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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 1
Genetically modified food has another name, it is
called the Franken Food.
What
is GMO?
GMO stands for “Genetic Modified Organism”.
Not just between the same species, but also between human, animals & plants, randomly assembling genes from
unrelated species --- using viruses, antibiotic resistance genes & bacteria to be the agent, indicator &
initiator --- forever changing the original genetic codes.
The usual method is:
Extracting a gene segment that contains specific function from a
species, inserting it into another species.
This is not only causing damage & chaos to the
sequence & structure of DNA of the original species, gene mutation could also happen, causing consequences
that are out of control.
Examples
of Genetically Modified Foods
1) “Pesticide-tolerant”
soybean invented for spraying generous amount of pesticides.
2) Corn produces “pesticide” itself.
GMO
Ingredients Have Already Invaded
Take the United States for examples, 88% of corns, 94% of soybeans grown are GMOs.
Even though you are not staying in the U.S., the GMO
ingredients have already invaded your home through processed food & meat products.
If not certified organic, the following foods most
likely contain GMOs:
Meat, fish,
dairy products, eggs, cookies, pastries, breakfast cereal, corn, corn oil, corn
starch, corn syrup, fructose, glucose, aspartame, soybean, soybean powder, lecithin,
isoflavone, soy protein isolate, tofu, tempeh, soybean paste, soy sauce, vegetable
oil, cottonseed oil, rapeseed (canola) oil, xanthan gum, baking powder, MSG,
vitamin B12, vitamin E………
Monsanto’s
Two GM Crops
GM crops are usually related to the use of pesticides.
RoundUp ( a highly toxic herbicide ) is the signature product of pesticides manufacturer Monsanto.
Monsanto had also invented the following 2 main
categories of GM crops:
1) “RoundUp-tolerant” crops ( such as RR Soybean )
Can spray RoundUp generously,
surrounding weeds are killed, but these soybeans aren’t.
These soybeans carry lots of RoundUp
residues, and weeds have also developed resistance, therefore more RoundUp
needed to be sprayed.
2) Crops can produce “pesticides” themselves ( such as BT Corn )
Bugs ( including the good ones ) will die if they eat any part of this corn.
Monsanto, RoundUp & GMOs
Transgenic Foods
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.3.23
* Useful Websites:
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 2
The original & pure seeds are becoming extinct.
In the beginning, there are great varieties of crops.
In the United States, 97% of the varieties of vegetables grown at the beginning of the 20th century
are now extinct.
Today, large fields are planted with only one variety
of crop ( which
is usually one of those popular commercial crops, such as corn & soybean ). Mono crop planting has led to the increase of insects &
diseases.
When there are more insects & disease, farmers are
forced to use more pesticides, but when more pesticides are being used, weeds, insects
& diseases developed resistance, thus more pesticides needed to be sprayed…
This is a “business opportunity” for pesticides manufacturers, such as Monsanto.
Controlling
the Seeds
Whoever controls the seeds controls the food.
From 1995 to 2005, pesticides & bio-engineering
corporation Monsanto bought 50 over seeds companies around the world, so that
they can use their genetically
modified seeds to
replace all the other seeds.
About 88% of the corns & 94% of the soybean grown
in the United States are genetically modified ones.
They
are All Linked Together
Mono crops, pesticides, GM seeds, monopolization......they are all linked together.
Corn, Soybean, Rape ( Canola ), Cotton &
Beetroot are the 5 main types of mono
& GM crops in the United States.
Do you know how the food enterprises use the mono crops
to monopolize the food market?
Please watch:
90% Processed Food Items Contain Corn or Soybean – extraction from
Food Inc.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.3.30
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 3
The
American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urged physicians to advise
all patients to avoid genetically modified (GM) food.
Scientists warned that GM food is
related to infertility, accelerated aging, allergy, toxicosis, immune problems, faulty
insulin regulation, changes in major organs & the gastrointestinal system……
Processed food products contained GMO ingredients were
brought into the U.K. market in 1999. A year later, number of people allergic to soybean has a huge increase of 50%.
At least 70% of the processed food products and most of the animal feed contain GM crops.
Pesticide manufacturer Monsanto provides approximately 90% of the GMO seeds in the world.
Two Most Common Types of GM Crops:
1) Can tolerate the spraying of herbicide
RoundUp ( such as RR Soybean )
Herbicide RoundUp is the number one product of Monsanto.
RoundUp is capable of damaging DNA within a human cell
even when diluted down to 450-fold lower concentrations.
The major ingredient of RoundUp is Glyphosate which
carry carcinogenicity, genotoxicity & endocrine
disruptive actions.
And another ingredient of RoundUp,
Polyoxyethyleneamine will “facilitate” cells’ absorption of Glyphosate, thus significantly increases
Roundup's toxicosis in humans.
