February 01, 2012

By David Blyweiss, M.D.

In This Issue:

• The lawsuit that might give you a chance to make an informed choice at the grocery store
• The disturbing science that is proving our worst fears about GMO’s… and then some
• How to protect yourself – and maybe even save humanity – from GM foods

Finally, Monsanto is getting a taste of its own medicine. In December 2010, Forbes magazine named them Company of the Year, and they were well on their way to an uncontested, total domination of the world’s food supply.

When you Google Monsanto, the first suggested search that comes up is “Monsanto evil” – which gives you some idea of how they are viewed by most consumers. They have been behind just about every biotech health hazard from saccharin to Agent Orange to DDT. And they have planted powerbrokers on the inside of the Obama administration in order to ensure that even the government stays out of their way.

Teflon has nothing on Monsanto.

But two little words on a bag of corn chips might, finally, make a dent in their considerable armor.

All Natural. That’s right. Frito-lay, which uses GM corn from Monsanto, had the nerve to label their chips all natural. And finally, activists who have been looking for a chance to at least throw a stone at the Goliath of the world food market… got one in. They are bringing a class action suit against Frito-Lay in California, where label laws will be put to the test by voters in November 2012. With the trickle-up target, of course, being Monsanto.

With any luck, this little lawsuit-that-could might give you a way to avoid GM foods at the grocery store by enacting laws requiring GMO’s to be listed on labels.

And it can’t come a minute too soon. Because the latest science is proving our worst fears. Genetically-modified foods may not only be as bad as we feared… they might be worse…

Recently, I shared with you how strict the labeling laws are for natural products and supplements, even when there are numerous studies and years of data to back up claims. All in the name of “consumer protection.”

Which makes the loose laws for labeling GMO foods even more maddening.

Currently, there is no law requiring a label on products containing GMO’s. And no mandatory testing for safety – other than what Monsanto itself decides it wants to perform and release. Their paternal pat-on-the-back is supposed to be enough – don’t worry, it’s safe.

I don’t know about you, but when a company tells me “don’t worry,” that’s when I worry.

The very few scientific studies (performed by outside sources, of course) that have leaked out are downright terrifying in their implications. Not to mention some of the real-world experiences occurring in the world’s fields and farms:

• Organ disruption – specifically to the liver and kidney – when animals were fed GM soy and corn for just 30-90 days. Researchers are calling for longer-term studies, fearing the disruption in such a short amount of time could be the beginning of a much more damaging disease process if observed longer.

• Sterility and infertility – Rats fed GM soy were completely sterile by the third generation, their testicles brown and shriveled. The offspring they did have in the first two generations showed a five-fold increase in infant mortality, lower birth weights and inability to reproduce.

• And in a village in India, buffaloes grazed on cotton plants after harvest for eight years without incident. Until the year when the farm switched to GM cotton seeds. Every single one of the 13 buffalo that grazed on that year’s crop died within three days.

And what we don’t know is even more alarming. Since GM foods were introduced in 1996, Americans with three or more chronic diseases jumped from 7 to 13 percent. But without any human clinical trials, or even post-marketing surveillance programs in place, we have no way of knowing if GM foods have played a role in this substantial increase or not.

One thing seems for sure… what you don’t know can hurt you…

We are essentially being force-fed GM foods without our knowledge or consent. Even the FDA – which I often find on the wrong-headed side of things – has warned that GM foods might create allergies, poisons, new diseases and nutritional problems. But they have been overruled by the White House, and told to promote biotechnology. To ensure they tow the line, guess who’s in charge?

Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney. Seriously, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. It’s like a bad science fiction movie. Taylor was tapped once to develop the FDA’s GMO safety policy. Then, he went back to Monsanto for a while, until he was appointed by Obama himself in 2009, to a newly-created role as Deputy Commissioner of US Food Safety.

I know it might be hard to read all this – and trust me, this is just the tip of the GMO iceberg – and not feel fearful. Some days, I think this is our dinosaur moment. That we are, quite literally, planting the seeds of our own destruction in the name of profit.

Which is why it is so important to stay aware, and make the choice to avoid GMO’s. For your own health – absolutely. But it is bigger than that. It is about giving the next generations – our children, their children, and so on – a chance to have what we once had. Real food.

In just a moment you’ll discover what’s on the Monsanto drawing board, plus a few resources you can use to make informed choices at the grocery store, but first…

The next two products coming down the Monsanto pike will make what they’ve done so far seem like child’s play…

• SDA: Stearodonic Acid, is just one FDA approval away from being in everything. It’s a genetically modified soybean that produces Omega-3 fat. This sounds like a good thing. And it will make reading labels even more challenging if it passes, because most people know Omega-3’s are healthy. However, it’s only healthier when it comes from an animal, not a GM soybean.

• “Human” milk from cows: This is as scary as it sounds. They are using cloning technology to introduce human genes into dairy cows so their milk will be closer to human breast milk. They intend to market this stuff as infant formula.

Since the government is obviously not going to provide any protection, it’s up to you. Refuse to give your money – and your health – over to Monsanto. Use this Non-GMO Shopping Guide when you go to the grocery store. If you have an iPhone, you can download it as a free app as well.

The only language this company understands is stock price and profits. Learn to speak their language and avoid buying their foods.

And if you don’t have the guide on-hand, buy 100% Certified Organic products – this is the only reliable certification that ensures there are no GMO’s used. Or, better yet, get to know your local farmers. Find out what they are using… and support them if they are GMO-free. Small farmers have been in the Monsanto crosshairs for years – and have faced litigation and strong-arm tactics. Those who have resisted switching to GM seeds have a paid a heavy price within the industry. Let them know it’s worth it to you – and re-route your food dollars their way.

Resources:

Joël Spiroux de Vendômois, A Comparison of the Effects of Three GM Corn Varieties on Mammalian Health, Int J Biol Sci 2009; 5(7):706-726

Joël Spiroux de Vendômois,et. al., Genetically modified soy leads to the decrease of weight and high mortality of rat pups of the first generation. Preliminary studies, Ecosinform 1 (2006): 4–9.

Alberta Velimirov and Claudia Binter, Biological effects of transgenic maize NK603xMON810 fed in long term reproduction studies in mice, Forschungsberichte der Sektion IV, Band 3/2008

A. Pusztai and S. Bardocz, GMO in animal nutrition: potential benefits and risks, Chapter 17, Biology of Nutrition in Growing Animals, Elsevier, October 2005

Mortality in Sheep Flocks after Grazing on Bt Cotton Fields – Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh, Report of the Preliminary Assessment, April 2006