Genetically Modified Foods.

Is The US Government Going To Deny Us The Right To Have It Labeled?

This Thursday, Congress is voting on the bill to deny us our rights to have GMO food labeled.

t seems so mind boggling to me that congress would enact a law preventing genetically modified foods from being labeled.
They are taking away our right to know what we are buying.
Why? If it is SO “safe” like they say, then why don’t they want us to know? if they are labeling it for other countries, why can’t they do the same for the US? What are they afraid of by denying our right to know? How much money are our representatives getting from the lobbyist that make them vote in their favor? I asked my representative Pete Sessions to tell me how much money he is getting from the GMO lobbyist for his re-election and other things, that would have him voting to deny our right to know. They call it Accurate food labeling act. That is deceptive in itself. I wonder why he doesn’t care about our rights?
One of their arguments is that it is too expensive, but in reality it’s pennies. And if they are labeling it for other countries who require it, then it is no cost to them to label it for the US market. What are they truly afraid of? and why are we the people of the US being denied our right to know what our food is made of?
Why does the USDA say if you have cancer to eat Organic Food. How Can someone eat properly if it isn’t labeled properly? Why would they say that if it isn’t important to someone’s health and well being.
Does anyone else care about this or is it only me?
I hope you care and let your congressman know it’s not all right with you that they would take away your right to have your food labeled with whether it’s genetically modified or not.

In 2012, an article in Forbes magazine stated it’s not surprising bees are dying off in huge numbers because of the increase in genetically modified foods. “As of 2012, it is estimated that over 70 percent of the food on the U.S. market contains genetically modified organisms, ingredients that have been scientifically engineered in laboratories.”¹⁹ 

Why are GMO (genetically modified organism) foods harmful? Tests feeding three types of GMO corn to rats showed these results:

Effects were mostly associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs, although different between the 3 GMOs. Other effects were also noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. We conclude that these data highlight signs of hepatorenal toxicity, possibly due to the new pesticides specific to each GM corn.²¹

During the tests, the rats also developed large tumors.

With all the studies revealing the harmfulness of Genetically modified plants and food as well as the toxic poisons they generously pile on them; it makes me very concerned that they are denying us our right to know what kind of food we are eating.

My friend, Richard Kemp with Abilene, TX’s Radio’s Farm and Ranch report on KLGD Radio, reported this today. I thought it was so great, I asked him if I could share it with you. He said yes.

“Everyone deserves to know what’s in their food so they can make informed decisions about what to feed themselves and their families.

Some companies, however, think consumers don’t have a right to know what’s in their food when it comes to genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.

Congress is voting this Thursday to make it illegal for states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

If you support mandatory labeling of GMO foods call Your Congressman.

We support mandatory GMO labeling for two good reasons.

Contrary to the companies’ well-worn talking points, the cost of labeling is negligible, because companies change their product packaging regularly.

Our analysis of several studies on the cost of GMO labeling found that protecting consumer choice is a bargain at less than a penny per day per person. Companies would be smart to follow those that have already chosen not to pass along that cost to consumers at the register.

First, labeling is a simple and common sense solution to protect consumer choice. Companies that grow and sell genetically modified foods haven’t yet come up with a convincing excuse to explain why their customers should not have this information.

When those companies spend untold millions to keep their customers in the dark by battling efforts to properly label their products, we ask why. And when they tell us products shouldn’t be labeled because they haven’t been proven unsafe, we call foul.

Food labels contain lots of information, from complete lists of ingredients to whether a product is homogenized.

Second, consumers want it. We asked consumers what they think about GMO labeling, and an overwhelming 92% of those polled agreed that genetically engineered food should be labeled as such.

When that many consumers tell us they’re concerned about a product, we make it a priority. Sixty-four other countries have heeded consumers and now require GMO labeling.

These mandatory labeling programs satisfy consumers in the most clear, consistent and accurate way possible.

Companies are quick to make safety claims, but scientists and regulators agree that there are serious potential risks, including the risk of introducing new allergens.

Concerns are also emerging about damage caused by increased herbicide use to our health and environment.

Plants and animals whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated are different from those that occur in nature or that are developed by conventional plant or animal breeding.

GMO scientists can move genes between living things that could never breed together in nature; for example, they have moved fish genes into tomatoes.

When new genes are introduced into plants or animals, they can produce proteins that aren’t usually found in those foods.

Some of those proteins can cause allergic reactions. That’s why the FDA asks companies to voluntarily test those new proteins to see if they resemble any known allergens. But the testing isn’t required and isn’t foolproof.

Research shows that the rise of GMO crops has also led to vast increases in herbicide use, which threatens our health and our environment.

Most GMO crops are engineered to tolerate the weed killer glyphosate, marketed as Roundup, which has recently been classified as a “probable carcinogen” by the World Health Organization.

According to U.S. Geological Survey data, the use of glyphosate on soybeans and corn has gone up seventeen-fold since genetically engineered versions were introduced in 1996.

GMOs have only been in our food supply for a couple of decades; most Americans didn’t grow up eating them.

This is an emerging field, and new information is coming to light every day. Labeling foods made with GMOs is a simple solution to start addressing people’s concerns.

Agreeing to label GMO foods will let companies demonstrate they are listening to the overwhelming majority of their customers. That’s good business.

Labels will give consumers the information they want and deserve, so they can make informed choices about the foods they choose to buy. That’s just the right thing to do.” – Richard Kemp

I agree with Richard. Please call that number today and let your voice be heard!

It is vital to the food quality and health quality of our country and our food supply and I also believe it is our right to know and the country’s obligation to let us know.

Let your voice be heard or they think you don’t care.

