Genetically Modified Organisms 101
Unfortunately this issue is such a whirlwind of politics and first amendment rights, that it has become illegal to ‘criticize’ a company for their quality and practices of the industrialization of our food supply. Veggie Libel Laws or Food Libel Laws are in effect throughout 13 different states that make it okay for a company to sue any individual or group for libel. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, & Texas. These particular corporate entities feel that by even someone like me talking to you about these practices and issues, this may or may not dissuade you from purchasing their product resulting in decrease of their profit. Since I personally feel that we are human beings and not just consumers, these issues need to be talked about. You deserve to have a choice whether or not you would like to be part of the biggest human experiment in history.
Genetically engineered foods are nothing new and you don’t have to be a geneticist to understand how this works. Basically, genes from one animal or plant have been spliced and transferred to another organism’s DNA strand to produce a whole new species, for example scientists can take Arctic fish genes and inject them into strawberries to prevent frost from killing those strawberry crops. Now we can have strawberries all year long right? What is so wrong with that? Well I’ll give you a couple reasons why this is not going to fly with me and many others that care about what is going into our bodies as well as our children’s bodies.
Aside from this being just another way for man to control nature, take the example above with strawberries; being a vegan in that I have chosen to not eat any animal flesh or ingest animal by-products, I now will not be eating those strawberries. Keeping with this example, it brings up another point; how do I know that this new organism is healthy and not going to make me sick or kill me? You will not know because there has not been enough research in the laboratories, or any research for that matter, on human subjects. We are it. Any and all research that has been done with laboratory animals has shown nothing but negative, sometimes deadly effects. With this research, governmental agencies have ‘overlooked’ any detrimental factors and along with the Big Agribusiness have pushed their corporate agenda on the supermarket shelves anyway, without you even knowing.
The FDA does not require labeling beyond the typical nutritional facts that you will see printed on the side of all your processed foods. The cloning of animals for meat and dairy productions has been out on the market for some time now. Once again the FDA has decided that these products are safe for human consumption even though no animal that has been cloned stays alive long enough to promote sufficient research. Now honestly tell me, if your meat in the market was labeled ‘cloned’ would you choose to buy from that company or would you search elsewhere?
What are my options, knowing that food has become such a commodity instead of being the sustenance of life with what nature has given me? First of all, Educate Yourself. If anything that I have just written makes you more curious, please do further research on your own. Second, start growing your own food. This is not anything new. This is getting back to nature and relating to the symbiosis of the food chain. I am amazed that some kids don’t even know where food comes from. It does not come from the grocery store. Teach your kids how to plant anything. If you don’t have a yard, don’t worry; all you need is a window or a porch. A small herb garden is a start; anything. Third, meet your local farmers and have conversations with them. Find out their practices with growing. Ask them what pesticides they use, are they natural or chemical sprays? They are more than happy to talk with you. They need support no matter what because they are a dying breed. If they use chemical fertilizers, find out why they feel that is sufficient. Ask if you can visit the farm; take your kids on a field trip one Saturday afternoon. These are just a couple of ways to start your food revolution. Remember don’t try to be able to do everything at once. It is all about your comfort level with action. Every little step matters and with that comes other steps. I up the ante every day; I’m always learning new things and am happy to share them with others that care. You should vote with your wallet and your fork every day!
This intro was taken out of my book Veganize: Changing Your Food to Becoming a More Conscious Eater.
In my opinion we are under attack from these chemical and fertilizer companies that are controlling our food supplies. I find it necessary to talk about this with everyone who will listen. Government agencies disguised as protectors of our health and well-being seem to me to be unacceptable. A lot of people are at least waking up to the fact that a select few in political power are the same folks working in these companies that are making us sick. Once you see that, you understand where the money trail leads. Click here to see what the revolving door looks like. By the way, European citizens have been battling with companies that are playing with our food for awhile and they stood up and said Hell No! Therefore they get labels on their food.
With all these shenanigans taking place, I have always been skeptical of the USDA Organic Label. So once this deregulation ruling passed, (which you can find here), I went through some troubling issues which involved thoughts of whether or not I should continue to support that organic label. This new battle brings up many, many questions that the USDA should rightfully be responsible to answer. I said to myself, 'Doesn't Organic by definition require that no ingredients in said package are of genetic manipulation?' And if that is so, 'How does this issue of deregulating GM Alfalfa fit into the labeling of any organic products that contain it?' So I did some research and here is what I found.....
After reading the entire list of guidelines for organic certification by the USDA, I was reminded of the importance to eat organic versus conventionally grown food when reading the variety of chemicals not allowed in the organic process. According to the National Organic Program regulations, genetically modified organisms are excluded and not considered compatible with organic production. You can find this statement along with other methods listed that do not qualify under the certification program here.
My first question has been answered, GMOs are not compatible with the term certified organic. However it seems to me that there are ways for agribusiness to backdoor GMOs into 'organic' products by certain allowable percentages listed in the USDA guidelines. Click here if you wish to read more. My dilemma now meant that I was torn between buying anything with that USDA Certified Organic Label out of mere boycotting. But that hurts the farmers that spend so much money and strife to get their products on the market, it hurts me because I want/choose to eat organic over conventionally grown food. It seems that the only organic foods in the market is USDA certified. So what do I do? Well, ultimately I can grow my own food but in the meantime I still have to eat. Fortunately there are products that are labeled with NO GMOs, which I will obviously choose over the alternative. If not labeled such, I will look up the company and check out their values on the topic. I will get to know my local farmers who grow my food through CSAs and Farmers' Markets and find out their stance on the issues. To make conscious decisions about what we are eating, we have to look in these directions now.
As stated in an earlier post, I would like to contribute at least one recipe for each topic i post. This is very simple and nutritious recipe, granted you are getting organic ingredients.
Kale and Avocado Salad
You will need:
1 Bunch of Kale
1 Avocado
6 Grape Tomatoes
3-4 Sundried Tomatoes (soaked for about an hour and drained)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil (First Cold Pressed)
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 Tbsp Himalayan Rock Salt
1 Jalapeno (finely chopped) or 1/2 Tbsp of Cayenne (optional)
Preparation:
Wash and cut kale into bite-sized pieces. Kale is very fibrous so i like to take sissors and cut fine pieces. Massage oil and salt into the leaves; then do the same with the avocado. Add remaining ingredients and toss; Let sit for at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend.
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