There is a big story brewing on America’s farm fields, but no one is saying much about it. It’s the tale of GMO’s, or Genetically Modified Organisms.
Since the mainstream media hasn’t covered GMOs very much, most of us know very little about what they are, why they were created, what they do and whether that is good or bad.
GMOs are seeds – soybeans, corn, cotton and canola – that have had their DNA altered by a complicated scientific process. When these seeds are planted, several things happen.
Foremost, they produce their own herbicide and pesticide compounds. This supposedly reduces the amounts of weed and bug spray farmers have to put on their fields.
They require less tillage, which reduces the amount of fuel needed to plant and cultivate. And, GMO plants are reportedly more prolific, increasing the amount of food produced to help feed starving third and fourth world countries.
So far, so good. But, there’s bad news.
Seeds from GMO plants won’t germinate, a fact that blindsided a lot of soybean farmers some years ago. Farmers have always kept a portion of their crop for next year’s seed. Those who inadvertently saved and planted GMO seeds got no crop. And even if Farmer A didn’t plant GMO seeds, if Farmer B down the road did, Farmer A’s fields were likely pollinated anyway by the summer breeze. Numerous lawsuits against GMO seed producers remain unsettled.
But, according to NaturalRevolution.org, there is worse news. GMO foods may cause cancer and other serious health problems.
A British GMO research scientist by the name of Arpad Pusztai discovered that rats fed genetically modified potatoes developed precancerous cell growth, atrophied livers and damaged immune systems. Moreover, Pusztai reported in an address before British Parliament, the symptoms emerged within 10 days of the experiment.
As a result of Pusztai’s research, and further studies, which confirmed his findings, GMO foods are now prohibited throughout Europe. Additional findings included the Russian National Academy of Sciences, which reported that half the offspring of rats fed genetically modified soy died within three weeks. Researchers in India documented that 10,000 sheep died a few days after eating cotton plants engineered to produce their own pesticide.
What about this country? NaturalRevolution.org reports that the FDA has no GMO safety testing requirements, even though most prepared foods on grocery shelves contain genetically modified ingredients.
What to do? The good news is organic foods are not allowed to contain genetically altered ingredients. For cooking, stick with olive, sunflower or safflower oils. Check ingredients for genetically modified bacteria and fungi used in producing enzymes, vitamins, flavorings and processing agents.
For further research, check www.responsibletechnology.org, earthjustice.org and geneticliteracyproject.org. Or, we could just move to Europe.
