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Right Out of a Science Fiction Movie...

Posted at 6:12 AM on October 21, 2008 by Gina Keenan (2 Comments)

That is how I would describe the talk my Mom and I went to on Monday night at the University. I can't stop thinking about it. The speaker was Jeffrey Smith, author of "Seeds of Deception". The talk was all about the genetically modified organism (GMO's) in our food, and how we are serving as the laboratory rats for Monsanto's GMO seeds. It is unbelievably scary on so many levels; the corruption of the world's food sources with GMO's; the monopoly Monsanto is starting to have on our seed supply; and the unknown effects these plants will have on our health and the environment. It is disturbing.

But there is hope. With Walmart and Starbuck's recent voluntary ban of bovine growth hormone (bGH) contaminated milk. On the web-site www.responsibletechnology.org there is a list of food items contaminated with GMO's, and guidance on how to avoid them. Eating local foods is listed as one way to avoid them. But I found even with eating 80% or more local, they can still sneak into your diet.

GMO's are found in nearly all non-organic corn, soybeans, cottonseed oil and canola oil. I found that nearly all of our remaining non-local foods have GMO's. Our three standouts are Cheerios, which has cornstarch; Ovaltine which has soy, and our non-organic chocolate chips which have soy lecithin (these are all in the process of being phased out of our household). GMO's are found in nearly all processed foods. They are very difficult to avoid. And what is making it worse is sugar beets are next on the hit list of GMO seeds. GMO sugar beet seeds are expected to be grown commercially next year.

We have stumbled upon just another reason to buy local foods. I have also discovered justification to fork out that extra cash for organic food for those times when we do purchase non-local food.

Comments (2)

Hey Gina,
It's Paulette in Seattle, one of your West Coast sistren. You are absolutely correct.

I am also thinking about people who drink copious amounts of soft drinks, especially those with high fructose corn syrup.
On the bright side for those who still drink pop, more beverages are being made with pure cane sugar or agave nectar or even honey. At a workshop several weeks ago all of the beverages had stevia in them; I did not like the taste.
There are options, even making your own fruit syrups or buying them at the farmers' market and then mixing them with seltzer.

Paulette
Paulette

Posted by P. Thompson | October 27, 2008 2:55 PM

Hello:

I teach Genetics here on the left coast - Seattle, WA. One thing I wanted to mention - rBGH isn't' GM - animals have been given hormones which is different from GM. The GM food which is in the food supply is made up of plants with various genes inserted My students get that mixed up all the time too (and I think the general public).

There are other people besides Monsanto that are doing things - Cornell University actually does a lot. It really depends on how the food is modified (e.g. what gene is moved in) and how people are consuming it. We eat Bt toxin (toxic to insects due to their different physiology but not to humans) in organic foods - it is actually a pesticide that can be used by the organic farmers - the evolution of the pests due to overuse of the Bt is definitely an issue.

I have mixed feelings about GM - I'm not against it - the thing is that we don’t' really know how things might affect us long term (like DDT was considered "safe") - but on the other hand, we have been modifying food by breeding it selectively throughout our species' history. I think GM food should be labeled so that people can decide whether or not they want to consume it. However, I do not have a problem with GM food, so I will consume it, but people should have a choice.

It is important to differentiate the types of genes being inserted into food, and how they are inserted. Some have pesticide resistance, some have herbicide resistance, but some have drought resistance etc. I think the people who talk about "frankenfood" and putting strange animal genes into plants are alarmist. I think scientists know that wouldn't fly for people.

Posted by Renee | October 27, 2008 5:28 PM