Genetically Modified
(GM) Foods documented to be very dangerous/harmful
For documentation on the
serious harmful health effects of Glyphosate see
www.myflcv.com/GMOcorn.html
;
Independent laboratory tests commissioned by the
Environmental Working Group found glyphosate, the notorious weedkiller linked
to cancer, in more than 80 percent of non-organic hummus and chickpeas...
This Supermarket
"Health Food" Killed These Baby Rats in Three Weeks
Posted By
Dr. Mercola
| October 04
2010
By
Jeffrey Smith
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/04/watch-out-there-are-more-problems-with-genetically-modified-foods-than-youre-allowed-to-know.aspx
Arpad
Pusztai
Biologist Arpad
Pusztai
had more than 300 articles and 12 books to his
credit and was the world’s top expert in his field.
But when he accidentally
discovered that genetically modified (GM) foods are dangerous, he became the
biotech industry’s bad-boy poster child, setting an example for other
scientists thinking about blowing the whistle.
In the early 1990s, Dr.
Pusztai
was awarded a $3 million grant by the UK government
to design the system for safety testing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
His team included more than 20 scientists working at three facilities,
including the
Rowett
Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland,
the top nutritional research lab in the UK, and his employer for the previous
35 years.
The results of
Pusztai’s
work were supposed to become the required testing
protocols for all of Europe. But when he fed supposedly harmless GM potatoes to
rats, things didn’t go as planned.
Within just 10 days, the
animals developed potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains,
livers, and testicles, partially atrophied livers, and damaged immune systems.
Moreover, the cause was almost certainly side effects from the
process
of genetic engineering
itself. In other words, the GM foods on the market, which are created from the
same process, might have similar
affects
on humans.
With permission from his
director,
Pusztai
was interviewed on TV and expressed
his concerns about GM foods. He became a hero at his institute -- for two days.
Then came the phone
calls from the pro-GMO prime minister’s office to the institute’s director. The
next morning,
Pusztai
was fired. He was silenced with
threats of a lawsuit, his team was dismantled, and the protocols never
implemented.
His Institute, the biotech industry, and the UK
government,
together launched a smear campaign to destroy
Pusztai’s
reputation.
Eventually, an
invitation to speak before Parliament lifted his gag order and his research was
published in the prestigious
Lancet
. No similar in-depth studies have yet tested the GM foods eaten
every day by Americans.
Irina
Ermakova
Irina
Ermakova
, a senior scientist at the Russian National
Academy of Sciences, was shocked to discover that more than half of the baby
rats in her experiment died within three weeks. She had fed the mothers GM soy
flour purchased at a supermarket. The babies from mothers fed natural non-GMO
soy, however, only suffered a 10% death rate. She repeated her experiment three
times with similar results.
Dr.
Ermakova
reported her preliminary findings at a conference in October 2005, asking the
scientific community to replicate her study. Instead, she was attacked and
vilified. Her boss told her to stop doing anymore GM food research. Samples
were stolen from her lab, and a paper was even set fire on her desk. One of her
colleagues tried to comfort her by saying, “Maybe the GM soy will solve the
overpopulation problem.”
Of the mostly spurious
criticisms leveled at
Ermakova
, one was significant
enough to raise doubts about the cause of the deaths. She did not conduct a
biochemical analysis of the feed. Without it, we don’t know if some rogue toxin
had contaminated the soy flour. But more recent events suggest that whatever
caused the high infant mortality was not unique to her one bag of GM flour.
In November 2005, the
supplier of rat food to the laboratory where
Ermakova
worked began using GM soy in the formulation.
All
the rats were now eating it. After two months,
Ermakova
asked other scientists about the infant mortality
rate in
their
experiments. It had skyrocketed to over 55
percent.
It’s been four years
since these findings were reported. No one has yet repeated
Ermakova’s
study, even though it would cost just a few thousand dollars.
Andrés
Carrasco
Embryologist Andrés
Carrasco told a leading Buenos Aires newspaper about the results of his
research into Roundup, the herbicide sold in conjunction with Monsanto’s
genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops.
Dr. Carrasco, who works
in Argentina’s Ministry of Science, said his studies of amphibians suggest that
the herbicide could cause defects in the brain, intestines, and hearts of
fetuses. Moreover, the amount of Roundup used on GM soy fields was as much as
1,500 times greater than that which created the defects.
