Genetic Roulette: Documented Health
Risks of Genetically Engineered Food
From E-coli, to tainted imports, the list of issues concerning food safety and our food supply continues to grow. However mainstream media's coverage devotes little consistent attention to one of the most serious health dangers faced everyday by humans, animals and our environment; genetically modified (GM) foods and GMOs. Jeffrey Smith, executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, is a leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified foods and the author of the acclaimed Seeds of Deception .
His latest book Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Food , brings to light previously inaccessible insider documents about GMO safety trials, 65 health risks, as well as the underlying nexus of powers behind the proliferation of GMOs and GE foods. Luminaries from every sector praise Smith's new book; from Dr. Jane Goddall, Candace Pert, Ph.D., Frances Moore Lappe, David Suzuki, countless doctors, scientists and even the molecular geneticist, Martineau, who co-developed one of the first genetically engineered (GE) crops, the Flavr Savr Tomato. U.S. Senator, Jon Tester adds that “Unlabeled GMOs in our food works against what I have learned in my 30 years as a family farmer. Agriculture should be sustainable, food should be healthy and safe, and people deserve to know what they're eating.”
Jennifer: How much of our food supply is affected by GE foods? How are Americans misinformed on GMOs?
Jeffrey Smith: 60% of consumers mistakenly believe they have never eaten one in their lives. Another 15% say, “I don't know.” In reality, most Americans eat some GM ingredients daily. Although there are only 4 major GM crops (soy, corn, canola and cotton), their derivatives are found in 60-70% of foods in grocery stores. Moreover, the biotech industry hopes to engineer the remaining grains, fruits, and vegetables. There is also dairy products from cows injected with rbGH and animal products from animals that have eaten GM feed. Some of the ingredients that may be Genetically Modified include: vegetable oil, vegetable fat and margarines (made with soy, corn, cottonseed, and/or canola), soy (fl our, protein, isolates, isofl avones, lecithin, and soy protein supplements), vegetable proteins, (TVP), tofu, tamari, tempeh, corn (fl our, gluten, masa, starch, syrup, cornmeal), and High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). I estimate that 90% of processed foods contain at least a small amount of GM ingredients, primarily due to the corn and soy derivatives.
Last month an article in Scientific American stated “A new green revolution based on genetically modified crops can help reduce poverty and hunger.” What have the AG Biotech industry's assumptions and practices been in regards to GM foods?
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by biotech companies trying to convince the world that GM crops are needed to feed the world. Their message targets those in developed countries in order to create an impression that it is morally wrong to oppose the technology. If GM crops are truly the solution to hunger, all fi ve of the following statements must be true. GM crops must: 1. Be safe; 2. Produce higher yields; 3. Have consistent and reliable yields; 4. Be better than competing options; 5. World hunger must be solvable by increasing food productivity. All fi ve are false. A close examination shows that they work against feeding a hungry world. They are unsafe, have lower than average and inconsistent yields, and are inferior to other proven approaches. Moreover, poverty is more fundamental than productivity in this regard, but this is obscured by the biotech propaganda.
In Genetic Roulette you mention “genetic engineering creates widespread, unpredictable changes.” Can you please briefly explain more about this?
The process o f i n s e r t i n g genes into crops creates massive collateral damage in the DNA. This, plus the new protein in the food, may produce allergies, toxins, new diseases or nutritional problems. In addition, the inserted gene might transfer into our own DNA or that of our gut bacteria. The only human GMO feeding study confi rmed that genetic material inserted into soybeans ended up stably integrated in gut bacteria DNA. This means that long after you stop eating GM foods, you might still have their foreign proteins produced inside of you.
What are some of the most notable dangers of GMOs to both humans and animals shown by studies?
Lab animals fed GM diets show damage to virtually every system studied and thousands of sick, sterile and dead animals are traced to GM feed. (Please click here for a detailed excerpt, with references, of the studies documenting these effects, including allergic reactions from GM soybeans (HGT), GM corn, and even Bt cotton triggering allergic reactions in farm workers.)
From the multiple health dangers shown in studies like the Flavr Savr tomatoes, to Roundup Ready soy, and “ Liberty Link” and Bt corn, why aren't we able to rely on the U.S. FDA to protect our public health and interest?
Rhetoric from Washington since the early 1990s proclaims that genetically modified (GM) foods are no different from their natural counterparts that have existed for centuries. But this is a political, not a scientifi c assertion.
Numerous scientists at the FDA consistently described these newly introduced gene-spliced foods as cause for concern. In addition to their potential to produce hard-to-detect allergies and nu- tritional problems, the scientists said that “The possibility of unexpected, accidental changes in genetically engineered plants” might produce “unexpected high concentrations of plant toxicants.” GM crops, they said, might have–“Increased levels of known naturally occurring toxins, . . . appearance of new, not previously identifi ed” toxins, and an increased tendency to gather “toxic substances from the environment” such as “pesticides or heavy metals.” They recommended testing every GM food “before it enters the marketplace.”
But the FDA was under orders from the first Bush White House to promote the biotechnology industry, and the political appointee in charge of agency policy was Monsanto's former attorney— later their vice president. The FDA policy ignored the scientists' warnings and allowed GM food crops onto the market without any required safety studies.
