Poisoning Us Slowly

You need to read a post by by Dr. Kirk James Murphy over at Firedoglake. It is the second post in a series about how the USDA and FDA are trashing what it means to be organic and the impact of GMO crops or "frankenfoods" are having now and the future impact as these modified organisms move out into the biosphere.

“Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70-75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves–from soda to soup, crackers to condiments–contain genetically engineered ingredients”

The thing that is of concern is the the new rules for what can be called organic now include products that are derived from GMO foods. Dr. Murphy points to one non peer reviewed study that showed....

GMO corn, soy, and potatoes show toxic effects on living animals. The GMO soy (Monsanto’s Roundup-Ready soy) we grow and eat in the US is so toxic that more than half of baby rats fed with the stuff die in just three weeks.

At least a third of the states have laws on the books banning the use and planting of GMO crops but in an effort to pay off big agriculture and big chemical companies for their political support the Bush administration is planning to neutralize local control under the guise of uniformity in standards....

Not any more – the GMO labs did an end run yesterday in the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, and the GMO labs won. Sec 123 of the new Farm Bill effectively precludes local control over GMO contamination.

If the Farm Bill passes with Sec 123, our sole protection against toxic GMO foods will be the USDA organic standards.

If you care about what you are eating you might want to have a chat with your congressional representatives over the Farm Bill.