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The Truth About GMO's

 

 

WHAT IS A GMO?

​Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are plants or animals created through the process of genetic engineering. This experimental technology forces DNA from one species into a different species. The resulting GMOs are unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional breeding.Genetic Engineering Means Pesticides.
Almost all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.

 

 

ARE GMO'S SAFE?

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.


HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?

We have the right to know! We have the right to know what’s in the food we are eating and feeding to our families—we deserve an informed choice.

THE ETHICS OF EXPERIMENTATION

Genetically engineered foods have not been adequately tested; it’s unethical to be putting an experimental technology into the food we feed our families. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require safety assessments of GMO foods and does not review all GMO products hitting the market. FDA guidelines are entirely voluntary and the patent holders themselves determine whether their products “warrant analytical or toxicological tests.” According to the National Academy of Sciences, GMOs may carry new toxins and allergens. There has been only one human feeding study and it found things the biotech industry said would not and could not happen. Government regulatory agencies are not even tracking GMO foods for problems. We have a moral obligation to resolve safety issues surrounding GMOs for our children and for the generations to come.​

US & CANADA LAG BEHIND THE REST OF THE WORLD

Nearly 50 countries require labels on GMOs, and many of these also have severe restrictions or bans against GMO food production or sale. We deserve the same level of protection and information as citizens in other nations around the world. Countries with mandatory labeling include Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Russia and all of the countries in the European Union. Some of the countries with severe restrictions or bans against GMO food production or sale are Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Ireland, the Philippines, Australia, Peru and Japan.
The U.S. and Canada are two of the only developed nations in the world without GMO labeling.
Do North Americans want non-GMO foods and supplements?
Polls consistently show that a significant majority of people would like to be able to tell if the food they’re purchasing contains GMOs. A 2008 News Poll found that 87% of consumers want GMOs labeled and, according to a recent poll, 53% of consumers said they would not buy food that has been genetically modified.


HIGH-RISK CROPS:

 

  • Alfalfa (first planning 2011)
  • Canola (approx. 90% of U.S. crop)
  • Corn (approx. 88% of U.S. crop in 2011)
  • Cotton (approx. 90% of U.S. crop in 2011)
  • Papaya (most of Hawaiian crop; approximately 988 acres)
  • Soy (approx. 94% of U.S. crop in 2011)
  • Sugar Beets (approx. 95% of U.S. crop in 2010)
  • Zucchini and Yellow Summer Squash (approx. 25,000 acres)


HOW COMMON ARE GMOs?​

 

In the U.S., GMOs are in as much as 80% of conventional processed food

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF GMOs ON THE ENVIRONMENT?

Over 80% of all GMOs grown worldwide are engineered for herbicide tolerance. As a result, use of toxic herbicides like Roundup has increased 15 times since GMOs were introduced. GMO crops are also responsible for the emergence of “super weeds” and “super bugs:’ which can only be killed with ever more toxic poisons like 2,4-D (a major ingredient in Agent Orange). GMOs are a direct extension of chemical agriculture, and are developed and sold by the world’s biggest chemical companies. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment these novel organisms cannot be recalled.
 

​COMMON GMO FOODS

 

  • Rice
  • Tomatoes
  • Dairy products
  • Potatoes
  • Meat
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