GMOs. You eat them. Often. This election season while millions of Americans celebrate (or scoff at) the re-election of our country's Commander-in-Chief, many are not aware of a battle in California which could affect the health of the entire nation's food supply.
Companies such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg and Nestle have been utilizing GMO or Genetically Modified Organisms (specifically GMO corn syrup) in their products for decades. What this means, other than further illustrating the fact that we consume GMO's all the time, is that certain companies hire scientists to change the actual genetic makeup of the foods we eat. Why? It seems the further I look into the issue, the more apparent the reason becomes. Money. Anyone surprised? Huge Corporations want money. According to the largest GMO manufacturers, genetically modified plants offer traits such as built-in pesticides, higher crop yields which means more income, and can even be climate change resistant. Companies such as Monsanto offer genetically modified seeds such as Roundup Resistant corn and pesticide-ready Cotton. While these things may sound good taken at face value, millions upon millions of people around the world are eating this genetically altered material, yet zero conclusive studies have been conducted to determine the effects these products have on humans.
Which brings us to Proposition 37: In California, a measure was on yesterday's ballot to make it mandatory for all companies to label foods produced with or in part by GMOs. Note that this legislation was not to halt all production of GMOs or slow manufacturing in any way, only to require companies to label their foods as containing GMOs, should we decide to stop eating these scientist-engineered mutant seeds. Unfortunately, no such luck as this proposition failed in a closely contested race at the polls. So why don't Californians care what they eat? I mean, this is the home of Hollywood, where everyone is on some kind of diet and vegetarians, vegans, and other food-specific consumers roam in large numbers. Why would they not want to know what they eat? Let's look into the campaign a little further.
 |
| Prop 37 supporters await results outside Los Angeles City Hall |
As you could probably expect, large Agribusiness companies funneled exorbitant funds into the "No on 37" campaign, outspending those in favor of the food labeling initiative by just about a 5 to 1 ratio. Supporters of the Proposition raised approximately $6.7 million while huge conglomerates such as Dow, Dupont, PespsiCo, & Monsanto ponied up about $49 million for their campaign against. "No on 37" proponents utilized disingenuous ads lacking market research & making claims such as "This Proposition is poorly written and will cost consumers an average of $400 more per year on Groceries". Now I don't know about you, but I'd gladly shell out an additional $400 to know what it is I'm putting into my body. You only get one body after all and I shiver at the thought of being completely unable to monitor what substances I consume. With so much cash influence stacked against this Prop, it was amazing that supporters were able to do as well as they did. 53.1% of Califonians voted against the legislation while 46.9% voted Yes. While Prop 37 supporters may have lost this battle, many involved in the so-called "Food Movement" believe the War has just begun. Pro Prop 37 website NaturalNews stated in an article posted just after the Proposition was defeated, "Monsanto and other companies appear to have won this showdown in California, but they are going to lose the war of deception against consumers. As awareness of GMOs continues to spread, people will demand honest labeling in increasing numbers." It is almost undeniable that this campaign has created much broader awareness for this issue as a whole.
Another area I don't want to miss is suicide. Yes, thats not a typo. SUICIDE. In what has been billed by some as "The Genetically Modified Genocide", over 250,000 farmers in India have committed suicide over the last decade thanks to a company called Monsanto (the largest manufacturer of GMO seeds in the World) patenting genetically altered cotton seeds and migrating there due to new liberal trade legislation to monopolize the seed market. India being a country over 60% reliant on agriculture, the migration of these multinational conglomerates to the region and the spreading of their genetically modified seeds has caused hardship for millions of Indian farmers. It all started back in the early 2000's, when the government of India started economic reforms which included allowing foreign countries and more developed nations to enter India's agriculture market with little government restriction. The result was companies such as Monsanto moving in, planting seeds and utilizing the lowered duty rates now in place by India to import their seeds and products into the country with relative ease. These companies, being logistically and financially well-established, offered the same products grown in India (such as Cotton) at a much lower cost than Indian farmers could provide. By 2002, Monsanto was at it again only this time, they began selling farmers a high-priced genetically modified cotton seed called BT Cotton. In a campaign assisted by India's own government, Monsanto advertised their seeds to farmers claiming they would greatly increase yield, take less time to harvest and lower farmers overall costs by allowing them to purchase less pesticide to keep insects off crops. Sounds groovy, right? If only things worked out that way. The reality was the BT cotton was a sterile crop, meaning farmers had to purchase new seeds each season. Within five years of utlizing these so-called wonder seeds, farmers found that their crop yields were actually declining and the BT crops were required almost twice as much water to grow as traditional cotton crops. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, the BT cotton also ended up becoming infested with parasites & pests causing farmers to have to buy more pesticides than with their former natural cotton seeds.
 |
| Indian BT Cotton plant infested w/ Pests |
These horrible agricultural conditions combined to cause thousands of farmers to be entered into an almost never-ending circle of debt, in some cases leaving them without enough money to feed their families or trapped in harvest seasons where their costs far outweighed their income. All of the above factors have resulted in the alarmingly high suicide rate in India, which is roughly equal to 1 Monsanto-related suicide every 30 minutes. Many Indian farmers leave eerie suicide notes, in which they plead with the government of their nation to repeal the trade laws which have allowed big agriculture to move in and steal their livelyhood. ‘We are ruined now,’ quoted the 38-year-old wife of a farmer who commited suicide. ‘We bought 100 grams of BT Cotton. Our crop failed twice. My husband had become depressed. He went out to his field, lay down in the cotton and swallowed insecticide.’[Source]. (and Yes, Monsanto manufactured insecticide.)
 |
| Farmers rally in protest of GM Crops in Tarnaka, India. |
With all this information on Monsanto, it doesn't seem like a company I'd want in charge of what goes on my body, let alone what goes in my body. If these troubling facts about Monsanto above don't give you pause, perhaps this quote from Monsanto's Corporate Communications Director Phil Angell will make you reconsider: "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food... Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the F.D.A.'s Job". Sound like someone you want manufacturing the food you eat? While we're talking quotes, I found another interesting factoid about the company. In a Monsanto pharmaceutical plant cafeteria in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire a prominent sign reads, "as far as practicable, GM [Genetically Modified] soya and maize has been removed from all food products served in our restaurant. We have taken the steps to ensure that you, the customer, can feel confident in the food we serve." Thats right folks. They don't drink their own Kool aid, so why should we? The real problem we have now with Proposition 37 failing is that Californians still don't have the right to know when GMOs are present in our food. Its great that employees at the company creating the genetically modified foods get a choice but what about the people actually consuming the stuff??
Even with all this doom & gloom, there is still a silver lining.. People are awakening, the information age has offered Californians, Americans and most of the world access to an almost unlimited wealth of knowledge. And now that the people are getting tapped in to it, companies like Monsanto and Dow and other GM plants should find it much more difficult to pull the wool over our collective eyes. Even countries with failing economies like Russia or established nations like China all have country-wide regulations in place requiring labeling of GMO foods. This election, over 4 million Californians voted in favor of Prop 37, despite having only a fraction of the financial backing of those opposed. This is more than enough people to have a voice just about anywhere.
In summation, the so-called "Food Movement" is very real, people want to know what goes into their bodies and their children's bodies. Next election season, expect to see more measures like Prop 37 on the ballot and similar legislation popping up across the nation. This battle may be over, but nothing can stop the momentum of information, which I believe to be the key weapon to winning the war for the rights of the American consumer.
No comments:
Post a Comment