I hope you care and let your congressman know it’s not all right with you that they would take away your right to have your food labeled with whether it’s genetically modified or not.

Here is the bill”s link: https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/114th-congress/house-report/208/1

The House of Representatives will be voting on Monsanto’s dream bill THIS WEEK – and we’re running out of time to stop it.

More than ever, consumers want to know what’s in their food, but this dishonest bill takes us in the wrong direction.

Can I count on you to call on your member of Congress right now and urge him or her to oppose this anti-consumer, anti-labeling bill before the House votes?

Click here to find and contact your congressional representative and urge him or her to support GMO labeling and vote NO on the DARK Act!

Click here for a link to find your congressman.

To listen to Richard’s show click here. http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/KLGD

Let me know what you think please.

Sincerely, Nancy

The post Genetically Modified Foods. Is The US Government Going To Deny Us The Right To Have It Labeled? appeared first on Organic Healthy Life - Nancy Addison - Nutrition.

I am a big proponent of organic farming and I am an avid environmentalist. I put a lot of information in my book on GMO’s, soy, pesticides, the environment, etc. I was reading today about some political things going on in California. If it is happening in California, it will affect our food supply and it is only a matter of time, before they will want to do it in your state too. So, I think it is important to know this. I think our environment is so fragile and having huge amounts of chemicals dumped onto our environment is becoming such an enormous problem that is every increasing.

About 27 years ago, I became aware of the problems associated with genetically modified plants. I was reading books and articles on the environment and I read about how the large bumblebee was becoming extinct because they were starving to death.

The reason being that the new genetically modified plants are developed for beauty and other things and the flowers don’t have any nectar in them. Have you ever noticed that the flowers today at the florist don’t or most don’t have a scent? The flowers they plant all over town don’t have a scent. There is no nectar.

That is why old heirloom flowers or wildflowers are so important for us to plant everywhere we can. I plant them in my garden for the bees and pollinators. About GMO’s, there are two basic types of genetically engineered crops on the market now: herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant. These are grown to handle the direct use of pesticides on them.

There are over a billion pounds of pesticides used in the United States alone each year. Many of these chemical fertilizers were developed for use as bombs or poisons in warfare. What I find alarming now is that “Last week Dow Chemical donated $1.2 million to defeat Prop 37 to label genetically engineered foods, which will appear on the ballot in California this fall.[1]

At the same time, they happen to be petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the approval of a new genetically engineered “Agent Orange” soybean that tolerates the extremely toxic chemical herbicide 2,4-D, a major component of the Vietnam War era defoliant Agent Orange.[2]

Not only does Dow Chemical not want you to know what’s in your food, but now they want to dump more toxic chemicals on it too! Numerous studies have linked exposure to 2,4-D to serious health problems that include cancer (particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), lowered sperm counts, liver disease and Parkinson’s disease.[3] In addition, dozens of peer-reviewed studies have found the use of 2,4-D to contribute to hormone-disrupting activity linked to reproductive problems and thyroid dysfunction.[4] (I got these facts and that quote from : http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/641?t=8&akid=613.225485.Ph-M8Z)

These pesticides and chemicals poison our food and our environment. Pesticides particularly affect our nervous system. These plants actually produce an insecticide to kill insects that feed on them. If this is what the genetically engineered plant is doing to a small insect, then what is it doing to the person who is eating this food? The effect of this type of plant on the environment and in the human body, especially long-term, is unknown. Genetically engineered, or genetically modified (GM), plants are escaping into the wild and inter-breeding with wild plants.

Our pollinators, such as bees, are in trouble now. Are genetically engineered plants a contributing factor? Good question. Genetically engineered food is such a recent food product that no long-term, in-depth studies show their long-term effect on humans or the ecosystem. You must decide for yourself if eating food that has pest control built right into it or has large amounts of poisons put on it is good for human consumption. “An estimated 75 percent of foods in U.S. grocery stores contain GM ingredients.

About seven out of every 10 items in the average grocery cart have been genetically modified. And don’t bother reading labels to see if you’re buying a GM product, because as of now, there is no labeling is required,” (quote from Nancy’s international award-winning book: How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian, page 317) like there is in most countries around the world. Well there are two basic types of GMO’s.

I personally think we need labeling. We also need to stop poisoning our precious ecosystem and environment. Let your voice be heard. If you don’t say anything, they think you don’t care and they will do whatever they think they should at the time.

Educate the people in power with your voice. If you do say something or make a phone call, they estimate that you represent a demographic of about 10 thousand people. So don’t underestimate the power of that one phone call! Help stop the poisoning of America and the world!

Please do something today. Do it for your grandchildren, if for no other reason. They deserve a safe, non-toxic land. So, support the organic organizations, support your organic farmers, because if you don’t, they may not be around to support later on.

Many people say to me, but I can’t afford organic and I say to them, you can’t afford not to buy organic. Buy local, buy seasonal, buy organic when you can, it does make a difference.

That farmer, doing the right thing, needs your financial support or he can’t keep doing it. Every time you buy something, you are voting for someone or against someone. The purchase power is powerful. You don’t realize how powerful your purchase really is. Make it count!

I have always felt that when faced with a situation; it is best to take action in the positive direction instead of just remaining in place feeling helpless. So, that is why I wrote this blog. Thanks for reading it! I hope you have found it helpful, educational and inspirational.

Sincerely, Nancy

Resource for quote and information:
http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/641?t=8&akid=613.225485.Ph-M8Z

Nancy’s website is: www.organichealthylife.com and her author page on Amazon is: Author.to/nancyaddison

The post Why Organic and Why Should We Care? appeared first on Organic Healthy Life - Nancy Addison - Nutrition.