Roundup is linked to the following: Liver
cancer, skin cancer, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, meningitis, kidney damage, male
reproduction system damage, low testosterone, infertility, imbalanced hormones
in children, DNA damage, endocrine disruption, uranium poisoning……
2) Can produce pesticide itself ( such
as BT Corn )
BT Corn was registered as a type of “pesticide”
!
The cells of BT Corn’s contain BT toxin ( Bacillus
Thuringiensis ), which will kill all
insects ( good or bad ones ) that eat the corn by splitting open their
digestive system with the poison.
Animals ( labs & farms ) that ate Bt. Corn experienced the following
results: Death,
liver & kidney toxicity, blood pressure problems, high blood sugar, anemia,
allergies, infections, infertility, prolapsed uterus, premature deliveries, off-springs
died after born, or off-springs were smaller in size……
German TV – GM Soy in Animal Feed
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.4.6
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 4
Genetically modified crops had caused farmers to be in debt, and the suicide rates to skyrocket.
1999, Monsanto bought Mahyco, the largest seed company
in India. 2 years later, India government approved Monsanto’s genetically
modified BT Cotton to come into the market.
Even if the farmers wanted to buy the conventional
cotton seeds, it’s not available in the market --- because Monsanto had
controlled almost all the cotton seed market in India. Farmers were forced to
pay price 4 times
higher than the
conventional seeds to buy GM seeds, and they had to borrow usury in order to
afford GM seeds.
Monsanto’s advertisement claimed that BT Cotton can
reduce 7 times of the amount of pesticides use, and increase 3 times of the
amount of cotton harvest, but actually it was completely failed, BT Cotton still
needed to be sprayed pesticides in order to kill Bollworms.
2006, BT Cotton was attacked by a rare infection &
damage by the Rhizoctonia,
the harvest were all ruined. India agronomists said there might be bad interaction happening between cotton & BT
gene, thus weakened the plants immunity toward Rhizoctonia.
Because of poor harvest of BT Cotton, many farmers
committed suicide because of debts; the area of Vidarbha was having
3 farmers’ suicidal cases each day on the average.
The World According to Monsanto – extraction
Other
Damages
Lots of livestock fell sick & died because of grazing
on the BT Cotton.
Monsanto’s Roundup triggers over 40 types of plant diseases; as Roundup
use rises, plant disease skyrockets.
Weed & pest develop resistance and turn into hard-to-kill “Super Weed” & “Super Pest”.
RoundUp’s toxin stays in the soil : One
of its ingredients, Glyphosate, degraded only 50% after 22 years.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of
Creation ) originally released on
2013.4.13
* Useful Websites:
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 5
The contamination caused by the
genetically modified seeds is the nightmare for the farmers, and also the
calamity for the global food system.
Contamination
of Gene
The pollens of GM crops contaminate the organic or
conventional crops nearby through agents such as wind, rain, birds, bees &
insects.
In rural area of Mexico, even the corn types that are
considered as national treasure in terms of varieties & purity, also
contaminated by the GM corn in America.
Absurd accuse
The pollens of Monsanto’s GM crops flew to others’
field, contaminated others’ pure seeds, but they turned around and accuse
others of infringing upon the patent of their GM seed.
Monsanto hired a group of “Gene Police”, took sample from others’ field
without permission, then sent letter to the farmers whom crops were
contaminated, accused them of infringing upon Monsanto’s seed patent right, and
demanded the farmers to pay compensation.
Ban on Saving Seeds
In the past, farmers usually would save up a batch of
seeds for next season’s planting.
But Monsanto’s “Seed Patent Right” banned the farmers from saving their GM seeds, forced
the farmers to always have to buy a new batch of seeds.
“Terminator” Seed
If Seed Patent Right can no
longer effectively stop the farmers from saving the seeds, Monsanto might be
using the next weapon --- the “Terminator” genetically modified seed.
“Terminator” GM seed is also called as the “Sterile Seed“, Which is using the Genetic Use
Restriction Technology ( GURTS ).
This “Terminator” GM seed will
create toxin to kill its own embryo --- its plant can only bear fruits once,
but its new seeds cannot be planted again.
Thus every time after harvest,
the farmers must buy a new batch of seeds, while the GM seed Company may raise
up the price of the seeds.
The bigger crisis is: If this “Terminator” GM seed contaminated
other seeds, will it cause
other seeds to be “sterile” too ?
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of Creation )
originally released on 2013.4.20
* Useful Websites:
http://www.banterminator.org/The-Issues/Introduction
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 6
The Label War --- The big battle between the facts & the lies.
The “Right-to-Know” Is Taken Away
If the label tells you there is poison in a food
product, yet you still want to eat it, then that is your choice.
But if there is poison in a food product, but the
manufacturer would not let you know, then you are consuming it unknowingly.
