This week in genetically modified food...

A few weeks ago now, I was in sacramento at the farmers market (I still prefer it to the one in Moraga, but nothing else in Sacramento trumps life here). One of the farmers whom I have frequent exchanges with informed me about something I was not aware regarding GMO's. He stated that they alter DNA in the same manner the Bubonic plague once did, and its effects are starting to crop up (pun intended) in our genome [that is, we can see its lasting effects when we look at our DNA chart]. Always the skeptic, since I had not concrete facts from him, I decided to research into this further. At this current moment (I am five minutes into the search and got sidetracked with new info) I have not found anything conclusive to validate my farmer buddies claim, however I did find some interesting news.

Firstly: I found an article arguing that transgenics will be necessary in the near future , due to limited farmland and water, in addition to the ever increasing population demands. I beg to differ with the articles claims- but definitely worth a read- check it out here!

the video clip from the site is on youtube, it is called Smart Farming in India.

Second- Something I liked. An article entitled: Why and how to avoid genetically modified food! This article, pulled from the folks at Natural News, points out the adverse effects of GMOS. Calling to attention the position of the American Academy of Environmental Science, who has plainly stated before "Genetically Modified foods have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk. There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation," this article calls us to strongly oppose transgenics on basis of scientific fact. I do not wish to summarize - as I feel this article is a definite must read but i will quote : "World renowned biologist Pushpa M. Bhargava goes one step further. After reviewing more than 600 scientific journals, he concludes that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are a major contributor to the sharply deteriorating health of Americans."

Thirdly, finally and much to my relief, a bit of political news, straight from Washington DC. Apparently there is a temporary injunction on Agribusiness' attempt on genetically modifying the sugar beet, and having this new roundup ready beet replace the cane plant as the major sugar-yielding plant. Google Monsanto Beets if interested. Many who are interested are already aware of this almost month old piece of news, no surprise monsanto is behind this nonsense. Sorry for the lag.

To wrap this up: GMO's are bad, don't eat them. It sucks that organics are not "conventional" yet, and you have to pay more for them, I really look forward to the day when they start to label GMO's as such , and "Chalked full of Hormones, Antibiotics and Pesticides" becomes common on food. However this is unlikely until consumers wake up. Fend for yourself, be an educated consumer and make change.

More on this hot-topic soon. This is not all in the world of evil food happenings.

CHOW!