Tragically, his research
had been inspired by the experience of desperate peasant and indigenous
communities who were suffering from exposure to toxic herbicides used on the GM
soy fields throughout Argentina.
According to an article
in
Grain
, the biotech industry
“mounted an unprecedented attack on Carrasco, ridiculing his research and even
issuing personal threats.” In addition, four men arrived unannounced at his laboratory
and were extremely aggressive, attempting to interrogate Carrasco and obtain
details of his study. “It was a violent, disproportionate, dirty reaction,” he
said. “I hadn’t even discovered anything new, only confirmed conclusions that
others had reached.”
Argentina’s Association
of Environmental Lawyers filed a petition calling for a ban on Roundup, and the
Ministry of Defense banned GM soy from its fields.
Judy
Carman
Epidemiologist Judy
Carman used to investigate outbreaks of disease for a state government in
Australia. She knows that health problems associated with GM foods might be
impossible to track or take decades to discover. Moreover, the superficial,
short-term animal feeding studies usually do not evaluate “biochemistry,
immunology, tissue pathology, gut function, liver function, and kidney
function” and are too short to test for cancer or reproductive or child health.
Dr. Carman has critiqued
the GMO approval process on behalf of the Public Health Association of
Australia and speaks openly about her concerns. As a result, she is repeatedly
attacked. Pro-GM scientists threatened disciplinary action through her
Vice-Chancellor, and
circulated a defamatory letter to
government and university officials.
Carman was awarded a
grant by the Western Australia government to conduct some of the few long-term
animal feeding studies on GMOs. Apparently concerned about what she might find,
GMO advocates wrote letters to the government demanding that the grant be
withdrawn. One scientist tried to convince the Western Australia Agriculture
minister that sufficient safety research had been conducted and he should
therefore cancel the grant.
As his evidence,
however, he presented a report summarizing only 60 GMO animal feeding studies
-- an infinitesimal amount of research to justify exposing the entire
population to GM foods.
A closer investigation,
however, revealed that most of the 60 were not safety studies at all. They were
production studies, measuring, for example, the animals’ carcass weight. Only 9
contained data applicable to human health. And 6 of the 9 showed adverse
effects in animals that ate GM feed!
Furthermore, there were
several other studies with adverse findings that were mysteriously missing from
the compilation. Carman points out that the report “does not support claims
that GM crops are safe to eat. On the contrary, it provides evidence that GM
crops may be harmful to health.”
When the Western
Government refused to withdraw the grant, opponents successfully interfered
with Carman’s relationship with the university where she was to do the
research.
Terje
Traavik
Prominent virologist
Terje
Traavik
presented
preliminary data at a February 2004 meeting at the UN Biosafety Protocol
Conference, showing that:
The biotech industry
mercilessly attacked Dr.
Traavik
. Their excuse? -- he
presented unpublished work. But presenting preliminary data at professional
conferences is a long tradition in science, something that the biotech industry
itself relied on in 1999 to try to counter the evidence that butterflies were
endangered by GM corn.
Ironically, three years
after attacking
Traavik
, the same biotech proponents
sharply criticized a peer-reviewed publication for
not
citing unpublished data
that had been presented at a conference. The paper shows how the runoff of GM
Bt
corn into streams can kill the “caddis fly,” which may
seriously upset marine ecosystems. The study set off a storm of attacks against
its author, ecologist Emma
Rosi
-Marshall, which
Nature
described in a September
2009 article as a “hail of abuse.”
Companies
Prevent Studies on Their GM Crops
When Ohio State
University plant ecologist Allison Snow discovered problematic side effects in
GM sunflowers, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Dow AgroSciences blocked
further research by withholding GM seeds and genes.
After Marc
Lappé
and Britt Bailey found significant reductions in
cancer-fighting isoflavones in Monsanto’s GM soybeans, the seed seller, Hartz,
told them they could no longer provide samples.
Research by a plant
geneticist at a leading US university was also thwarted when two companies refused
him GM corn. In fact, almost no independent studies are conducted that might
find problems. According to a scathing opinion piece in an August 2009
Scientific American
,
“
Agritech
companies have given themselves veto power over the work of independent
researchers ... Only studies that the seed companies have approved ever see the
light of a peer-reviewed journal.”
A group of 24 corn
insect scientists protested this restriction in a letter submitted to the
Environmental Protection Agency. They warned that the inability to access GM
seeds from biotech companies means there can be no truly independent research
on the critical questions. The scientists, of course, withheld their identities
for fear of reprisals from the companies.
