Holli Thompson

Don’t hide the GMO’s

There’s an issue swirling around us in America and it’s a dark undertone to our nation’s food system.

It’s called GMO’s, or genetically modified foods.  A few wealthy companies have board members in prominent places throughout our past and current government, and as a result GMO legislation appears to move quickly and safely throughout our legal system.

Never was this more clearly demonstrated than a couple of weeks ago, when a bill passed protecting GMO giant Monsanto from future legislation should anything negative associated with GMO’s ever be discovered. This bill was slipped into a larger bill, and signed by our President.

Since then, over 300,000 Americans have taken issue with this back door approach.

The truth is that Monsanto may indeed suffer lawsuits and damaging press in the future as more and more studies, both organized and anecdotal, come to light about the effects of GMO’s.

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) tested GMO’s and reported that “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with Genetically Modified (GM) food, including infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system.” They asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods. FDA scientists warned that GM foods could create hard-to-detect side effects, such as allergies, new diseases, and nutritional issues.

The latest studies, peer reviewed and published in Food and Chemical Toxicology showed something even more sinister. In a first-of-its-kind animal study, French researchers discovered that rats fed genetically engineered corn or exposed over a long period to the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup suffered mammary tumors, showed kidney and liver damage, and died early. The GMO corn used in the study was Monsanto’s NK603 seed, a variety created to live through heavy and frequent dousing with Roundup.

GMO’s are potentially the worst of the worst of the non-negotiable foods for your diet. It’s the unknowns and untested risks involved that place this at the top of my list. The United States does not demand that food producers label GM foods, most likely because the majority of products lining the inner aisles of the grocery stores; the packages, mixes, soups, cereals, meals, breads, condiments, snacks, pastas, and more, contain GM ingredients.  Some fear that bringing this to light with forced labeling has the potential to damage sales and hurt the economy.  In just 10 to 15 short years, GMO’s have infiltrated our food supply. In the average U.S. super market, thousands of the food items offered contain GM ingredients.

The European Union led the way with laws demanding labeling in 1998, followed by Japan, New Zealand, Australia, China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, Russia, India, Chile, Taiwan, and South Africa. As of 2013, the United States and Canada, two giant producers of GM crops remained conspicuously absent from this list.
Our economy would be negatively impacted.

Thank you, dear friends, for listening and allowing me this forum to speak to you about issues that effect us all.