View Full Version : Avoiding GMO foods
I was at the Northeast Organic Farmer's Association annual conference this past weekend and heard some disturbing statistics: 88% of the corn, and 94% of the soy produced in the US is genetically modified. Canola is also high on the GMO percentage, but I don't have a number for that one. Yikes. And of course, the food producers are against labeling it, because its likely that consumers would avoid it if they knew.
There is a ballot initiative in CA this fall to make labeling a requirement, which I think it a good move. It seems that CA tends to lead the nation in a lot of these types of issues.
But I think the stronger, quicker way to get GMO's out of our food supply, is to use your dollars to support non GMO products. You better believe that Big Food/Big Agriculture will start paying attention and changing things when they see their market share eroding in favor of non GMO producers. Even a miniscule difference in market share gets their attention. I downloaded a no GMO app to my itouch, so I can make better decisions. They are several out there, so I'm not recommending any app in particular, and there are versions for both ios (iphone) as well as Android. There are also online shopping guides with the same information. I am glad this information is out there so the consumer who wishes to avoid these can do so.
Another disturbing thing I heard was that scientists have found that Roundup is a chelator- it binds up minerals so that the plants can't use it, meaning less nutrition in the plant (on top of the roundup residues and other pesticides used in production). With the Round up ready corn seed, Roundup is applied several times during the season not just once and just doesn't break down during the season (as far as the plants are concerned, its always around).
All the more reasons to buy local and know your farmer. That's my public service message for the day. :)
If one is avoiding processed foods aren't you avoiding most of this stuff that you mention? My father in law's soybeans and field corn don't end up in my dinner. Since I'm not eating field corn and soy beans, does it matter about lower nutrient value?
I would think all the the GMO stuff is fed to livestock which we then eat and also in grain-based pet food. It is insidiously in everything - just noticed my Celestial Seasoning tea has soy lecithin in it. Unless it says organic soy or corn, I no longer buy it. Avoiding process certainly helps though.
iris lily
8-13-12, 11:02am
I would think all the the GMO stuff is fed to livestock which we then eat and also in grain-based pet food. It is insidiously in everything - just noticed my Celestial Seasoning tea has soy lecithin in it. Unless it says organic soy or corn, I no longer buy it. Avoiding process certainly helps though.
sure, corn and soy are fed to animals. I didn't get that from the OP's post that's what is being discussed.
The reduced minerals work there way through the food chain- fewer nutrients in the feed, fewer nutrients in the animal that eats it, fewer nutrients in us. Its not direct, no, but it does have an effect. Along with over fertilization and other practices having made food less nutritious over the last how ever many years, this is just another factor.
I listened to a speaker - also an activist, which automatically makes me a little skeptical as my experience is they tend to exaggerate or talk worst case- talk about interview after interview with vets and farm owners, and multiple studies . A lot of pigs fed GMO feed have GI issues, and when their feed was changed to non GMO, it all of a sudden cleared up (no more diarrhea) in just a couple of days. Pet allergies have been reported to be on the rise, with the adoption of GMO in pet foods. Lots of people have food issues that I don't remember seeing when I was a kid. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don't think so. Particularly when even the FDA documents that were subpaened, said there were toxic effects.
I personally don't do a lot of prepared foods for dinner, but I do snack on them (CHEESYPOOFS!!!!) . I never really thought about the GMO's in them, so it was eye opening to me. I'd like to reduce my exposure, or at least be aware that I'm eating them when I do.
iris lily
8-13-12, 11:23am
... Along with over fertilization and other practices having made food less nutritious over the last how ever many years, this is just another factor.
...
Less nutritious than what? Less than the highly hybridized cultivars of previous years? Are those hybrids (non "GMO" in the popular lingo) less nutritious than, for instance, the varieties of corn grown in the 1920's? The 1950's? The 1970's?
No answer necessary, I'm just musing. I'm skeptical like you that organic activists present entirely rational science and arguments. People love to be scared and "chemicals" are a popular bogeyman. Go out on the road with that show and there is something in it for you.
iris lily
8-13-12, 11:24am
Pet allergies have much to so with inbreeding and purposely breeding dogs with allergies. You think that 90% of breeders care about stuff like that? non.
iris lily
8-13-12, 11:25am
Let me also affirm my love for Roundup. I mixed up a pot of it over the weekend, intending to zap recalcitrant weeds, but fortunately the weed problem is no bad due to hideously hot weather. Even the weeds just are not growing.
And last night we had a cooling rain, yay!
I think its one thing to put roundup on weeds in your yard, and another thing entirely to plant it around things you are going to eat (IMO, of course ;)) Your choice of course, but I wouldn't do it.
ApatheticNoMore
8-13-12, 12:17pm
Less nutritious than what? Less than the highly hybridized cultivars of previous years? Are those hybrids (non "GMO" in the popular lingo) less nutritious than, for instance, the varieties of corn grown in the 1920's? The 1950's? The 1970's?
No one really knows the long term effect of consuming these. They don't do long term studies before approval. A nutritional analysis is easy, the harder question is possible toxicity I think.
No answer necessary, I'm just musing. I'm skeptical like you that organic activists present entirely rational science and arguments. People love to be scared and "chemicals" are a popular bogeyman. Go out on the road with that show and there is something in it for you.
The strong argument for organic is environmental. Healthier? Probably. If the soil actually is in better condition with a wider variety of minerals then the food will be too. But to what extent this is true with large scale organic I don't know. With meats there is also less use of antibiotics. But on the environmental front, talking to a pediatrician: I've never seen so many kids with internal diseases than in farm communities, it's just like unbelievable how many sick kids there are. That's anecdotal. There are studies of higher incidence of disease among farm workers and farm communities. The GMO plants interbreeed with everything, they produce super weeds. The anti-GMO is precautionary, you might call that "not rational", but it's not, it's just a different way of thinking (more evolutionary, more ecological as opposed to purely isolated variables - and noone is even taking the time to do real science even on the isolated variables anyway!!! The things are approved quick.). It knows we can't possible isolate every variable but when releasing organisms never before existing on earth, that couldn't ever happen through natural hybridization, that humans have zero history of adapting too, we should be very careful of our releases of those ... the existence of super weeds shows the danger.
The documentary King Corn provides some interesting information about corn, it's development as a crop in the states, how the subsidies came about and its integration into our food chain. I highly recommend it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/
Tussiemussies
8-13-12, 10:48pm
If one is avoiding processed foods aren't you avoiding most of this stuff that you mention? My father in law's soybeans and field corn don't end up in my dinner. Since I'm not eating field corn and soy beans, does it matter about lower nutrient value?
Hi Iris, the only problem is that corn and soy are in so many other products...
Tussiemussies
8-13-12, 10:50pm
You can join Occupy Monsanto on Facebook, they give a lot of good information and statistics. It is very scary how powerful Monsanto has become!
iris lily
8-14-12, 12:49am
You can join Occupy Monsanto on Facebook, they give a lot of good information and statistics. It is very scary how powerful Monsanto has become!
Monsanto is a popular bogeyman. Monsanto headquarters are in my home town and I love my Roundup. Sorry, I won't be signing on for Occupy Monsanto any time soon.
Just last week it was announced that Monsanto won billions from a jury award in a lawsuit about Dupont poaching their seed. Yay for our side.
Here is a chart showing what corporations have funded to fight for or against the CA GMO labeling ballot initiatives:
http://organicconsumersfund.org/label/prop-37-funders.cfm
Thanks for that pinkytoe. I'm not at all surprised by the content of the companies fighting this initiative.
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