For years, a coalition of companies/retailers, including Whole Foods Market and Organic Valley among others, concerned with protecting organic farms from genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) that might encroach from neighboring non-organic farms, have opposed the mass commercialization of GMO crops. Well, now they have rolled over and just asked Monsanto to use some lube when it fokks the consumer up the metaphorical ass. It’s not really surprising from Whole Foods, because 1/2 of their stuff is mainstream crap in packages that LOOK kind of ‘earth friendly’ and say “natural” on them.
BTW – “natural” means diddly-squat. It is a marketing tool. Because people assume natural + higher price = less chemical/GMO laden, so they pay more for the same pesticide covered garbage sold in Wal-mart, or stuff that has all the nutritional goodness that pop-tarts have to offer.
Why is the proliferation of Monsanto-created GMOs bad? While there are some studies that make GMOs look bad, it is the absence of studies showing they are definitely, incontrovertibly benign that worry me. Big GMO factories insist we don’t need no stinkin’ tests. Monsanto argues “that human toxicology tests are unwarranted is based on the doctrine of “substantial equivalence.” According to substantial equivalence, comparisons between GM and non-GM crops need only investigate the end products of DNA expression. New DNA is not considered a threat in any other way.” However, this might be knee-deep bullshit, especially in the light of new research into miRNAs. Recently some researchers in China have found miRNAs from rice in the tissues and blood of animals that ate the rice.
While I appreciate the fact that rice enhanced to make a complete protein could really help people, I would really like a little more information on safety before I unknowing consume vegetables spliced with scorpion-toxin DNA. It’s nice that the venom keeps insects from eating veggies humans cultivate, but what EXACTLY is that shit doing to my gut flora? And don’t hand me any more “substantial equivalence” malarkey, sunshine. I want some fokking PROOF that it won’t hurt me or my kids.
There is enough proof that it MIGHT harm us that, coupled with the glaring lack of evidence to the contrary, the EU (and now individual European countries) banned GMOs, but in the US corporate profit is WAY more important than citizens, so Monsanto and its ilk can sell it’s gunk willy-nilly here in the states.
And now the large corporate allies of smaller organic farmers have promised to suck Monsanto’s dick stop fighting GMOs provided they get paid. Thanks guys. I feel so much better about the high price of Organic Valley butter now.
Excuse me while I have some amaretto (were the almonds that made it GMOs? I have no way of knowing.) in my non-rBGH milk.
Oh, Mother Nature will have hers. Have you seen this? http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/01/12/super-weed-alberta.html Roundup resistant kochia, which is an extremely noxious and pernicious weed.
Not to be a wet blanket, but this article seems to be from 2011 and sourced from a 2010 article at that. If I remember, Organic Valley disputed it at the time.
Hopefully a bill will come up again soon for better labeling practices and better control of gmo crops.
I am soooo fokking sick and tired of Monsanto. I’m just going to stop with that or go on a rampage.
Oh Bets this is my hot button. You do not fuck with food seeds or water. Or air. And to not allow the facts. So fucking evil. Can I say fuck here? Guess I just did.
I know I’ve fucking said it before :0)
I must look up how big a company Monsanto is. I’m pretty sure my old industry job had some branded M machines.
As for the rest. When people start falling ill, *then* the government will start something. But only when pressure groups start pressurising. That’s pathetic.
I once experimented with eating no corn derived products for a week, just to be conscious of how widespread it is. We are all Monsanto’s bitches (or the Canadian equivalent, in my case.)