Just recently, the "Monsanto Protection Act" was passed into law, effectively putting Monsanto above the law. I wanted to outline who Monsanto is, what the law is, how it was passed, and what it means to you and I and our loved ones' collective health if we continue to eat the GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) that they are responsible for.
First, let's take a look at Monsanto. They are one of the world's largest Biotech companies at over $42 Billion in market cap per year. Their enormous growth can be attributed to very effectively cornering the market on much of the world's genetically modified seed supply used to grow crops, and the poisonous pesticides used to fertilize them. Here's a link to a great breakdown of some of the wonderful contributions that Monsanto has supplied us over the years:
http://gmo-awareness.com/2011/05/12/monsanto-dirty-dozen/
This link also goes into their introduction of GMO's (genetically modified organisms) to our food supply beginning in the 1990's. Today, over 85% of the corn and 90% of the soybeans that go into the food supply in our nation are genetically modified, which translates to about 80% of the processed foods you'll find in your grocery store having GMO's in them. Nearly all fast (fake) food carries GMO's as well. What are GMO's, how do they effect us, and what can we do to avoid them? Here's a brief explanation from the foremost expert on the adverse effects of GMO's, Jeffrey Smith, followed by a parody on GMO's:
The animated film does a great job (in a humorous and somewhat scary way) of outlining exactly how Biotech's like Monsanto are treating the population at large like guinea pigs with their pesticides and GMO crops. Their goal is nothing short of squashing all organic farming worldwide and cornering the food market with their GMO farming methods.
How do we stop this? With our wallets! As was mentioned, you can go to http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/ to find foods that do not have GMO's. You can also download the "Shop Non GMO" app to your IPhone, or the "Fooducate" app to your android phone. Both of these apps allow you to scan the barcodes in your grocery store to determine if the foods carry GMO's. I also look for the "Non GMO Verified" label on products that I buy, and the "Certified Organic" seal on products which do not carry GMO's.
My family has removed GMO's from our house by focusing on eating only whole foods, organic produce, and by removing all processed foods. It took a while for me to understand how to navigate the GMO landmine that is our local grocery store, but with the Fooducate app, I was able to figure it out pretty quickly.
Why are GMO's allowed into our food supply in the first place? Unfortunately, money talks in America and our politicians have long been a part of the problem. Take a look at John Stewart's explanation of how the Monsanto Protection Act was sneaked past us by our elected officials including President Obama. This despite over 200,000 people including myself signing a petition against its passage:
So essentially, even if someone were to bring a successful lawsuit against Monsanto that proves the harmful side effects of their seed, farmers would be guaranteed to harvest and profit from these crops and they would still be able to find their way into our food supply as a result of this passing.
Unfortunately, our country has been woefully ignorant about GMO's and all of the negative health issues that they cause when compared with the rest of the world. Europe has imposed mandatory GMO labeling as has Australia, Japan, and most other industrialized nations. The main problem stems from the FDA only requiring safety studies from the Biotech companies themselves before approving the product for consumption by the public. This is worse than having the fox guard the chicken coop!
We recently had a chance to finally pass meaningful legislation for mandatory GMO labeling with Prop 37 in California last November and it was defeated with 53% of the vote. How can this take place when polls show that over 90% would like to see mandatory GMO labeling? Monsanto and a number of our largest food suppliers contributed over $40 million to a smear campaign against it on TV to defeat it. Unfortunately, it worked. Here's a link to a list of the biggest contributors to defeat Prop 37 with the most to lose if it had passed:
http://www.carighttoknow.org/tags/syngenta
Take a look at the outcry of anger about GMO's in other countries across the world:
It's time our county joins the fight, and tells our politicians that they shouldn't sell out our health for lobbying $$$ from big biotech's like Monsanto. What are the consequences if we ignore this? How many people do you know that are contracting life threatening diseases lately without getting answers as to the true cause?
I know that my wife recently contracting cancer at her age was a wake up call for our family, and my new purpose in life is to help as many people as possible to live a healthy life through healthy eating. For more detailed information on the specific health impacts of GMO's in your diet, you can visit the following link:
http://gmo-awareness.com/all-about-gmos/gmo-risks/
The father of medicine, Hippocrates, said it best when he stated, "Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food." We have the ability to positively impact our health and the health of our loved ones by following this simple plan:
- Avoid GMO's in our diet whenever possible using the tools provided in this post.
- Boycott the companies that contributed to defeat mandatory GMO labeling.
- Insist that our elected officials support mandatory GMO labeling and vote for it when it comes up! Support the cause.
- Help to inform everyone that you care for about this topic.
That starts with sharing this post with everyone that you know via all types of social media. Your decision to do so may have an impact on someone's health and well being! Thanks!
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