GM crop escapes into the American wild

transgenic canola now growing freely in north dakota. full article at nature news.

Food-the ultimate global weapon

Fellow blogger Robbyn at The Back Forty-over the hill homesteading has posted an eye opening editorial on Monsanto's (whom I like to refer to as the axis of evil) terminator seed. I urge all my readers to take the time to read through her commentary.

Like me, maybe you knew about Monsanto's Frankenfood technology and the terminator seed, but did not realize that our very own government was behind it from the very beginning, according to this article from 2006 at globalresearch. ca. , the center for research on globalization.

The Dangers of GMO's - on my soapbox

People who know me best know that I buy and eat organic and non GM (genetically modified) food as much as one possibly can on a limited budget and with limited sources. That being the main reason for growing our own produce the past couple of years. One I began educating myself I felt we had no alternative if we wanted access to healthier, safer food.

On light of my rant against GM food, I am urging my readers to review Genetically Modified Foods: Toxins and Reproductive Failures, a highly informative article from the Institute for Responsible Technology. I can't emphasize enough just how much I feel we need to make ourselves aware of what we may be blindly consuming.

Also from the Institute for Responsible Technology, below is a list of GM foods.

Genetically Modified Foods at a Glance

Here is a summary of what crops, foods and food ingredients have been genetically modified:

Currently Commercialized GM Crops in the U.S.
(Number in parentheses represents the estimated percent that is genetically modified.)
Soy (89%)
Cotton (83%)
Canola (65%)
Corn (61%)
Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%)
Alfalfa, zucchini and yellow squash (small amount)
Tobacco (Quest® brand)

Other Sources of GMOs
Dairy products from cows injected with rbGH.
Food additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents, including the sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet®) and rennet used to make hard cheeses
Meat, eggs, and dairy products from animals that have eaten GM feed
Honey and bee pollen that may have GM sources of pollen

Some of the Ingredients That May Be Genetically Modified
Vegetable oil (soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola), margarines, soy flour, soy protein, soy lecithin, textured vegetable protein, cornmeal, corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, fructose, citric acid, and lactic acid.

Some of the Foods That May Contain GM Ingredients
Infant formula
Salad dressing
Bread
Cereal
Hamburgers and hotdogs
Margarine
Mayonnaise
Crackers
Cookies
Chocolate
Candy
Fried food
Chips
Veggie burgers
Meat substitutes
Ice cream
Frozen yogurt
Tofu
Tamari
Soy sauce
Soy cheese
Tomato sauce
Protein powder
Baking powder
Alcohol
Vanilla
Powdered sugar
Peanut butter
Enriched flour
Pasta

Non-Food Items That May Contain GM Ingredients
Cosmetics
Soaps
Detergents
Shampoo
Bubble bath

Sign up for our newsletter, Spilling the Beans, to keep informed of any new genetically modified foods.

Download this document in MS Word format.

COOL-for Your Own Safety

Yesterday, as I sat at the table discussing politics and consumerism, food safety and other paramount issues that affect Americans (mostly without their knowledge) I asked the questions, “What if the wheat gluten that contaminated our pet food supply also got into our food supply?” It seemed entirely possible, as we import food products from China and wheat gluten is a common ingredient in many of our food products and food producers feed livestock just about anything, including pet food.

Well, according to federal health officials at least 2.5 million broiler chickens from an Indiana producer were fed pet food scraps contaminated with the chemical melamine and subsequently sold for human consumption. It’s believed that hundreds of other producers may have also sold an unknown amount of contaminated poultry in recent months resulting in a much broader consumption of contaminated feed and food than had previously been acknowledged in the widening pet food scandal. Go here to read the May 2 article at the Washington Post.

The second topic that came up at the dinner table yesterday was about not knowing where our food comes from, (which is good enough reason to me, at the very least, to avoid processed foods). Often you’ll read a label and all it will tell you is where it was packaged, not where it was actually produced. I suspected that was a purpose driven “oversight” that allowed food corporations to buy cheap imported ingredients, possibly of questionable safety and quality.

Ironically,the 2002 Farm Bill explicitly mandated that Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on foods go into effect by September of 2004. Nearly two years have passed since that deadline and nothing has changed, except now we have major retail chains (such as Wal-Mart, Meijers and Krogers for example I highly assume), carrying their own brands of USDA certified organics due to consumers demand. Let’s have a look at this…

Corporate agribusiness and retail chains like Wal-Mart have fought the implementation of COOL, claiming it will be too costly for the consumer and producer. The truth is, Wal-Mart, and the supermarket chains bribed Congress with millions of dollars to block implementation of COOL labels. As a result, Americans are buying billions of dollars of imported foods without knowing it, while cheap, bogus "USDA Organic" food from China is starting to appear on the shelves of Wal-Mart and other Big Box chains.

In order to promote health and sustainability, and to save North American family farms, we need to restore our right to know where our food is coming from. Enforcing COOL laws will have a positive impact on the U.S. economy, as more and more consumers choose food products that are grown on American farms. At present, the U.S. imports more food than at any time in history and many of these imports are traditionally domestically grown crops.

So, what can we do? Speak out while we can! Visit the Organic Consumers Association and make your voice heard if you value food safety and organic standards and believe we should be supporting local food growers and manufacturers.

We must NEVER, EVER assume our government has our best interest at heart. Those who make “our” decisions (the ones that affect the safety and welfare of every one of us) have proven time and time again that they do not have our best interests at heart. The only ones who can bring about change are we, the people. If I sound fired up it’s because I am. We must stop our complacency and stop naively believing and depending on others to do what is in our own best interest.