Immeasurable Risk of GM food

In my last article, GM Foods – A growing concern, I presented information that proposes that Genetically Modified food has not been adequately tested, shows every sign of being unsafe for human consumption, has not improved yields or had a positive impact on the world food crisis and has led to an increased reliance on highly toxic herbicides and pesticides. The process is an immature and unpredictable science that tampers with the genetic integrity of our food supply and indirectly, with our bodies, our health, our lives.

While the PR machine of the GM industry continues to promise a great deal, to date it has not marketed a single crop with enhanced nutrition, drought-tolerance, salt-tolerance or any other ‘beneficial’ trait. The main trait that has been successfully engineered is extreme herbicide and pesticide tolerance in over 80% of all GM crops. This trait has allowed for increased pesticide use and has caused an epidemic of herbicide-resistant weeds requiring the use of even more toxic pesticides. Conveniently, the same companies that manufacture the genetically altered seeds, are among the world’s largest providers of these pesticides.

Despite persistent concerns about GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), they are spreading so rapidly that it has become almost impossible for consumers to avoid them. Between 1997 and 2005, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a factor of 50, from 17,000 km2 (4.2 million acres) to 900,000 km2 (222 million acres). More than 100 million acres of the world’s most fertile farmland were planted with genetically modified crops just last year. Wind-blown pollen, commingled seeds and black market plantings have extended the propagation of this new technology into the far corners of the world’s food supply – perhaps irreversibly, according to agricultural experts.

Gene-altered crops are already ubiquitous in the United States, but Europe and parts of Asia have restrictions on the use of GM foods, and has tried to halt or slow down their import. Scientists there say that tampering with nature could inadvertently alter species, harm wildlife and give rise to unforeseen ecological and biological problems. They also worry about the long-term health consequences of eating foods that are armed with insecticides, antibiotics and foreign genes as well as being saturated with abnormally high levels of toxic pesticides.

Already, food makers around the world are finding traces of gene-altered crops in foods that were not supposed to be made with them. Midwestern farmers are complaining that wind is blowing pollen from gene-altered crops into neighboring fields planted with conventional corn. Even some organic crops labeled “GM Free” are testing positive for genetic modification.

“We have found traces in corn that has been grown organically for 10 to 15 years,” said Arran Stephens, president of Nature’s Path Foods, an organic producer of breads and cereals based in Delta, British Columbia. “There’s no wall high enough to keep that stuff contained.”

Yet, there have been cases of lawsuits brought against innocent farmers both in the US and Canada by Monsanto where their seeds were inadvertently spread into a farmers field by wind or insects. “Farmers are being sued for having GMOs on their property that they did not buy, do not want, will not use and cannot sell.” – Tom Wiley, North Dakota farmer. But because the seeds are the patented property of the biotech company, they have legal ground to sue for the ‘stealing’ of their technology’.

The fact that ingredients in foods are not required to be labeled as Genetically Modified, is to me the final insult. How can we as consumers protect ourselves and our families from a genetic Trojan horse? We can not measure it’s effect because genetically modified ingredients are not identified as such and therefore illnesses cannot be traced to consumption of these altered foods.

On a personal note, my husband has suffered from increasingly severe food allergies. He has become allergic to any product containing any form of soy, corn, dairy (fed GM crops) wheat, canola oil and more. He hadn’t been allergic to any of these foods earlier in his life. Now he’s become allergic to even more foods, even organically grown fruits and nuts and his reactions are so severe that they’ve become medical emergencies. I believe his hyper-reactivity is caused by the unwitting consumption of GM foods.

Intense allergic reactions to more and more foods, previously not problematic is one of the main reactions to eating GM crops, well documented in animal testing. Further evidence of this to me is that when we travel to countries where GM products are not used, his food allergies gradually disappear. Of course, illnesses of this kind are not being linked to GM crops and that allows the Biotech corporations to reassure us that there have been no reported cases of health problems associated with the consumption of GM foods. To find out how much GM food your family is consuming, click on the link below.

GM foods currently commercialized.

Read a brief Health Risks Brochure by the Institute for Responsible Technology

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