Restricted access is not
limited to the US. When a Japanese scientist wanted to conduct animal feeding
studies on the GM soybeans under review in Japan, both the government and the
bean’s maker DuPont refused to give him any samples. Hungarian Professor Bela
Darvas
discovered that Monsanto’s GM corn hurt endangered
species in his country. Monsanto immediately shut off his supplies.
Dr.
Darvas
later gave a speech on his preliminary findings and discovered that a false and
incriminating report about his research was circulating. He traced it to a
Monsanto public relations employee, who claimed it mysteriously appeared on her
desk -- so she faxed it out.
GMO
Contamination: Don’t Ask and Definitely Don’t Tell
In 2005, a scientist had
gathered seed samples from all over Turkey to evaluate the extent of
contamination by GM varieties. According to the
Turkish Daily News
, just before her testing was complete, she was
reassigned to another department and access to her lab was denied.
The unexpected transfer
may have saved this Turkish scientist from an even worse fate, had she
discovered and reported contamination.
Ask Ignacio
Chapela
, a microbial ecologist from UC Berkeley. In 2001,
he discovered that the indigenous corn varieties in Mexico -- the source of the
world’s genetic diversity for corn—had become contaminated through cross
pollination with GM varieties.
The government had a ban
against GM corn to prevent just this possibility, but apparently US corn
imported for food had been
planted
nonetheless.
Dr.
Chapela
submitted the finding to
Nature
, and as a courtesy that he later regretted, informed the Mexican
government about the pending publication. He was called in to meet with a
furious Director of the Commission of Biosafety and GMOs.
Chapela’s
confirmation of contamination would hinder introduction of GM corn.
Therefore
the government’s top biotech man demanded that he
withdraw his article. According to
Chapela
, the
official intimidated and threatened him, even implying, “We know where your
children go to school.”
When a traumatized
Chapela
still did not back down, the
Underminister
for Agriculture later sent him a fax claiming that because of his scientific
paper,
Chapela
would be held personally responsible
for all damages caused to agriculture and to the economy in general.
The day
Chapela’s
paper was published, Mary Murphy and
Andura
Smetacek
began posting
messages to a biotechnology
listserve
called
AgBioWorld
, distributed to more than 3,000 scientists. They
falsely claimed that
Chapela
was biased, that his
paper had not been peer-reviewed, that
Chapela
was
“first and foremost an activist,” and his research was published in collusion
with environmentalists. Soon, hundreds of other messages appeared, repeating or
embellishing the accusations. The
listserve
launched
a petition and besieged
Nature
with a worldwide campaign demanding retraction.
UC Berkeley also
received letters from all over the world trying to convince them not to grant
Chapela
tenure. He had overwhelming support by his college
and department, but the international biotech lobby was too much.
Chapela’s
tenure was denied. After he filed a lawsuit, the
university eventually reversed its decision.
When investigators later
analyzed the
email
characteristics sent by agitators
Mary Murphy and
Andura
Smetacek
,
the two turned out not to be the average citizens they claimed. According to
the
Guardian
, both were fabricated
names used by a public relations firm that worked for Monsanto. Some of
Smetacek’s
emails also had the internet protocol address of
gatekeeper2.monsanto.com -- the server owned by Monsanto.
Science
and Debate is Silenced
The attacks on
scientists have taken its toll. According to Dr.
Chapela
,
there is a de facto ban on scientists “asking certain questions and finding
certain results.” He says, “It’s very hard for us to publish in this field.
People are scared.” He told
Nature
that young people “are not going into this field
precisely because they are discouraged by what they see.”
New Zealand Parliament
member Sue
Kedgley
told a Royal Commission in 2001:
“Personally I have been contacted by telephone and e-mail by a number of
scientists who have serious concerns about aspects of the research that is
taking place ... and the increasingly close ties that are developing between
science and commerce, but who are convinced that if they express these fears
publicly ... or even if they asked the awkward and difficult questions, they
will be eased out of their institution.”
University of Minnesota
biologist Phil Regal testified before the same Commission, “I think the people
who boost genetic engineering are going to have to do a
mea
culpa and ask for forgiveness, like the Pope did on the inquisition.” Sue
Kedgley
has a different idea. She recommends we “set up
human clinical trials using volunteers of genetically engineered scientists and
their families, because I think they are so convinced of the safety of the
products that they are creating and I’m sure they would very readily volunteer
to become part of a human clinical trial.”