What is the The Campaign for Healthier Eating (CHEA) about? How are you and others supporting the natural and organic food industries' new labeling movement?
CHEA may be the key to stop the genetic engineering of the food supply in North America . We modeled the strategy after what happened in Europe . After their media reported the risks of GM foods in early 1999, consumer concern reached a tipping point. Within a single week, virtually all major food manufacturers committed to remove GM ingredients from their European brands. This market rejection has kept GMOs out, in spite of offi cial approvals by EU authorities. GM food flourishes in the US on the basis of consumer ignorance. This leaves the agricultural biotech industry extremely vulnerable. If the health risks got onto the national radar screen, a European-style tipping point could be achieved. Since US food companies do not gain any advantage from using GM ingredients, even a small percentage of consumers changing brands based on GM content could accomplish it. We believe that 5% of shoppers—15 million people or 5.6 million households—is more than suffi cient to trigger an industry-wide cleanout.
Fortunately, consumer rejection of GM foods does not rely on altruism or environmental concern. After hearing a short presentation on the health dangers of GM foods, most audience members plan to change lifelong eating habits—to protect themselves and their families. Already, 28 million Americans buy organic food on a regular basis and about 87 million consumers believe that GM foods are unsafe. But most people do not work hard to avoid GM foods—they usually do not know how. We will remedy this. Working with major CEOs, CHEA is orchestrating an unprecedented cleanout of GMOs by the entire natural and organic food sector. Thousands of health food stores will distribute our Non-GMO Shopping Guide through our GMO education centers. The Campaign will also convey the message that “Healthy eating means no GMOs” through major health websites and healthrelated media. In about 18 months, after the industry has had the chance to remove GM ingredients, stores will institute in-store, on-shelf labeling of any remaining brands that use them.
What is the latest news on how you and others are working internationally toward strategies to end GE proliferation, via education and collaboration?
Immediately after publication in April, organizations around the world presented Genetic Roulette to government offi cials as evidence that GM foods are unsafe and need to be banned immediately. The 65 health risks, each presented in two-page spreads, provides a checklist to regulators. The biotech industry must counter each of the risks with rigorous data or withdraw their dangerous products. This reframes the debate, since we now have overwhelming, irrefutable evidence of dangers in an easily presented format.
At the All Things Organic conference in May '07, when I gave the book to Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, I told him, “I wrote this for you. Each two page spread features a different health risk of genetically modified organisms. You can quickly flip through the executive summaries on the left page, and your staff can read the detailed referenced text on the right.” Just after the Secretary expressed his appreciation for the book, someone from the booth nearby shook his hand and said, “I am with United Natural Foods, the nation's largest natural foods distributor and we are totally behind what Jeffrey Smith is doing. Our CEO Michael Funk and our company are supporting the terrifi c work he is doing on genetically engineered foods.” I couldn't have scripted it better. UNFI, along with Whole Foods, Nature's Path, Eden Foods, Organic Valley, Lundberg Family Farms, and others, are among the leaders in the industry who are organizing the sector-wide removal of GMOs using a third party verifi cation system. Since that meeting, I have been pretty busy. I testified before the EPA, met with leaders on Capitol Hill, presented to various members of the European Parliaments in Brussels , London and Dublin . I spoke by videoconference to a state parliamentary meeting in Australia and gave a presentation to delegates at a UN conference in Paris . I also met with policy leaders in Brazil . I am on my way on a round the world trip this fall. The response to the evidence is fantastic and is having a big impact. As former UK environment minister wrote in the foreword, “The book may well . . . change the global course of events this century.”
What actions can we take as consumers and citizens to help protect our health and support changes in policy?
The most important step is to avoid eating GMOs. We explain how to protect yourself at www. responsibletechnology.org. Also on that site you can learn about our GM-Free School Campaign, which is an easy and powerful local strategy that everyone can participate in. We have a DVD called Hidden Dangers in Kids' Meals , a 60-page manual, and plenty of support. Around the world, education has been key. And this is built in to all the strategies of our Institute for Responsible Technology. These include the Campaign for Healthier Eating in America , the GM-Free Schools Campaign, and education of healthcare professionals and religious leaders.
Ignacio Chapella's documentation of the contamination of Mexico 's corn crops by U.S. GMO corn imports was foreboding. What is that current status on the GMO threat to the global food supply?
An unapproved GM rice variety, last field trialed in 2001, was discovered in US rice stocks in 2006. Within two days of the announcement, US rice futures dropped $150 million and the final price tag for the industry might exceed $1 billion. Numerous smaller scale contamination episodes hurt or ruin businesses every month. We have no technology to fully clean up GMOs from the environment. The self-propagating genetic pollution can theoretically outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste.
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Click here for detailed excerpt, with references, of the studies documenting effects, including allergic reactions from GM soybeans (HGT), GM corn, and even Bt cotton triggering allergic reactions in farm workers.
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Please view our ARCHIVES section for links to many other food, sustainability, healthy living articles, recipes and FOODBITES columns.
Jennifer Joe's interests include being passionate about organic foods, healing, sustainable peace and restorative practices for the people and planet; jjoe@ecocreation. us
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