Come on California, let’s score a win for consumers over Big Ag & biotech this fall. If genetically modified foods are so absolutely fantastically healthy and good for us all, how come Europe has had GMO labelling in place for so long?? Spare me the assurances that screwing around with DNA is safe as can be, especially when those assurances come from the very people who stand to profit most from doing so. Time was when cigarettes were considered healthy too. And let’s not forget the ping-pong match of good foods/bad foods– eggs, red meat, soy products, all manner of diets touted as the next best thing– that have gone back and forth over the years. And of course, there’s also the insecticides (here’s looking at you, DDT), herbicides, and pesticides that have all been condoned for safe use…
As someone one who buys mostly organic food and gets the bulk of my produce from the local farmer’s market, I find it extremely disconcerting that I am denied the ability to make informed decisions regarding my intake of GMOs, which are lurking in God knows how many of my other grocery store purchases.
Creepy:
Almost all the corn and soybeans grown in the United States now contain DNA derived from bacteria. The foreign gene makes the soybeans resistant to an herbicide used in weed control, and causes the corn to produce its own insecticide.
Creepier (the leap to animals makes my skin crawl, anyway):
The current push for labeling in this country stems in part from a broadening of the genetically modified menu to include herbicide-resistant alfalfa and the possible approval this year of a fast-growing salmon, which would be the first genetically engineered animal in the food supply.
You think it’s not creepy? Great– knock yourself out at the GMO smorgasbord. But for the rest of us, the right to make a decision for ourselves should not be hijacked by the interests of Big Ag and the mother of all biotech companies, Monsanto, which has repeatedly demonstrated that obscene profits are the only real motivator, environmental and human health concerns be damned. Of the above-mentioned salmon, the FDA says, “There is a reasonable certainty of no harm from consumption of food from this animal.” (italics mine). Oh goodie, I feel so reassured. They might as well say, “Well, hell if we know if it’s really safe, but we’re going to go ahead and cave to political and corporate interests until the long-term studies show up in a few decades.” If it turns out there’s been a massive impact on the ecosystem?– oops, their bad. But wait, it gets better: upon what was the FDA’s reasonable certainty based? Largely on the data submitted by AquaBounty, the creator of said Frankenfish. Move along, move along, no conflict of interest to see here.
While there may be no putting the GMO genie back in the bottle, just label the damn things already and let the market decide their fate. If there’s nothing to worry about, then these companies should be fine with being out and proud about their products. They can tout the benefits of GMOs and woo consumers the old-fashioned marketing way rather than resorting to stealth measures.
And for any of you who want to go missionary on me about how GMOs are going to solve world hunger and generally save the world, please read this before you get back to me. In fact, read all the damn links here. While it may seem hyperbolic to call Monsanto “evil,” I find it hard to come to any other conclusion after an hour or so of reading articles. The immorality at work is just breaktaking. Heartrending. I could go on. But you get the idea.
angryXer 