What_We_Eat

What We Eat Essay 4 FD Writing 101 We as consumers have a right to know what is going into our food that we eat. We have passed laws for decades now that allow us to make informed decisions and educate ourselves as to the content of a food package. However many companies – the largest of which is Monsanto Corporation have fought tirelessly the intervention of GMO labeling as they know that if people knew that their food had been genetically modified they might not want to purchase such a product – and this would cut into their profit margins – not good for business – and it is the consumer who pays in the end. Most European countries have outlawed GMO product nd yet Americans are largely unaware that GMO’s even exist. Prop 37 was shut down just this last November. Prop 37 read as follows: “Requires labeling on raw or processed food offered for sale to consumers if made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified ways. Prohibits labeling or advertising such food as “natural.” Exempts foods that are: certified organic; unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material; made from animals fed or injected with genetically engineered material but not genetically engineered themselves; processed with or containing only small amounts of genetically engineered ingredients; administered for treatment of medical conditions; sold for immediate consumption such as in a restaurant; or alcoholic beverages.” The bill would force food packaging to be properly labeled for consumers. It seems that worries exist concerning lawsuits. The Santa Cruz Sentinel: “Citizens would be empowered to sue grocers they believe to be selling unlabeled GE foods, without needing to prove any damages. Clearly, this provision would create even more lawsuits. And who would this benefit' Lawyers”. The industry swears genetically engineered foods are safe even though their potential risks have not been fully studied. Back in 1992, the Food and Drug Administration declared GM foods essentially equivalent to foods derived from non-GM plants, and it has implemented no requirements for safety testing. GMO’s have been in the food supply since 1996, which isn’t long enough to tell whether they are having subtle negative effects on our health. Plus, as the advocacy group Food & Water Watch recently reported, long-term safety studies have been limited because the biotech industry uses its patent power to prevent independent scientists from cultivating GM seeds for research purposes. Some independent, peer-reviewed research has suggested trouble, however. GMO’s are capable of creating novel proteins that can turn out to be allergenic, as Australian scientists found when they tested a pea variety that had been engineered to express an otherwise harmless protein from the common bean. A 2009 study by French researchers found that rats fed Bt and Roundup-tolerant corn for three months showed declines in kidney and liver function. While such findings don’t establish that GMO’s are unsafe, they do leave the question wide open- and validate demands for labeling. GMO’s are a “massive experiment on the American people,” says Stacy Malkan, media director for the pro-labeling group Yes on 37 for Your Right to Know If Your Food Has Been Genetically Engineered. “We absolutely have a right to know and choose for ourselves if we eat genetically engineered foods. ”Genetically modified foods have been produced mainly by the company Monsanto which then places patents on their genetically modified seed stock, essentially patenting life. Monsanto is the same company who created agent orange for forest depopulation which has contributed to birth defects in Vietnam for decades. The resulting deformities speak highly of Monsanto’s business acumen. GMO’s have not been properly researched and regulation has been limited, this has been largely due to the fact that many members of the Food and Drug Administration are former employees or lawyers who worked directly for Monsanto in the past. Michael Taylor, who is a former VP and Lobbyist for Monsanto was appointed by Barack Obama as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner at the FDA. Taylor is the same person who as a high ranking official at the FDA in the 1990s promoted allowing Genetically Modified Organisms into the US food supply without undergoing a single test to determine their safety or risks. He is one of many “former” employees of Monsanto who now work directly with the FDA. In order for the FDA to determine if Monsanto’s growth hormones were safe or not, Monsanto was required to submit a scientific report on that topic. Margaret Miller, one of Monsanto’s researchers put the report together. Shortly before the report submission, Miller left Monsanto and was hired by the FDA. Her first job for the FDA was to determine whether or not to approve the report she wrote for Monsanto. In short, Monsanto approved it’s own report. Assisting Miller as another former Monsanto researcher, Susan Sechen. If GMO’s were safe why did Monsanto and other food companies spend tens of millions of dollars trying to defeat Prop 37 in California during the 2012 election season' The top 15 opponents of Prop 37 in California spent over 35 Million Dollars to defeat it. Monsanto alone spent over $8 Million themselves, all to conceal GMO labeling, and mislead the consumer. If GMO’s were safe there would be no reason for Monsanto and other food manufacturers to fight to prevent labeling. Consumers have the right to know what is going into their food and eventually into their bodies. Since 2006 the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act was introduced, requiring food labels to disclose the presence of eight major food allergens. Since 2009 Labels on most fresh meats, along with some fruits, vegetables and other foods, must list where the food originated. In the case of meats, some labels must list where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. County of origin codes and disclosure are now common in most organic supermarkets. For decades food companies have been required to list the ingredients, calorie content and nutritional value contained within packaged food. Only 12 % of the corn grown in the United States is suitable for human consumption either directly or through such substances as high fructose corn syrup. Corn is one of the largest GMO crops in the world. High Fructose Corn Syrup is one of the greatest contributors to diabetes in the world. Prior to the development of the worldwide sugar industry, dietary fructose was limited to only a few items. Mild, meats and most vegetables, the staples of many early diets, have no fructose and only 5-10% fructose by weight is found in fruits such as grapes, apples and blueberries. Honey and molasses and common dried fruits have a content of less than 10% fructose sugar. From 1970 to 2000 there has been a 25% increase in “added sugars”. A system of sugar tariffs and sugar quotas imposed in 1977 in the United States significantly increased the cost of imported sugar and U.S. producers sought cheaper sources. High-fructose corn syrup, derived from corn, is more economical because the domestic U.S. prices of sugar are twice the global price and the price of corn is kept low through government subsidies paid to growers. Health concerns have been raised about high fructose corn syrup, which allege contribution to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Critics of the extensive use of HFCS in food sweetening argue that the highly processed substance is more harmful to humans than regular sugar, contributing to weight gain by affecting normal appetite functions, and that in some foods HFCS may be a source of mercury, a known neurotoxin. We as consumers have a right to know what is in our food so that we can make an educated decision as to what we want to purchase and feed to ourselves and our children. Monsanto should not be allowed to put profit over public health and the larger interest of the population at large. Consumers should be educated and aware of this potentially silent killer. Citations: http://www.neighborsofeaston.com/wordpress/archives/2422 http://www.kcet.org/news/ballotbrief/elections2012/propositions/prop-37-funding-genetically-engineered-food.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29724685/ns/health-food_safety/t/long-sought-food-labeling-law-takes-effect-today/#.UJtKmIb4LHM http://www.livestrong.com/article/336332-food-labels-information-required-by-law/ http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2008/08/20/4274/the-dangers-of-high-fructose-corn-syrup/