To learn more about the
health dangers of GMOs, and what you can do to help end the genetic engineering
of our food supply, visit
www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
.
To learn how to choose
healthier non-GMO brands, visit
www.NonGMOShoppingGuide.com
.
About
the Author
International
bestselling author and filmmaker Jeffrey Smith is the leading spokesperson on
the health dangers of genetically modified (GM) foods. His first book,
Seeds of Deception
, is the world’s bestselling and #1 rated book
on the topic. His second,
Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically
Engineered Foods
,
provides overwhelming evidence that GMOs are unsafe and should never have been
introduced.
Mr. Smith is the
executive director of the
Institute for Responsible Technology
, whose
Campaign for Healthier Eating in America
is
designed to create the tipping point of consumer rejection of GMOs, forcing
them out of our food supply.
Sources:
Chickens Not Fooled by GM Crops
Could Monsanto Be Responsible for One Indian Farmer's Death Every
Thirty Minutes?
Doctors Warn: Avoid Genetically Modified Food
Dr. Mercola's
Comments:
Together we CAN get GMOs
banned from the US. Europe was able to do it over a decade ago without any
government assistance. All they did was educate the consumers, and that was
enough pressure on the food industry to drop their ploys.
If we band together as
an effective
army
we will be able to do this. Please
understand that the VAST majority of people in the US do not want GM foods, so
this is an EASY battle to win. All we have to do is a bit of organizational
work.
So let me tell you how
we are going to achieve the removal of GMOs in the US.
October is
Non-GMO Month
, and you’ll receive a lot of important
information about genetically engineered foods this week.
GM Food... Feeding the
Hungry or Population Control?
April
2010 Scott
Salem-News.com
;
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april262010/gm-food-as.php
(Around 75% percent of
our processed foods contain some form of GM ingredients.)
If you
doubt that Genetically Modified (GM) foods threaten your body, here is a recent
report from Russian biologists. They conducted what they thought would be a
“routine” study of the long-term effects of the consumption of GM soy feed
among a hamster population. For the first generation, the only untoward effects
seemed to be constipation. The second generation didn’t seem too much the worse
for wear either. But the third generation showed serious ill effects and turned
out to be completely sterile.
(SALEM, Ore.) - Today
Salem-News reports that a joint experiment by Russia’s National Association for
Gene Security and the Institute of Ecological and Evolutional Problems has
revealed that hamsters fed genetically modified (GM) foods produce
grandchildren that are unable to produce fourth generation offspring.
Scientist Alexei
Surov
described the experiment, in which they monitored the
behavior, weight gain and birthrate of several groups of hamsters. Upon birth
of the second generation they noted slower rates of growth and sexual maturity.
The next generation was unable to
produce
[
1]
.
Genetically modified
foods will feed the hungry. I guess that’s one way of putting it. You could
also call it population control. Technically, the final result would be an end
to world hunger. They didn’t lie. Who are they? Please refer to my Salem-News
story “While We Were Sleeping...GM Food and the Brink of No Return”.
[2]
Russian scientists are not
the only ones that have warned of noted health effects caused by genetically
modified foods. Let us not forget that the scientists that were fired after
they discovered serious health effects in animals after feeding them GM food
products.
Believing in the
potential of GM foods, UC Berkeley's Ignacio
Chapela
and Arpad
Pusztai
, a plant genetic modification
expert from Scotland
Rowett
Research Institute, were
commissioned to conduct the first independent study on animals fed GM foods.
Studies showed stunted
growth, impaired immune systems, bleeding stomachs, abnormal and potentially
pre-cancerous cell growth in the intestines, impaired blood cell development,
misshaped cell structures in the liver, pancreas and testicles, altered gene
expression and cell metabolism, liver and kidney lesions, partially atrophied
livers, inflamed kidneys, less developed organs, reduced digestive enzymes,
higher blood sugar, inflamed lung tissue, increased death rates and higher
offspring mortality as well
[3]
.
The world is watching as
Monsanto and the U.S Government promote the growth and continued expansion of
their genetic modification program. They have patented the pig, the salmon and
other species and genetically engineered their genes to produce offspring with
more meat.
Here is the Voice of
Russia report from Moscow:
Russia has started the
annual Days of Defense against Environmental Hazards from the 15th of April to
the 5th of June with the announcement of sensational results of an independent
work of research.
