GM Foods

I spoke to a farmer recently that, like many in is business, support genetically modified crops. His argument was that the poor wouldn’t be able to feed their families if crops were grow organically because it is so much more expensive to raise crops using natural methods. He also said that the extra expense would spill over into other products like sugar, milk, and bread. I can’t argue against the cost of growing GMO’s, but I can’t support it just because it’s more cost effective. According to US Department of Agriculture the percentage of GM corn grown in the United States grown from 7 to 70 percent, and 93 percent of the soybeans grown in the US are GM.

I’m sure you’ve read Jonathan Berr's article that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA )is considering whether to approve the production and sale of genetically modified fish, or frankenfish as it’s being called. Apparently, the argument is over labeling. The biotech industry is concerned that consumers won’t buy the fish if the product label spells out that the fish is genetically modified. Most fish in the US are raised on fish farms, but salmon, by in large, is still caught in the wild. The fishermen aren’t able to keep up with the demand and the supply of wild salmon in this country is shrinking. I assure you, the solution is not to make a frankenfish. According to CNN

"The fish's rapid growth will be boosted by the injection of a combination of a growth gene (GH-coding sequences) from the Pacific Chinook salmon and genetic material (the AFP gene) from the ocean pout - a large, eel-like fish - into the fertilized eggs of Atlantic salmon, making the recombined DNA present in cells throughout the body of the fish. The Chinook gene promotes the growth to market size, and the pout gene allows the fish to grow in the winter as well as the summer."

The FDA is only looking at whether this fish is safe compared to other farm raised or wild salmon. Today is the last day for your voice to be heard concerning the labeling of this potentially dangerous fish. Aquabay Technologies plans to breed the salmon in an inland facility in Canada, however, they will raise the fish in Panama.

This past summer, according to Micheal J Crumb of the Associated Press, a California judge halted the planting of GM sugar beets until the USDA could complete an impact study on how these organisms affect the traditional crops. Fifty percent of the US’s sugar comes from sugar beets that have been planted with products like Genuity Roundup Ready Sugarbeets. The apparent benefit is that farmers are able to use pesticides on the crops without killing the plant itself. Companies like Monsanto would have you believe that farmers and consumers will suffer if GMO’s aren’t allowed to be planted, but that isn’t the case. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an office of the USDA, has opened a comment period asking for input from retailers, farmers, university professors, dealers, and agricultural organizations on the Environmental Assessment. All interested parties have until December 6 to make their voices heard.

It is essential that we, as consumers, stay informed. The Non-GMO Project supports the verifying and labeling of products and that believes we have the right to make informed choices about whether we want to consume GM products. The Project’s role is to make certain we have accessible Non-GMO alternatives in our future. Voting Block is a site that allows you to tell your elected representatives where you stand on the issue and what they should to earn your vote. Remember to let your voice be heard!

************UPDATE*************

Article: "Public Says No To Transgenic Fish, Demands Mandatory Labeling "

GMO VS Organic; which do you want to eat?

Whether you have a garden in your backyard, buy your produce at the local farmer's market or purchase it at a superstore, organic food is better for the health of your family. Many years ago all of our crops were grown without the assistance of genetic engineers; that is not so now. Conventional farming today consists of any agriculture that demands high yields. This requires the use of genetically modified seeds, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

There are advantages and disadvantages to genetically modified organisms (GMO). Plants that have been modified by genetic engineers are drought resistant, tolerant to herbicides, have a tolerance to the cold, and are resistant to many diseases. There by providing an abundance of food at an affordable price. However,these crops do not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. In fact these plants are causing allergies and cancers in humans yet we continue to accept and consume them on a daily basis. If you don't believe me read this article about the effects of rats eating genetically modified potatoes.

Genetically modified foods are not only grown for our consumption, but for the consumption of animals. Once the animal eats the GMO feed it transfers foreign DNA into that animal which is then passed on to any humans consuming that beef, pork, or poultry. Even more disturbing, is that the FDA is considering approving the first genetically modified animal for human consumption. If you don’t want to eat genetically modified salmon, you can let your voice be heard here.

I understand that not everyone can grow a self sustaining garden in their back yard, but we can all make well educated decisions when shopping. We have the greatest influence on what is being offered. Europeans have shunned GMO’s. If we refuse to accept foods that have been genetically altered, the farming industry will stop giving into the genetic engineers and biotech companies. One of the ways to make your voice heard is to join the True Food Network. You can also reading labels, buying only organic meat and produce, and eating foods that are in season.

What You're Really Eating

I've talked about how important it is to buy locally and eat seasonally. Neither of which are very easy things to do when we are so used to getting what we want when we want it. So yes, I buy produce at the grocery store, all of the time.

Now if I'm eating my own fruits and veggies I know I can just rinse them off and they're safe. If I buy from my local farmers market I can just ask the guys I'm buying from if they use any pesticides. Of course I won't buy from them if they're using anything stronger than compost tea. But what about the lettuce I get at the Corner Market?

