or elected, that we want genetically engineered foods labeled.”
The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act was carefully and specifically written to avoid any unnecessary burden or cost to consumers or producers. California voters are expected to have the chance to vote on the initiative in November 2012.
The full text submitted to the attorney general can be read below.
Nathan Batalion, Global Health Activist, Healingtalks Editor
(Healingtalks) It is vitally important to become aware of the great risks and dangers of GMOs and on a daily basis as we shop and provide food for our families. It is critical to emphasize this even as we post so much information on this subject during the month of October – GMO Awareness monthin the US.
These products should be of concern not only every October.
They must not only labelled except as a prelude to GMOs being banned forever.
GMOs pose too great a threat to all of life on earth.
And to help raise awareness of this naked fact, we are fortunate to have the great efforts of Jeffrey Smith at the Institute of Responsible Technology. He has provided us with five short video that are fabulous for sharing with friends and family who have little or no idea of what GMOs are or the huge risks and dangers they pose to our health and environment.
Each hard-hitting video is just 2-3 minutes long and thus is easy to forward in an email or share with friends through social networking. It tells what in Yiddish is called “tachlis” – the truth hidden by governmental agencies who have been corrupted to do the dictates of Monsanto.
Here are the five videos along with a longer version (1 hour and 24 minutes) called Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods.
The story of how farmers test whether their farm animals will eat GMOs or not. Most will not and out of natural instincts.
2) GMO foods experiment with our babies
Don’t let our babies become guinea pigs of the GMO biotech industry! This video tells you about this riskiest of human experiments. GMos are known to cause infertility and to damage sperm cells and DNA before babies are born. Rats fed genetically modified soy had half their babies die.
Genetically engineered crops result in gene transfers of bacteria in the human gut. It means that after eating GMOs, we may have genetically modified proteins inside our own bodies. Easting BT (genetically engineered) corn involves a gene that produces the BT in our human intestines, turning us into a HUMAN PESTICIDE FACTORIES.
Jeffrey Smith exposes the tricks used by Monsanto to make GMOs look safe and the equivalent of ordinary foods.
Actually they are extremely dangerous. This is the same Monsanto that said DDT, PCBs andAgent Orange were safe – some of the most lethal poisons ever created on our planet.
Genetic pollution of our planet caused by GMOs is frightening. Jeffrey Smith explains how GMOs represent a planet-wide risk.
6) GMO Scientists under attack – video trailer
This is the trailer for a longer documentary that reveals the total distortion of science by the biotech industry, and the way in which honest scientists are attacked and discredited. It exposes the criminality of the biotech industry.
Nathan Batalion, Global Health Activist, Healingtalks Editor
(Healingtalks) After more than a decade of opposing Monsanto’s attempt to have genetically-engineered (GE) crops dominate and destroy the nation’s organic farmland, the biggest retailers of “natural” and “organic” foods in the U.S., Whole Foods Market (WFM), Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farm, have all agreed to stop opposing mass commercialization of GE crops!
The Diabolical Deal
In exchange for dropping their opposition, WFM has been asking for “compensation” to be paid to organic farmers for “any losses related to the contamination of his crop.” Under current laws, Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not subject to any pre-market safety testing or labeling.
WFM is abandoning its fight with biotech companies simply because most of their products are not really organic. They are rather contaminated or chemically polluted foods called “conventional” (making them appear safe) and that often contain GMOs
WFM deceptively calls these foods “natural.”
Know the Difference Because It Makes A Difference To Your Health
Most consumers don’t know the difference between “natural” and “certified organic” products. “Natural” products can come from crops and animals fed nutrients that have GMOs.
Committing yourself to a raw vegan diet is one way to ensure you are getting enough fiber in your diet. A vegan diet will ensure that you are getting the proper nutrition and not ingesting any genetically modified foods. Not only does fiber help stabilize a healthy weight, but it also increases your metabolism and flushes fats from the body. Including fiber in your daily diet can help maintain proper health and ensure that your digestive system is functioning properly. Fiber-rich foods should be eaten throughout the day to provide the body with the slow-release energy and maintain serotonin levels.
If you’re wondering what fruits and vegetables are good sources of raw fiber, here are a few: kiwis, berries, melons, peaches, apples, bananas, oranges, artichokes, beets, asparagus, corn, parsnips, spinach, squash and turnips.