Scientists have proven
that Genetically Modified Organisms are harmful for mammals. The researchers
discovered that animals that eat GM foodstuffs lose their ability to reproduce.
Campbell hamsters that
have a fast reproduction rate were fed for two years with ordinary soya beans,
which are widely used in agriculture and contain different percentages of GM
organisms. Another group of hamsters, the control group, was fed with pure
soya, which was found with great difficulty in Serbia because 95 percent of soya
in the world is transgenic.
Concerning the
experiment carried out jointly by the National Association for Gene Security
and the Institute of Ecological and Evolutional Problems, Dr. Alexei
Surov
had this to say.
“We selected several
groups of hamsters, kept them in pairs in cells and gave them ordinary food as
always,” says Alexei
Surov
.
“We did not add anything
for one group but the other was fed with soya that contained no GM components,
while the third group with some content of Genetically Modified Organisms and
the fourth one with increased amount of GMO. We monitored their behavior and
how they gain weight and when they give birth to their cubs. Originally,
everything went smoothly. However, we noticed quite a serious effect when we
selected new pairs from their cubs and continued to feed them as before. These
pairs’ growth rate was
slower
and they reached their
sexual maturity more slowly. When we got some of their
cubs
we formed the new pairs of the third generation. We failed to get cubs from
these pairs, which were fed with GM foodstuffs. It was proved that these pairs
lost their ability to give birth to their cubs,” Dr. Alexei
Surov
said.
Another surprise was
discovered by scientists in hamsters of the third generation. Hair grew in the
mouth of the animals that took part in the experiment. It’s unclear why this
happened.
The researchers cannot
understand why a
programme
of destruction is launched
when animals take GMO foodstuffs. They say that this can be neutralized only by
ceasing to use these foods.
Consequently, scientists
suggest imposing a ban on the use of GM foods until they are tested for their
bio-security
. The results of Russian scientists coincide
with those of their colleagues from France and Austria. For one, when scientist
proved that GM maize was harmful to mammals, France immediately banned its
production and sale.
The scientists who
carried out the experiment say that it’s too early to make far-reaching
conclusions about the health hazards of GMO. They insist that there is a need to
carry out comprehensive research.
They suggest
implementing the project, “Safety Gene Technology” at the innovation
centre
, “Skolkovo” which is being set up near Moscow.
[1]
Russia Says Genetically Modified Foods are
Harmful - Salem-News.com
[2]
While We Were Sleeping... GM Food and the Brink
of No Return - April Scott Salem-News.com
-----------------------------------------------
A
recent poll, conducted by the U.S. Consumers Union, found that two-thirds of US
consumers would be concerned if they thought that GM ingredients were in
organic food. There is overwhelming public opinion support for GM labeling, and
more than 80 public health, environmental, and agriculture organizations are
working to ensure genetically modified foods are labeled as such. Who is
working in the opposite direction? The GM and food producers of course– and
their powerful ally the US government.
GM Foods
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/09/jeff-smith-interview-gmo-week.aspx
Jeffrey Smith, founder
of the
Institute for Responsible Technology
, is leading the movement to eliminate genetically modified foods
in the United States.
Here, Smith offers an
update on this important mission to protect your health, and that of your
children and
grand-children
.
Sources:
|
Dr. Mercola's
Comments:
|
|
Together we CAN get GMOs
banned from the US. Europe was able to do it over a decade ago without any
government assistance. All they did was educate the consumers, and that was
enough pressure on the food industry to drop their ploys.
If we band together as
an effective
army
we will be able to do this. Please
understand that the VAST majority of people in the US do not want GM foods, so
this is an EASY battle to win. All we have to do is a bit of organizational
work.
So let me tell you how
we are going to achieve the removal of GMOs in the US.
October is
Non-GMO Month
, and you've been receiving a lot of important information about
genetically engineered foods this week.
Tomorrow, October 10
th
(
10/10/10) is
Non-GMO Day
, so I'm pleased to bring
back Jeffrey Smith, the real leader behind this movement to eliminate GM foods
from the US market, for another interview.
This month, Jeffrey's
organization,
Institute for Responsible Technology
, is launching a plan to bring their message to the necessary
numbers of people to create a tipping point that can effectively drive GM foods
off the market. Nearly 400 retail stores selling natural products around the
country are already actively promoting the information about choosing healthier
non-GMO products.
