The following was taken from Spilling the Beans newsletter written by Jeffery Smith. Buyer
Be aware! You need to know what you are eating.
The US rice industry can take a lesson from Hawaiian coffee growers. In 2004, the University of Hawaii
and others were getting dangerously close to conducting outdoor trials of genetically modified (GM) coffee—plants whose DNA
had been artificially inserted with genes from other species. Growers throughout the state knew if their premium coffee became
contaminated with GM varieties, it would threaten their markets.
The growers rejected claims that small buffer zones around GM fields would protect them. Bees carry pollen
for miles. GM crops can get mixed up by human error. And everyone on the islands knows that seeds naturally travel. (Consider
Hawaii’s conversion from lava rock to a lush paradise.)
They extracted a promise from the University to discontinue studies that could lead to outdoor GM coffee
trials, saving their farms from contamination. Not so for the rice industry, which just saw world markets close and prices
plummet after unapproved GM rice escaped from field trials, contaminating US stocks. Japan stopped buying long grain US rice,
products were taken off shelves in Europe and the industry may lose $150 million or more.
In 1996, biotech companies introduced GM soy and corn varieties that could either withstand herbicide or
produce pesticides in every cell. Although the new technology was largely hidden from American shoppers, the European press
did extensive coverage and consumers there were not pleased. In a single week in April 1999, food companies throughout the
continent responded by vowing to remove GM ingredients from their European brands. Japanese companies followed suit and American
agriculture has yet to recover.
The corn industry lost their $300 million European market; US soy sales also plunged. The government poured
an extra $2-3 billion per year in price support subsidies. And many non-GM growers were forced to pay for costly segregation
programs just to keep their customers. The promise of higher yields, lower chemical use and weed-free living through GM crops
turned into slightly lower average yields, significantly higher herbicide use and the emergence of superweeds that resist
weed killer. Many who were once enthusiastic about GM technology are saying “Come back in 50 to 100 years when you’ve done
your homework.”
The Biotech PR firms want the rice industry and others to believe that gene inserted crops are catching
on around the world. In reality, studies show that the more people learn about GM food, the less they want to put it in their
mouth. The main reason why most US consumers are complacent is that they don’t know about the issue. Sixty percent say they
have never eaten a GM food in their lives. In truth, most eat it everyday—usually in the form of soy and corn derivatives
in processed foods.
When Americans find out that they have been eating GM ingredients, they usually assume that the FDA has
tested it and proven it safe. Not true. Documents made public from a lawsuit revealed that FDA scientists had repeatedly warned
their superiors that GM foods might create unpredictable, hard-to-detect allergies, toxins, new diseases and nutritional problems.
They urged political appointees to require long-term safety studies. But the person in charge of FDA policy was the former
attorney (and later vice president) of biotech giant Monsanto. And the agency was under orders from the White House to promote
GM crops. The policy that was adopted in 1992, and still stands, is that no safety tests whatsoever are required by the FDA.
Thus, varieties that had never been rigorously safety tested with animals, and probably never even fed to humans, were approved
for sale.
Evidence of adverse reactions is mounting. From the tiny number of safety studies that have been conducted,
animals treated with GM crops show stunted growth, impaired immune systems, bleeding stomachs, potentially precancerous cell
growth, damaged and misshapen cells, inflamed kidneys, smaller brains and testicles, enlarged intestines, reduced digestive
enzymes, higher blood sugar, inflamed lung tissue, increased death rates and higher offspring mortality, to name a few. Reports
from the field are less encouraging. Two dozen US farmers say that sterility in pigs or cows is related to GM corn varieties.
Seventy-one Indian shepherds report that 25% of their sheep died from grazing on GM cotton plants. Filipinos in at least 5
villages fell sick when nearby GM corn was pollinating. And hundreds of laborers in India developed allergic reactions after
handling GM cotton. Soy allergies skyrocketed by 50% in the UK soon after GM soy was introduced. And in the 1980s, a GM food
supplement killed about 100 Americans and caused sickness and disability in another 5,000-10,000.
If this information makes you uneasy, consider what will happen when millions of US consumers learn that
high-risk GM foods are in their baby’s formula and kids’ breakfast cereal. The reaction may force US food manufacturers to
repeat the vows of their European counterparts. The corn and soy growers would surely be hit even harder than before.
