Dangers of GMOs: How to Avoid Becoming an Experiment

GMOs or Genetically Modified Organisms have taken over our food supply (in the US) and the recent defeat of proposition 37 in California seems like a backlash. However, more and more people are now aware of GMOs and have started fighting back by educating people around them and they label GMOs themselves. The battle is not over. Feeding GMOs to the population is equivalent to a giant scientific experiment that is not authorized by us. But why are GMOs such a problem, you may ask. If you have not seen the movie Genetic Roulette, or read the book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating by Jeffrey Smith, you may not be aware of their dangers to your health and the health of the planet. So let me give you 10 reasons why GMOs should be out of your home:

1- A GMO is an organism that has genes from another organism, which goes against any breeding found in nature. Your tomatoes may have fish genes (sic). So being Vegan will become more difficult.

2- The American Academy of Environmental Medicine called on a moratorium on GM Foods and asks doctors to prescribe GM free foods. "GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health".

3- The biotech industry has spent millions with their allies in the food industry to prevent labeling of GMOs in California. If they had nothing to hide, why would they fight so hard to keep GMOs hidden in our food.

4- From 1997 to 2007, the reported food allergies in children have increased by 18%, according to the Government's database.

5- GMOs cross pollinate and their seeds travel. Their contaminaton is ruining the lives of thousands of farmers in India and the rest of the world as they get bullied by the biotech industry, namely Monsanto.

6 - Do you trust a company like Monsanto with your food when said company is responsible for Agent Orange in Vietnam and sues farmers to destroy the competition? The same farmers later on tried to sue Monsanto, reversing the balance.

7 - Even a big Health Insurance giant like Kaiser has now gone against GMOs.

8 - GE or GMO crops have increased the use of pesticides in the US by over 318 million pounds from 1996 to 2009 (GMOs were introduced in 1995). This flies into the myth that GE crops help farmers reduce pesticide use. Roundup (a pesticide) is now in our air, water, and even rain. It is linked to sterility, birth defects, hormone problems and cancer.

9- GM crops don't help feed the world's poor, starving people. That is propaganda from the industry to help promote its products. On the contrary, GM crops are expensive, they are patented which makes seed saving, which has always been done by farmers, illegal. They do not increase yelds, improve nutrition or withstand drought. Organic farming is a lot more efficient at producing crops which are also healthy.

10- The FDA has been bought by the GMO industry. The current head of the FDA, Michael Taylor, used to work as biotech attorney for Monsanto. The result is that no GMO is being tested for safety in the US.

What can you do?

Support any legislation which either pupports to label or ban GMOs.

But the power is in your purchases. The first thing is to avoid most processed foods as they are likely to contain GMOs.

Buying whole organic produce is your best bet.

Also look up resources like The non-GMO project which has a great shopping list of non-GMO products from ethical companies.

Boycott the so-called natural companies which are themselves owned by giant corporations who have voted against Proposition 37.

Educate your neighbors, your family, your community to the dangers of GMOs and WATCH the movie Genetic Roulette. You can make a small donation to watch it on their website. It is well worth the less than $3 they ask for.