The
Institute for
Responsible Technology
(IRT) has created
a variety of tools that will make it easier for you to choose non-GM foods, and
this is the way to eradicate GMO's from your local store. If no one wants to
buy them, stores can't sell them, and will simply stop ordering them. Food
manufacturers will have to adjust and quickly change their ingredients or risk
losing their business.
It's really that
simple!
Remember, you as a
consumer is still at the top of the food chain.
The Tipping Point is
Near -- The Time to Join is NOW!
In this interview, Jeffrey
shares some of the history of his organization and what they've gone through
over the last 15 years to get to this point, and why it's so important that we
all act now.
"In [the beginning
of] 1999, the biotech industry… was still anticipating that they could replace
95 percent of all commercial seeds with genetically engineered seeds within
five years… But a single high profile GMO food safety scandal erupted in middle
of February 1999.
Dr. Arpad
Pusztai
… has been gagged and told that if he talked about
what he knew, he would be sued. Well, by an order of parliament, his gag order
was lifted and he could finally talk about how he discovered that genetically
engineered foods were inherently unsafe and could create all sorts of damage --
just from the process itself, irrespective of what gene you put in.
Seven hundred and fifty articles were written within a month, and within 10
weeks virtually every major food company committed to stop using GM ingredients
in Europe because it had become a marketing liability.
They weren't instructed
to do that by the government. They were instructed to do that by consumers at
the top of the food chain."
How many Americans do we
need to convince to avoid eating genetically modified foods to achieve the same
victory in the US?
We believe it's only
about FIVE PERCENT of US shoppers!
So, changing the
shopping habits of about 5.6 million households may be sufficient to eliminate
GMOs in the US.
That is our goal!
We already have these
numbers on our side. About 28 million Americans buy organic on a regular basis.
Eighty-seven million Americans think GMOs are seriously unsafe. A hundred and
fifty nine
million Americans, the majority, say they would
avoid GMOs if labeled!
Unfortunately, no
labeling is required, making your commitment to avoid GM foods all that more
complicated. But that's where we come in.
How You Can Help Others
to Avoid GMO Foods
Most people want to
avoid GMO
foods
but it is virtually impossible to do so,
since the government prevents GMO labeling.
However, Jeffrey Smith
has compiled a resource for you to avoid the government block of information.
It is the free
Non-GMO Shopping Guide
. We realize that with the challenging economy it is very
difficult for many to donate money to help this cause, so we are merely asking
for your time and connections with your family and friends.
You can really help by
making this message go viral.
So
if you are convinced
that GMO foods should not be in the US, please send this information to
everyone you know; post it on Facebook and Twitter…
You can also print out
the
Non-GMO Shopping Guide
and give it to
your friends and family.
If you feel more
ambitious you can also
order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure
in bulk, and bring them to the grocery stores in your area.
Talk to the owner or manager and get permission to post them in their
store.
Who Will You Share this
Information With?
We have the tools right
now to make a national movement quicker and more complete than any time in
history. One important part of this message is that buying organic whenever you
can
is
not enough to actually ban GM foods…
Instead, what is needed
is the consensus that "I buy organic whenever I can, but if I don't buy
organic, I buy non-GMO."
Remember, this also
includes dairy from cows treated with
rBGH
, as it is
a genetically engineered growth hormone, and the artificial sweetener
aspartame, which is derived from GM microorganisms.
If those of you who
already buy organic whenever possible also
always avoid GM foods
when
you
can't
get organic, then we can reach the tipping point.
You can help nurture
this consumer mindset by bringing information to your local natural food store
owner, so that she can share it will all of her customers as well. IRT has
created a
complete Retailer Campaign Kit
for
this purpose.
You can also share
information with your child's school, your health care providers, and food
manufacturers. The IRT has created information kits for all of them, available
here:
·
Heath care provider kit
·
Parents and Schools educational material
·
Manufacturers information kit
Please remember to share
this with your friends and
family, but
do so lovingly.
You don't want to make yourself a pest and risk your relationship with them.
But believe me, this is a MUCH easier sell than getting them to stop smoking or
eating less sugar since most do not want GMOs anyway, and it doesn't involve
giving anything up.
You may even want to
share this information with your church or religious leaders. As Jeffrey
says,
"There are certain religious
groups that think the genetic engineering process itself violates God's laws.
So 'GMO' for them really means, 'God Move Over' and not 'Genetically Modified
Organism.'"
The Non-GMO Project
"Now the good thing
about the natural products industry today is the
Non-GMO Project movement
,"
Jeffrey says.
