GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Genetic engineering
is a process where genes from one organism are moved into the genome of
another organism. In the case of genetically engineered foods, genes
from bacteria or other plants or organisms are moved into foods such as
soybeans, corn, potatoes, and rice to provide herbicide-tolerance and/or
insect resistance to the plants. Plants aren't the only things that are
being subjected to this unrefined technology, trees and animals such as
salmon (AquAdvantage Salmon) are either in production or awaiting FDA approval.
GMO's are in approximately 70-75% of our foods, everything from milk, meat, cereals, crackers, and many more. Even foods labeled organic maybe contaminated from nearby conventional farms. The only true way to tell if it doesn't contain GMOs is to look for a label stating that the product is GMO free.
Mothers across our country are very concerned, as you should be. GMOs threaten the health of our children and the environment. There is no possible way to test the long term effects of these organisms and the chemicals that aid in their production. Perhaps they are one of the causes behind increased rates in autism and childhood developmental disorders. It is our job to protect and nourish our children. Let start simple with food. Lets aspire to feed our children organic whole foods. Lets aspire to know where our food is coming from. Lets aspire to view food as medicine and pleasure simultaneously!
We, as Americans, need to stop consuming genetically engineered food immediately AND stop supporting the systems and businesses, like Monsanto, that profit from their manufacture and the destruction of the environment. We must be mindful of where our food is coming from and what chemicals have been used to grow them. This is a frightening except from the site Mother Earth News Glyphosate, Roundup's active ingredient, has been linked to birth defects in birds and amphibians, as well as to cancer, endocrine disruption, damage to DNA, and reproductive and developmental damage in mammals. Roundup-Ready crops are genetically modified to withstand drenching with this weedkiller.
GMOs are BANNED in the following countries.
Germany
Germans have banned the growing of all GMO crops.Ireland
GMO crops have been banned from growing in Ireland, and Ireland has a voluntary GM food labeling system.Austria, Greece, Hungary, Luxembourg and Bulgaria
These countries have banned GMO crops and have banned the sale of GM foods in their countries.France
France has banned the growing of GM crops. As of May 16, 2012, France has re-instituted its ban on Monsanto’s MON810 GM corn from being grown in the country. A high court in France overturned a 2008 ban last year, but growing sentiment in France pushed the French minister of Agriculture to reinstate the ban this past May of 2012.Madeira
The island country off of Portugal banned growing GMO crops in 2010.Switzerland
The Swiss banned the growing of all genetically modified crops, as of 2005, and this ban has been extended through at least 2013.Mexico
As of October 2013, the Twelfth Federal District Court ordered the Mexican government to ban the planting of all genetically modified maize (corn), as well as halt all commercial pilot test plots. As to whether this will translate to a complete ban of GMOs in Mexico remains to be seen.Japan
Japanese law bans the growing of any genetically modified seeds or crops in Japan. However, Japanese food manufacturers are actively importing “Roundup Ready” GMO canola grown in Canada primarily to manufacture canola oil. As a result, scientists have found that the GMO canola variety is now growing wild along roadsides and ports that have been the supply line for canola importation.Australia
Australians have been successful in banning GMO crops from being grown in South Australia and in Tasmania.New Zealand
Kiwis have banned the growing of any GMO food in the country.Venezuela
Venezuela’s 1999 Constitution Article 127 prevents patents of the genome of any living organism. Since then the country has been active in preventing the growing of GMO crops within the country. In 2014, the Venezuelan government passed legislation updating the Law on Seeds, Products for Animal Production and Biological Inputs. This revision has effectively banned the cultivation of genetically modified seeds within the country.Brazil
Brazil is a big producer of GMOs but smaller growers have been pushing to ban GMOs. In 2012, a high court in Brazil ruled that Nestle – one of the largest brands in Brazil – must label any food with more than 1% genetically modified ingredients as a GMO – containing product. By virtue of the ruling, GMOs must be labeled in Brazil.India
India’s cotton farmers experienced a disaster with their 2007-08 crop of cotton when they used Monsanto’s GM cotton seed. Over 125,000 Indian farmers committed suicide because their crops were so bad that they lost their farm and homes to banks.In 2010, the government instituted a ban on GMO eggplant due to this tragedy and further information provided by scientists and agricultural experts. The Bt Brinjal variety was banned due to concerns of the seeds contaminating other self-sustaining crops.
The Monsanto seeds are also “terminator” seeds, which require the farmer to purchase the seeds – at a price 1,000 times the price of a normal seed – each year from Monsanto. With natural seeds, farmers often produce their own seeds to plant the next year.