This is taking away “the right-to-know” from the consumers.
Trying Hard to Hide the Facts from Consumers
Bribed, threatened, controlled, accused, modified test
reports, manipulated politic & laws, lie……
A few higher position employees & attorney from Monsanto
were later working in some governmental sectors, such as the FDA ( U.S. Food & Drug Administration ), making regulations & decisions in
favor of Monsanto.
Monsanto & a few other biotech/pesticides corporations
had spent about 46 millions U.S. dollars opposing the law making of “GMO labeling” --- Why were they spending so
much money trying to hide the facts from the consumers?
Anti-GMO Actions around the World
The consumers are no longer ignorantly cheated & manipulated.
United States
The Organic Consumers Association ( OCA ) & other
NGOs initiated “Millions
against Monsanto”
Campaign.
In April of 2013, Senator Barbara Boxer & Congressman
Pete DeFazio introduced the “Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know” Act, which was supported by 9
persons in the senate, 22 persons in the house, & the mass public.
Whole Food ( large natural food supermarket chains )
announced: By 2018 they would require “labeling of genetically engineered
foods” for products sold in their store that were “non-organic” or “not verified
by the Non-GMO Project”.
In 2012, the sales of food products labeled as “GMO
free” is the fastest growing ones among the natural & health food category.
The court of Minnesota ruled that organic farmers can
sue GMO farmers whose pesticides or GM crops trespass and contaminate their
fields.
Europe
Some towns & cities require the foods served at hospitals
& schools to contain no GM ingredients; Hypermarkets such as Carrefour
& Tesco in many countries publicly announced that they would not sell GM food products.
At least 8 countries ban the cultivation of GM crops, they are Austria, French, Germany, Hungary,
Luxemburg, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland.
Japan
In April of 1998, more than 2 millions people signed against GM food
products, and asked
the government to make labeling law. Therefore in April of 2001, the government
implemented the GM
food labeling law;
food contained more than 5% of GM ingredients must be labeled as “GM Food
Product”.
NGOs had conducted educational & advocacy
activities among the public, they asked the schools lunch project to reject GM
foods, and they opposed
the national study & produce of GM crops.
The volunteers of NGOs collected samples at roads
& farms; When discovered GM crop growing there, they would announced it publicly by marking
it on the map. They
also promoted the “Non-GM Agricultural Area”.
In 2004, consumer representatives brought signatures
of 414 organizations & 7 companies and went to the U.S. to persuade them to ban the
cultivation of GM wheat,
otherwise they will try to stop the import of wheat from the U.S. & Canada.
In 2008, alliance of more than 80 consumer groups, together with farmer groups
& 300 citizens went to Australia to persuade them to ban the cultivation of GM Canola ( Rape ).
Note: In the
past, Japan used to buy Canola from Canada, but after Canada started to grow GM
crops, Japan turned to buy from Australia, but later some areas in Australia
also started to grow GM Canola.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of Creation )
originally released on 2013.5.11
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Eating Poison Everyday: GMO 7
Even the cow would not want to eat GM corns.
If you put two bowls of corns in
front of a cow, one is the regular corns, the other one is the GM corns. The
cow takes a smell at the GM corns, then it turns his head and go to the regular
corns and eat.
--- If other option is available,
even the animals would not want to eat the dangerous GM food!
--- We are not without options.
How to choose?
Currently most countries have not set up the “GM food”
labeling law yet, so most of the manufacturers would not tell you that their
foods contain GM ingredients in their food labels.
Soybean, Corn, Rape (Canola), Cotton & Beetroot are the 5 most common types of GM
crops. ( note:
There are other types of GM crops as well ).
Most processed food products & meat
products contain GM
ingredients --- because corn & soybean are the ingredients of 90% of the
processed food, and also the animal feed. ( Note: The names of most of the GM ingredients do
not carry the word “corn” or “soybean”)
Most canola oil or
rapeseed oil, vegetable oil & corn oil are made from GM crops.
Sugar made from sugar beet is most likely to contain GMO.
Even the synthetic vitamins & health
supplements also
contain GM ingredients such as Aspartame.
The
simplest way to discern & select: Buy the “certified organic” food products,
or buy the food products with the “Non GMO” seal verified by the “Non GMO
Project”.
* Compiled & Written: Hui-Zhi ( U-turn of Creation )
originally released on 2013.6.13
* Useful
Websites:
http://responsibletechnology.org/buy-non-gmo/non-gmo-seed (Buy Non GMO
Seeds)
* Resources: 1) Organic
Consumers Association
2) Natural News
3) Institute
for Responsible Technology
4) GM
Watch
5) Green
Peace
6) Consumers
Association of Penang
7) Taiwan Homemaker's Union & Foundation
Previous Series
Eating
Poison Everyday: Pesticides 1-4
Eating
Poison Everyday: Overview 1-4