"A couple of years ago, the leaders of
the natural food industry got together and backed a new standard for making
non-GMO claims, and they called it the
Non-GMO Project
.
Now there are
thousands of products enrolled in the Non-GMO Project
, and you're going to start to see a little
seal on packages
, just like the organic
seal.
You're also going to see something called
Non-GMO Project Verified
, meaning that the claim that something is non-GMO is now backed
by a third party verified system.
In the past, if an owner
of a natural products store had a lot of things that contained GMOs and a lot
of things that didn't, they may be quite hesitant to start ringing the bell
that GMOs were unhealthy. But now stores are becoming populated more and more
and in some cases, completely, with
products that are non-GMO verified
.
Now you have store
owners and managers and staff who are happy to shout from the rafters, our
products are non-GMO and here is why."
For example, Whole Foods
has now entered all of their store brand labels, the 365 brand and anything
else that has the Whole Foods name, into the Non-GMO Project. They are also
participating in non-GMO month. They've taken a strong leadership position to
try and push the non-GMO message.
For timely information
and updates, you can
join the Non-GMO Project on Facebook
, or
follow them on Twitter
!
Must-See Movies to
Share!
The IRT has created a
film called
Hidden Dangers in Kid's Meals
,
which is a powerful way for parents to get an initiation into the health
dangers. It's only 28 minutes long, which is ideal for local access TV.
You can simply
bring
the film
to your local
access TV station, and sometimes they'll play it 10, 20, or even 30 times
because they're always looking for material and are open to support from the
community.
There's also a video
called
Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No!
, which exposes the dangers of GM bovine growth hormones. Any
parent still feeding their child milk from cows injected with
rBGH
needs to see this film! They'll never make the same
mistake again…
Another powerful video
you can share with your friends and family is Jeffrey's
Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified
Foods lecture
.
"The Future of Food"
www.thefutureoffood.com/
. It will give you more information about why not to support
Monsanto or GMOs.
Your Action Plan
I've already mentioned a
number of different ways for you to get actively involved during Non-GMO Month.
To recap, and add a few more suggestions, here is a list of Action Item for you
to pick and choose from:
1.
Distribute WIDELY the
Non-GMO Shopping Guide
to help you
identify and avoid foods with GMOs. Remember to look for products (including
organic products) that feature the
Non-GMO Project Verified Seal
to
be sure that at-risk ingredients have been tested for GMO content.
2.
Download the Non-GMO
Shopping Tips brochure
and keep it with
you whenever you shop, or download the free iPhone application that is
available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for
ShopNoGMO
in the applications.
You can also
order the Non-GMO Shopping Tips brochure
in bulk and give it to your family and friends.
3.
Urge food manufacturers to join the Non-GMO Project and
become
Non-GMO Project Verified
. This is currently the
only way for manufacturers to get around the fact that there's no GM-labeling
system.
4.
Urge your local food retailers to
join the Non-GMO Project's Supporting Retailer Program
.
5.
If your budget allows support this urgent mission by
generously
donating to the Institute of Responsible Technology
.
6.
Bring the film
Hidden Dangers in Kid's Meals
to
your local access TV station, or perhaps your child's school, along with
some
educational material specifically designed for teachers
and educators.
7.
Share
Your Milk on Drugs - Just Say No!
, and Jeffrey's lecture,
Everything You Have to Know About Dangerous Genetically Modified
Foods
with everyone you know. Post them to your
Facebook page, or email the links to your network of friends and family.
8.
Join the Non-GMO
Project on Facebook
, or
follow them on Twitter
.
Together, We Control the
Future of Our Food
Please join us in this
important campaign. Do as much or as little as you can. Maybe you can't
make a donation to IRT
, but you can distribute
20
Non-GMO shopping guides
to your closest
family and friends.
Plus, all orders placed
through Mercola.com, starting October 6th, will receive a FREE, printed 16-page
Non-GMO Shopping
Guide.*
No purchase necessary.
You may also download the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, for free,
here
.
Please, support this
urgent mission by
donating to the Institute of Responsible Technology
, a non-profit organization.
Together, we can make a
difference. Together, we can reach the tipping point and push GMOs out of our
food supply.
*While supplies
last.
Related Links:
All GMO Articles on Mercola.com
Why GMOs Will Only Make the Global Food Crisis Worse
Major Threat to Human Fertility and Very Existence of Human Life
on
Eart