Thailand
After GMO papayas began to contaminate other cropland in field trials, Thailand has been working to reduce their use of GMO crops. Japan then banned the importation of Thailand papayas (as well as papayas from Hawaii – which are now predominantly genetically modified).Georgia
In December of 2013, the nation of Georgia passed a law banning the importation of genetically modified seeds into the country without a specific license to do so. The country’s Environment Minister Khatuna Gogaladze stated:“The purpose of the bill is to create a single state system of bio safety that will regulate the use of living genetically modified organisms.”
United States of America
In the United States, several states have attempted to ban GMO crops or require labeling for GE foods but have faced legal opposition, with many having backed down from legal pressure – some say from Monsanto’s lobbyists and lawyers. Some states, such as California and Washington, have put GMO labeling on ballot initiatives.California’s initiative was barely defeated in 2012, and Washington State’s initiative in 2013 was also defeated. But the story doesn’t end there. In February of 2014, California State Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) introduced Senate Bill 1381. This bill would require labeling for genetically engineered food ingredients exceeding 1% of content. Unlike California’s Proposition 37 defeated in 2012, this bill does not penalize unknowing participants in the form of farmers or retailers, and does not prohibit labeling a GMO-product as “natural.”
In April of 2014 the Vermont State Legislative House passed H.112 – requiring non-dairy and non-meat genetically-modified food products to be labeled. On April 24, 2014, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin said he will sign the bill into law. Many expect Monsanto to file legal challenges to the law.
Meanwhile, some 28 initiatives have sprung up in other states, and Connecticut passed the first GMO-labeling law in the United States. This law, House Bill 6527, passed on June 3, 2013. The law dictates that all GMO foods sold in the state must be labeled as such, but only if four other states in the New England region – with an aggregate of at least 25 million residents – also pass GMO labeling laws.
“Two of the five trigger states had to border Connecticut or be New York and New Jersey,” according to a Release from Governor Dannel P. Malloy’s office. Several US Counties Pass Anti-GMO Legislation
A number of counties in the U.S. have also passed anti-GMO legislation
Four counties in the California have banned the planting of GMO crops: Trinity, Marin, Mendocino and Santa Cruz. In December of 2012, Washington’s San Juan county passed Measure 2012-4, which bans the growing of genetically modified crops in the county.The law exempts research and health organizations in secured and controlled fields. The county council on the island (and county) of Kauai, Hawaii approved a GMO disclosure bill for the island (not a banning of GMOs), and this bill was signed into law by Mayor Bernard Carvalho on December 5, 2013.
On December 6, 2013, Billy Kenoi, Mayor of the “Big Island” of Hawaii (a county in the State of Hawaii) also signed into law a bill that would restrict GMOs from being grown on that island. While again not an outright ban, the “GMO” Bill 113 requires open air GMO cultivation to be registered with the county, and it exempts the cultivation of GMO papaya – exempting specifically: “Any person engaged in the open air cultivation, propagation, or development of genetically engineered papaya…” (Section 14 – Exemptions (2)).
On May 20, 2014, Jackson County Oregon voters passed a law banning the growing of genetically modified plants within the county. Neighboring Josephine County also passed a GMO ban, but this may be challenged in court because of Oregon’s 2013 bill 633 outlawing the ability of Oregon counties to regulate GMOs – or seeds and farming practices in general.
Yes, in some states, such as North Dakota, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Oklahoma, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oregon and West Virginia, state legislatures have passed or moved to pass laws banning localities such as cities and counties in their states from passing their own GMO-free laws such as the ones discussed above.
And the U.S. House of Representatives have attempted to nullify the states’ rights to require GMO labeling with the King Amendment of the 2013 farm bill. While the King Amendment has been dropped, the attempts to nullify states’ rights to require GMOs continues.
The U.S. GMO-free battle rages on.
WE MUST TAKE ACTION NOW. TAKE ACTION IN THE GROCERY STORE. . . PERHAPS VISIT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS MARKET MORE OFTEN. TAKE ACTION POLITICALLY. FIND OUT ABOUT GMO ISSUES SPECIFIC TO YOUR COUNTY AND STATE. TAKE ACTION COMMUNALLY BY INFORMING FRIENDS ABOUT GENETICALLY ENGINEERED PRODUCTS.
PLEASE JOIN MOMS ACROSS AMERICA AND MOMS AGAINST GMOs TODAY!
Helpful links:
http://www.nongmoproject.org/
http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/news/whole-foods-market-commits-to-full-gmo-transparency
http://www.ota.com/pp/regulatory/OTA-Position-on-GMOs.html
http://www.nongmoproject.org/
http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/news/whole-foods-market-commits-to-full-gmo-transparency
http://www.ota.com/pp/regulatory/OTA-Position-on-GMOs.html
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