Fight for Non-GMO Foods and Proper GMO Labeling

[Punachiq]

Scientists and researchers have warned about the dangers of genetically modified food for awhile now... and Monsanto repeatedly works to block the ability to do human testing, hmmm. Wonder why? it's certainly no secret.

http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/07/05-0

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles..._11361.cfm

http://www.naturalnews.com/033784_GMO_animal_feed.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articl...ption.aspx

Furthermore,

Ron Paul is not against labeling GMO products for health reasons, as he stated in comments to vote-texas.org in 2008. In fact he is for regulation- as long as we the people are the ones who regulate it via manufacturers and retailers:

"The federal government lacks constitutional authority to mandate labeling of products containing genetically-modified food. Furthermore, those who do not wish to consume genetically-modified products should be leery of federally-mandated labeling because history shows that federal regulatory agencies are susceptible to ‘capture,’ where the regulators end up serving the interest of the business they are supposed to control. In the case of labeling, federal agencies could redefine the meaning of ‘modified’ to allow genetically-engineered food on the market without fully-informing consumers of the presence of genetically- engineered ingredients. Instead of federal regulation, consumers should demand that manufactures provide full information and refuse to buy those products that are not fully labeled. Once producers see there is a demand for non-genetically-engineered products they will act to fulfill that demand. Of course, makers of genetically-engineered food should be held legally responsible if they fraudulently market their products or harm anyone."

[TomK]

I'm slowly shaking my head about this. Do you know that just about every vegetable you eat has been genetically modified? This has being going on for well over a century. I'm much more concerned with "organically" grown food which has animal faeces in it. If GMO crops have to to be labeled I want organic crops to be labeled with a danger sign as well.

Tom
http://apacificview.blogspot.com/

[PaulW]

Sorry, you must've missed the bit where I said *reputable* websites, not just ones run by one or two people with no scientific qualifications.

Sure, there are some scientific studies that say that there could possibly be some problems
in some situations but more research is needed. The vast majority that have found no problems
whatsoever have to be taken into account as well.

"In fact he is for regulation- as long as we the people are the ones who regulate it"
So Ron Paul would vote against GMO regulation, would he not?

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%...p.120-a358
“The reason I don’t worry about GMOs is not because someone has convinced me with a big study that they’re safe,” says Michael Eisen, an associate professor of genetics, genomics, and development at the University of California, Berkeley, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “It’s because when I look at the technology, I understand what this technology is doing. They’re introducing proteins that have been very well characterized into plants, and I don’t see any reason at all to suspect that these are harmful.” He adds, “That’s a point that people don’t seem to get: High-fructose corn syrup derived from corn that has a bacterial toxin in it to kill insects is no different from high-fructose corn syrup derived from conventional corn. It’s literally molecularly identical.”

[LeeE]

Speaking of HFCS...

"A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning — and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology publishes the findings in its May 15 edition.

"Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of integrative biology and physiology in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. "Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

While earlier research has revealed how fructose harms the body through its role in diabetes, obesity and fatty liver, this study is the first to uncover how the sweetener influences the brain.

Sources of fructose in the Western diet include cane sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive liquid sweetener. The syrup is widely added to processed foods, including soft drinks, condiments, applesauce and baby food. The average American consumes roughly 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We're less concerned about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants," explained Gomez-Pinilla, who is also a member of UCLA's Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center. "We're more concerned about the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.""

I've read that HFCS is among the top four sources of calories for Americans, at large.

Re. GMO's. In my opinion, it's too soon to tell and each variation may produce different effects. One of the donkey carts I try not to ride on often, is the one entitled, "The science is settled".

Lee Eisenstein
http://members.cruzio.com/~lionel/event

"Be kinder than necessary, as everyone you meet is engaged in some kind of strudel."

[beejee]

quote:

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Originally posted by PaulW

"Please read up on what genetically modified foods are and why you should be concerned."

I'll bite. Why should I be concerned?

...

ETA - is this a specifically Hawaiian topic?

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Paul: Sorry for the slow reply, I've been busy. If you have Netflix (Hulu has it too I believe), this is a good show on the topic:

https://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_F...cale=en-US

Unbeknownst to most people, we all eat GMO food every day and have been for quite some time. I guess time will tell whether the latest strains of GMO food will affect us in negative ways. I would like the food labeled though, so if I choose not to eat it, I can make that choice.

For me it's more about the strains of plants and seeds that are being created. The plants are being modified in such a way that only very specific herbicides and pesticides are effective. It's about how seeds blown from a GMO farm into an neighboring organic farm have brought lawsuits against the organic farmer because the seeds now growing in the field weren't licensed - ignoring the fact that in some cases the GMO seeds are much more evasive and wipe out the organic plants quickly over time. It's about how a giant multi-national corporation has a monopoly on the world food/seed supply and is doing genetic engineering under the guise of feeding the world when in fact they are in the market to sell fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide. It's about how Monsanto uses Hawaii as a test bed for it's new crops due to the isolation Hawaii provides - less chance for test seeds to be carried by the wind and land somewhere they shouldn't I suppose.

[Midnight Rambler]

quote:

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Originally posted by LeeE

Speaking of HFCS...

"A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning � and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology publishes the findings in its May 15 edition.

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FWIW, any alternative sugar is no better - honey is typically almost exactly the same composition as HFCS (50/50 glucose/fructose; a few rare specialty types from the mainland are mostly glucose but they're rare), and agave nectar is almost 100% fructose.

[liskir]

What if "a group of poorly-educated" or greedy people decided that GMO foods were OK and dictated that nobody should have choice, then later found out that people who ate GMO foods had massive allergies, infertility, cancer? What if this "group of poorly-educated" greed heads just go ahead and eat their GMO and just leave other people alone to choose what they want to put in their bodies?

Ron Paul is against Federal interference. He's against gov't surveillance of people; against indefinite detention of Americans (NDAA); against bank/corporate bail outs; against illegal pre-emptive wars abroad; against TSA groping children and the elderly, etc... Why bring him up, PaulW?

"An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped" Dr. Ron Paul 2012

[LeeE]

Yes. Here's what the article says about that.

""We're less concerned about naturally occurring fructose in fruits, which also contain important antioxidants," explained Gomez-Pinilla, who is also a member of UCLA's Brain Research Institute and Brain Injury Research Center. "We're more concerned about the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup, which is added to manufactured food products as a sweetener and preservative.""

quote:

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Originally posted by Midnight Rambler

quote:

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Originally posted by LeeE

Speaking of HFCS...

"A new UCLA rat study is the first to show how a diet steadily high in fructose slows the brain, hampering memory and learning � and how omega-3 fatty acids can counteract the disruption. The peer-reviewed Journal of Physiology publishes the findings in its May 15 edition.

---

FWIW, any alternative sugar is no better - honey is typically almost exactly the same composition as HFCS (50/50 glucose/fructose; a few rare specialty types from the mainland are mostly glucose but they're rare), and agave nectar is almost 100% fructose.

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Lee Eisenstein
http://members.cruzio.com/~lionel/event

"Be kinder than necessary, as everyone you meet is engaged in some kind of strudel."

[Steve W]

If they won't label it we need to do our own research, here is something I found for the gardeners.
http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto/

[Steve W]

quote:

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Originally posted by Steve W

If they won't label it we need to do our own research, here is something I found for the gardeners.
http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto/

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more about regulations
http://www.psrast.org/ecologmons.htm