If we are what we eat, as the phrase goes, and we value good health, exercise, and making healthy food choices, would we knowingly ingest bacteria or viruses? Of course not. However, viruses and bacteria are used to genetically modify crop seeds, which are slowly invading America’s food supplies. The science is known as biologics. For the nonprofessional, because bacteria and viruses can effectively penetrate cell walls, they are used as elite limo services to transport foreign DNA, proteins, and other organisms into targeted cells. In the case of genetically engineered foods the target cells are those of corn, beans, tomatoes, cotton and a host of other foods.
Biologics is the science of ‘recombinant’, or artificial DNA. Monsanto controls the genetically engineered seed market as well as the herbicide and pesticide markets. Herbicides and pesticides are required when growing GM seeds. In fact, farmers are required to sign contracts that bind them to exclusively use Monsanto’s Round-up herbicide, when planting “Round-up Ready” GM seeds. It should be noted that Monsanto refuses to make public laboratory results involving glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round-up, and its relationship to abnormalities in rats.
Monsanto purports that genetically modifying seed is harmless, that it increases yield and, therefore, profit and, that it could solve world hunger. They trivialize the affects of such alteration of food, at the cellular level, while actively fighting those who would establish labeling laws that specifically identify foods that include GM ingredients. Without adequate labeling, information about what food contains GM ingredients, tracking health reactions to such foods by public health officials, and avoidance by the public, is almost impossible. Simply put, If genetically modifying food is safe, why the concern about labeling? What is the biotech industry afraid of?
Since World War II, as each revolutionary chemical was introduced to the public insecticides (DDT), fire retardants (PBDEs ) , herbicides (Round-up), Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) , and the myriad of others, repeatedly, failure by the FDA to test and adequately protect the public from their harm has caused suffering and increased pollution of our environment. Environmental pollution has escalated to the extent that newborns, which have been harder and harder to conceive these days, are found to be pre-polluted at birth . They have in their tiny new blood streams, many of the chemicals found in the chemical soup of life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Many consumers believe that biologics should not be involved in food production. Nonetheless, Monsanto remains a driving force to advance genetically modified food. Since they have positioned themselves for the greatest profit, they are at the center of much of the controversy. As revealed in the movie ‘The Future of Food’ Monsanto pressures across multi levels of government agencies, businesses, farming, and the legal systems, both nationally and internationally, with a single goal of controlling the worlds food production from proprietary seeds and herbicides to pesticides. Even the laboratories of many U.S. Land Grant Universities have become extensions of the powerful biotech community. There have been suggestions that their strong financial influence have successfully forced professors, who disagree with their influence, to leave the programs. Former Monsanto executive and board member have infiltrated government agencies, charged with protecting the public interest, from the FDA, EPA, US Chamber of Commerce, even to the US Supreme Court.
An example of Monsanto’s power in congress is Senator Lugar of Indiana, who presents himself as an environmental and energy conscientious leader and has received Monsanto's financial support for most of his career. He works hard for Monsanto, as is evident on his web site that publishes many of his pro-GM speeches. The consistent message is his commitment to Monsanto and GM farming. On July 2, 2008, he addressed the American Enterprise Institute . Monsanto representatives were blatantly present in the audience and were acknowledged by Senator Lugar. It was an instance which exposed the shadowy figure below the surface of Lugar’s career, and exemplified the extent of comfort Monsanto enjoys in its powerful influence.
It has taken but a short time for the biotech industries to accomplish such broad influence through infiltration and they have had help from the exploding big-box grocers, such as Wal-Mart, where the greatest number of GM foods is sold. Consumers are lead to believe that cheap food is, somehow, comparable to quality food and competition for grocers who offer food with integrity and quality is difficult. That said, it does not even speak to the extent of environmental damage and the potential to diminish, if not destroy, the worlds agricultural biodiversity that genetic modification of food represents.
Food is the basic currency of powerful civilizations and ours must be safe, healthful and desired by all nations. We should heed the rest of the world, which has rejected U.S. genetically engineered products .
If we are what we eat, we must demand that our food is safe and healthy, and produced in such ways as to not destroy the environment. We must continually ask that our government agencies, like the FDA, EPA and others, charged with the responsibility of assuring food safety and quality, protect American consumer’s health and the American family farmers, not Monsanto’s, and other biotech corporation’s, bottom lines.