Did you know that there are pesticides that are actually absorbed by the plant? Systemic pesticides circulate through the plants tissues. The idea is to increase food production by killing the insects that feed on the plant, but unlike traditional pesticides, you can't wash off the residue because it's in the plant's tissues. These chemical are absorbed by the plant and poison all of the plant including the pollen and nectar of the flowers. The butterflies and bees that pollinate these plants are in turn poisoned. Imagine how this affects our entire ecosystem. After a good soaking with these pesticides, this poison is not only eking its way into the tomatoes you’re planning on putting in your salad, it’s in the soil. Now imagine that it rains, those poisons are being washed into our public water supplies and our streams where they are contaminating the fish and other sea food that we eat. Pesticides are poisonous! The most notable case would have been the Bhopal, India disaster in 1984. I realize that may be an extreme example, but people are poisoned by pesticides every year.

There are alternatives to buying contaminated produce. You can purchase organic produce and you don’t even have to search out a speciality health food store anymore. Organic fruits and vegetables are offered at most grocery stores, in fact, I’ve seen them at that big superstore that we invariability run to every week for some necessity. However, you may need to ask for organic fruits and vegetables if they are not currently being offered in you local grocery store.

Another option for avoiding contaminated produce is to support organizations that are trying to protect the health of people and the environment. One such group is the Northwest Coalition of Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). Supporting organizations like the NCAP is a great way that we can help make pesticide use nothing but a bad memory.

If you want to read more about systemic pesticides you can find an article in the October/November 2010 issue of Mother Earth News .

What Makes Food Organic?

First and foremost organic foods must not be genetically modified. It must be produced according to certain production standards, meaning it is grown without the use of conventional pesticides (including herbicides), artificial/synthetic fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and it cannot be processed without ionizing radiation or food additives.

Organic production standards also include strict rules on the composting and application of manure. Organically raised livestock must be given organic feed and kept free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Organic farm animals must have access to the outdoors, including pastureland for grazing.

When buying organic, look for the following regulated terms on food labels: Food labeled "100% organic" has no synthetic ingredients and can legally use the USDA organic seal. Food labeled "organic" has a minimum of 95% organic ingredients. It is eligible to use the USDA organic seal. Food labeled "made with organic ingredients" must contain at least 70% organic ingredients. It is not eligible for the USDA seal. Meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy labeled "organic" must come from animals that have never received antibiotics or growth hormones.

Go here to read more on organic safeguards.

Herbicides, more than just weed killers

I recently read an article about and epidemic called colony collapse disorder (CCD) that is wiping out commercial bee hives. It seems that this is another one of those cases where pesticides are having a negative impact our food supply. You can go here and watch PBS's introduction to the series "Silence of the Bees".

I read an article in the Oct/Nov issue of Mother Earth about how Dow's herbicides persist for years. These herbicides have been found to to contaminate compost. Confront, Dow's clopyralid, was found to be the contaminant that killed many nursery and home garden plants in several states. You can go here and read more.





If you don't know what GEO's are then think about it this way. You want your corn to have specific characteristic, such as being drought resistant, so a scientist inserts specific genes into your corn's genetic make up without having to go through the trial-and-error process of selective breeding.

Some farmers have been planting round-up ready seeds. Round up is a herbicide that kills everything it touches. By planting these roundup ready plants the farmers can spray round up without killing their crops. This is supposed to reduce production costs and increase yield, so food becomes less expensive. Now how do you feel about eating a plant that was genetically altered to resist a herbicide?

The bio-tech industry is exploiting the nations concerns about the future by telling us that GEO are the only way we will be able to feed ourselves in the future and this just isn't true. They are hoping that this scare tactic will allow them to expand there GE crops into other countries. I believe we need to think of the human health concerns.

The studies just don't show that GE crops are yielding more that natural crops. In fact, there ares some weeds that have developed a resistance to the herbicides that are being used with the GE crops. We can garden naturally and get better results if we simply put some for-thought into our crop rotation. For more information on GE foods go here.

Genetically Modified/Engineered Foods

Are you aware that many of the foods you buy every week have been genetically modified?

Do you even know what that means?

Plants have been genetically modified in the laboratory to enhance the desired traits. This was traditionally done through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Whereas genetic engineering can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used.

Now having drought resistant, herbicide tolerance, and pest resistant crop does have it's advantages. But I think it's important to look at some of the disadvantages too. I am mainly concerned about the human aspect. One big concern is the unexpected allergic reactions that can occur especially in children. There really aren't many studies but there are several papers that tell about the monarch butterfly and the rats eating GM potatoes that I encourage you to read. If you are still not concerned about the risk go here.

I have a few updates on what's going on with your food from some fellow blogger that you might find interesting.

Anne over at Twice Bloomed Wisteria talked about her bees and GM corn, you might want to stop by and see what she has to say.

Also, Tocco from Coffee, Coffee, Coffee just posted about how "leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be sourcing their sugar from genetically engineered sugar beets" If you stop by to see Tocco she has also provided a link to sign a letter if you don't want genetically modified sugar.


I recently read that the Arkansas rice farmers have filed a law suit against Riceland. The lawsuit claims Riceland knowingly withheld information from Arkansas rice farmers that one of the company's genetically modified strains had mixed with their crop in 2006. The mixture led to major international rice customers rejecting the crop because of strict policies against such foods.

On a happier note, at Life in the Lost World Jayedee informed us all that the Clabbergirl family of products have come out and clearly stated that they will put no genetically modified corn in their product. Clearly our voices can be heard.