Is genetically modified (transgenic) food needed to feed a growing world population? The notion of ending hunger through technology is a powerful marketing tool and the industry plays this card very well with a steady stream of money to advertise their humanitarian goals. After 15 years of marketing the status of world hunger has not improved. However, one main thing has improved. Market share for companies, like Monsanto, that corner the seed market, patent the seeds and create new gene-altered seeds. Even more disturbing is the aggressive policy to ban seed-saving and the elimination of both organic and conventional plants through genetic contamination. Welcome to the food fight of the century.

Even world renowned scientists are labelled as incompetent, unprogressive, hunger-loving morons if they ask questions. The public is told to trust the industry leaders like Monsanto, Dow, Dupont and Syngenta who all claim that gene-altered transgenic food is safe. The Canadian and US governments allow gene-altered food to be tested for safety by the multi-national corporations without any oversight and without any independent research to verify their results. Isn’t that like allowing Charles Manson the privilege of conducting his own psychological evaluation? Monsanto’s history includes PCB, DDT, 2-4D, dioxin and aspartame, which is hardly a line-up of healthy products with established safety records. Why should we blindly trust multi-national corporations whose only legal responsibility is to their shareholders?

Currently, gene-altered food is considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and doesn’t need a label however, it is so radically different that it can be patented for profit. It is all very confusing to the unwitting consumers who don’t even know that some of their basic foods now contain genetic material from bacteria, virus and antibiotic marker genes. Most Canadians are totally oblivious to the fact that taxpayers’ money has supported Guelph University in creating a genetically altered pig called the “Enviropig,” which has gene sequences from mice and e-coli. Another secret about our country is that Canada is close to approving genetically modified salmon, which produce growth hormones at an unnatural rate. In North America, plants like corn and soy are even being used to ‘grow’ pharmaceutical drugs. What’s next, cloned meat?

Consumers were not asked if it was acceptable to make irreversible changes to their food supply. Consumers were not asked if they wanted their natural food to be gene-altered. Today, most Canadians don’t even know that gene-altered corn now makes its own insecticide in each kernel to ward off bugs, which helps the farmer. What about the consumer? The excess pesticide can’t be washed off, it's inside the corn.

The book Genetic Roulette, which was written by the author Jeffery Smith, documents 65 health risks associated with Genetically Modified (GM) foods. David Suzuki praised the book and is quoted in the prelude, “This book validates the concerns of the biotech critics, and our knowledge is too primitive to avoid unexpected and deleterious consequences.”

The British government funded an independent study that showed the serious side-effects of genetically altered food. The UK parliament called upon the senior scientist Arpad Pusztai to reveal his findings. In his findings, lab animals, which were fed gene-altered food, had potentially precancerous lesions in their stomach, and damage to their liver, pancreas, intestines and immune systems. Other independent studies show reproductive problems and high rate of infant mortality. The media coverage was relentless.

Consequently, Europe has banned rejected genetically modified food and will not import our crops of gene-altered corn, canola, soy and sugar beet. In Europe, GM foods are labelled. Even McDonalds in Europe doesn’t use genetically modified ingredients!

The developing world consists of millions of small farmers growing crops on small plots, who want to maintain their right to collect and re-plant free seeds. GM seeds are expensive. Farmers must sign a contract to not collect their own seeds for re-planting, thus they have to buy new expensive GM seeds each year and, in addition, must use the companies matching herbicide/pesticide as well. This takes the free seeds out of the farmers’ hands and replaces them with expensive, patented seeds, which is not a solution to world hunger.

For a Canadian farming perspective, the wind blows gene-altered seeds into the fields of many Canadian farmers who are then sued for using the patented technology without a license! Imagine that if the gene-altered seeds or pollen gets on to the land belonging to an organic or conventional farmer and transfers the GM traits to his plants, that his plants now belong to whichever bio-tech company has the matching patented seed rights. Most farmers pay a fine, sign a gag-order and then burn all of their heritage seeds, rather than trying to take it to court. However, one Canadian farmer named Percy Schmeiser did take it to court and fought Monsanto all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Percy believes in the right of farmers to save their own seeds and doesn’t understand why the Canadian government allows this persecution of farmers, while protecting the interests of bio-tech companies.

US farmers, who have experienced short-term benefits from using GM crops, are now facing super weeds, such as pig weed and ragweed, which are resistant to Round Up. Therefore, the US farmers are faced with using more toxic chemicals like 2-4D and are back to ploughing to reduce weeds.

Canadian farmers will face the same higher input costs in the near future.
Anyone who owns and operates a fork or any other eating utensil should pay close attention. Bill C474 is before the House of Commons and is going to final vote in late October. This bill is an opportunity to stop the introduction of more genetically manipulated crops, until the impact to the export markets is understood. Currently, organic and conventional farmer’s who export to Europe, are threatened as genetic contamination of their crops is inevitable and will shut down their export markets, which happened to the flax growers in 2009. Should our farmers lose profits because they can’t stop the wind from blowing gene-contamination into their crops?

If Canadians demanded it, bills for labelling and proper independent testing of gene-altered foods could be introduced, as well as obligatory consultation with the public as to whether we want our food to be genetically tampered with any further. Currently, crops of corn, soy, canola, white sugar beet for making sugar and cotton have been genetically manipulated. All are used in processed foods, cooking oils and for animal feed (including pet food). The bio-tech companies are waiting to profit from the introduction of more and more patented seeds. Eventually, as cross-pollination and seed drift occur, over time natural plants and pure seeds will become extinct.

That is food for thought. The stakes are high and we are definitely playing for keeps, as there is no way to recall the modified seeds. Each person can vote by what they choose to buy. Ask your food supplier whether the item is genetically modified or buy organic. We still have a say, let’s keep it that way!

Written by Heidi Osterman CN, President TFF
www.truefoodfoundation.org