GMO Labeling Is Not Radical, It Is Common Sense

Look at any product you recently purchased from your grocery store of late and you will see a listing of ingredients and in many cases if the product includes milk, soy, nuts or other ingredients. You will see the serving size, the amount of calories, fats, proteins, vitamins, sodium, carbohydrates and even in some cases if the product is made on machinery that makes other products to alert consumers who may have allergies to nuts and other types of foods. You will see everything save for the name of the person actually running the machines and packing the items.

However, in the US you will see one conspicuous and important omission: the inclusion of GM ingredients in the products you are buying even though it is estimated that 80-90% of the processed foods purchased in the US have GM ingredients in them. Imagine, even though there are strict requirements regarding other ingredients in products/foods in the US genetically modified ingredients that include organisms added to your food via insertion of viruses and bacteria and in some cases other species' DNA from a lab are not required to be divulged to give you a conscious choice in your buying habits nor to protect your health. Now, why do you think that is?

Sixty four countries globally require products with genetically modified ingredients in them to be so labeled to advise the consumer of the contents to give them a choice and to also protect their health and the health of their children.



Center For Food Safety/GE Food Labeling Laws Globally

In the US however, the revolving door between companies like Monsanto, the FDA, the USDA and the White House does not want you to know that there are such ingredients in your food. They do not want you to know that BT corn which is used in 90% of the processed foods you buy most commonly listed as high fructose corn syrup is genetically modified. They don't want you to know that BT corn is listed as a toxic substance by the EPA. They don't want you to know that the baby formula you are feeding your baby has GM soy in it. They don't want you to know that the chocolate bar you just ate or the cereal you fed your children this morning has GM sugarbeets in it.

Even though independent tests have also shown that the herbicide(Glyphosate-Round Up) inserted into the seeds growing the soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, sugarbeets and that is sprayed profusely on them has health effects that you should most definitely be aware of. Especially since Round Up is now so persistent and pervasive in our ecosystems that we all have it in our urine as does our rainwater and no doubt other species.

However, again, the US government along with their partners Monsanto, Dow, et. al. do not think you deserve to have your products with these ingredients labeled in order to warn you of these health and environmental effects because well, their wealth (and control over markets and lives) is more important to them than your health and they have plenty of money to hire lawyers and PR firms to tell you these GMOs are "safe" because "their" scientists said so... Matter of fact, they are all so "upset" that so many states have now stood up to address labeling of foods in the US with genetically modified ingredients that they have pumped billions of dollars into PR campaigns to keep initiatives calling for it from being passed and doing a bit of their own labeling in calling consumers who simply care about disclosure and health radicals.

Radicals? Since when is wanting to protect your children from allergies, obesity and diabetes radical? Since when is caring about preserving a sustainable environment considered radical? Since we allowed these companies in collusion with our government to buy our Earth off piece by piece and transform it into one huge petrie dish for profit.

It is time to listen to the real scientists out here telling truth about the dangers of these unstable organisms in our food, bodies and environment. It is time for people to become more informed about what is in their food and to demand disclosure. To do so may well be radical to some particularly those whose livelihoods depend on deception, but since when is radical always a bad thing especially when it is in pursuit of truth?

Why The Precautionary Principle Matters

The precautionary principle if heeded in previous decades would have saved our environment, biodiversity and health. We have now seen great damage done to all of the ecosystems of our planet because corporate profit and political expedience took precedence over true science, common sense, stewardship and humanity.

Labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients is a step in the direction of precaution, disclosure, sustainability, freedom and democracy.

I say, if they are so safe why not label them?

Could the reason be because they know they aren't safe and because they make tons of $$$$$$$$$$$$ by lying to you about it?



Why GMOs Can Never Be Safe

In light of this I would say labeling is a moral imperative.

Raise your voice.

Speak with your wallet and your vote.

Your future world depends on it.