This spells out the fundamental risk associated with GMO products.
They are an unsupervised experiment that has the tangible risk of
altering our own genetic makeup as peripheral damage. Worse, without
precise labeling, you cannot monitor your intake.
As mentioned, whole foods is now leading the charge to change that at
least by demanding proper labeling. This will likely lead to a
collapse of industry resistance. Better it will soon lead to a price
differential which will penalize farmers who do not care for quality.
Needless to say, the only way to gain the credentials will be to
make the switch to organic methods.
I had expected the organic changeover to take at least two to three
generations, but this developing momentum has led to a quick
reassessment. It can happen as quickly as inside a decade. I now
think that it will not take any longer and that China in particular
will also dive right in in order to preserve export market.
The advent of successful organic methods that already match and
surpass best industrial methods provides a huge competitive edge to
USA agriculture.
Their website claims: “So long as the introduced protein is
determined to be safe, food from GM crops determined to be
substantially equivalent is not expected to pose any health risks.”
You already know that Watson and Crick won the Nobel Prize for
figuring out the structure of DNA. And for over 40 years scientists
thought that DNA did all the work of transcribing genes. They thought
RNA was just a messenger.
But we now know that RNA can store information and can transfer
that information to change DNA. This is called reverse transcription,
and it turns out to be very important for your health in today’s
world. We’ve been able to stop viruses because of this.
But it also means that “proteins,” or micro RNA injected into
your food, can also affect your health. And change your entire body.
Last year Chinese researchers published a paper in the
journal Cell Research where they found small pieces of
rice RNA in the blood and organs of humans who eat rice.1
And this rice RNA wasn’t just sitting there doing nothing. It
was binding to receptors in human liver cells that stopped the body
from processing cholesterol.
Your body needs cholesterol. Your brain is made out of
cholesterol. The myelin sheath that surrounds your nerves and helps
your brain react faster is made of cholesterol.
And the evidence shows that genetically modified foods stop
your body from processing this molecule. That can kill off your
thinking power.
This isn’t sci-fi. The discovery of how RNA can reverse
transcribe genes won a Nobel Prize, too. We now know that probably up
to 15% or our DNA is acquired through reverse transcription from RNA.
This is why I think it's huge news that Whole Foods market is
going to start labeling all the foods that they know have
GMOs (genetically modified organisms) in them, or that are GMOs.
Big Agra is scared to death of this… they’ll lose billions if
no one wants to eat their Frankenfoods. But I have always believed
you should have the right to choose what goes into your own body.
Ditch GMO grain products: I recommend you avoid all
non-organic soy, corn, and canola products. These are almost
universally grown from genetically modified seeds.
Try farm-to-table: If you eat out, try ones that cook from
scratch. Even better, look for a farm-to-table restaurant that will
tell you where the food comes from and how it’s grown or raised. Of
course, avoid ones that tell you their GMO soy is “organic,” or
that their meat is raised “organically” on a diet of grains. The
American Farm to Table Restaurant Guide (americanfarmtotable.com)
lists many of the farm-to-table restaurants in the U.S., and has
reviews, directions and contact info.
Become a locovore: There is a movement in place to eat and
buy locally. Look for farmer’s co-ops within a 100-mile radius of
where you live. Visit your local farmer’s market and ask questions
about how they grow their crops. Threats to small family farmers and
co-ops from Big Agra, after the latest Supreme Court decision, may be
coming, so get the good stuff while it lasts.
Look for a “non-GMO” label. This can be tricky, because
the manufacturers of genetically modified foods are lobbying hard to
get “non-GMO” labels banned. Look for the label at right:
Also, the Non-GMO Sourcebook at nongmosourcebook.com tells you how
and where to get non-GMO seeds and who sells non-GMO soy products.
You can also visit non-gmoreport.com. Just click on “resources”
on the left-hand menu. You’ll see links to resources, companies,
and even test kits. There’s also the European Union’s GM Watch at
gmwatch.eu.
Let the government know how you feel: The Genetically
Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act was introduced in both the Senate
and the House of Representatives.
The bill would require food manufacturers to clearly label any
product that has been genetically engineered or contains genetically
engineered ingredients, or else the product would be classified as
“misbranded” by the FDA. You can join in and ask the government
to “just label it” at justlabelit.org.
2 comments:
At least here in Arizona, americanfarmtotable.com is useless. It lists the same THREE
(3) restaurants it was so proud to list in NOVEMBER, 2010!
Is this why Americans are so stupid?
As long as corporations can buy politicians and the courts, don't expect this to stop.
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