| 10 Reasons to Say No to GMOs With help from the folks at the Institute's Facebook page, we've compiled 10 reasons to avoid GM foods.
[read the list]
GMOs to blame for problems in plants, animals Scientists are seeing new, alarming patterns in plants and animals due to increased use of the herbicide Roundup, said Michael McNeill, an agronomist who owns Ag Advisory Ltd. in Algona, Iowa. McNeill cited Roundup-resistant superweeds and the herbicide's tendency to make important nutrients unavailable to plants, harming crops and making them vulnerable to disease. "When you spray glyphosate on a plant, it's like giving it AIDS," he said. McNeill said he and his colleagues are seeing a higher incidence of infertility and early-term abortion in cattle and hogs that are fed on GM crops. He added that poultry fed on the suspect crops are showing reduced fertility rates. McNeill advises his farmer clients to rotate chemicals - or not use them at all. The number of mainstream agricultural experts raising serious concerns over Monsanto's Roundup herbicide is growing all the time. These include Robert Kremer, a USDA microbiologist, and Don Huber, a plant pathologist and former Purdue University professor. [read the article]
Monsanto's GM sweetcorn will be sold unbranded and unlabeled Monsanto will launch this fall a GM sweet corn seed for farmers to grow. The corn will then be sold in grocery stores in the US and Canada. While the sweetcorn is being hailed as a "consumer-oriented vegetable product," it has been genetically modified to contain an insecticide and to tolerate being sprayed with Roundup herbicide. Yum. (Note: There is already GM sweet corn on the market in small quantities, but this could increase its prevalence.) [read the article]
Dow launches multi-herbicide tolerant GM soy Dow just submitted its new multi-herbicide tolerant GM soybean for US government approval. [read article] Designed as a solution to Roundup-resistant superweeds, the new soybean is not only engineered to tolerate Roundup, but also the herbicide glufosinate and 2,4-D - a component of Agent Orange. Farmers will be able to spray this cocktail of weedkillers on fields without killing the crop. All these herbicides stand accused of causing serious harm. Roundup has been linked in studies to birth defects, cancer, and other serious toxic effects. [download report] Glufosinate is a neurotoxin and causes birth defects in laboratory animals. [download report] 2,4-D, an ingredient of Agent Orange, causes birth defects in laboratory animals, damages DNA, and is an endocrine disruptor. It is toxic to bees and fish. [read fact sheet on 2,4-D] During the first 13 years of GM crops, herbicide use increased by 10% or 383 million pounds. This new soybean could bring substantially more toxic herbicides to our environment and our food.
ConAgra sued over GMO "100% natural" cooking oil Food giant ConAgra is being sued for labelling its Wesson brand cooking oil "100% natural" when it is actually made from GMOs. The complainant said the "labels are intended to evoke a natural, wholesome product" but are deceptive. The case has far-reaching impacts because the "natural" claim, which has no legal definition, is widely used, and around 70% of processed foods in the US contain GMOs. Ironically, the complaint cites a definition of GMOs by none other than Monsanto, the company most notorious for its promotion of the technology. According to Monsanto, GMOs are: "Plants or animals that have had their genetic makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs." The complaint also quotes a GMO definition from the World Health Organization: "Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally." We couldn't have put it better ourselves! [read the article]
Join a National Buying Club for Organic and Non-GMO Foods Get healthier foods delivered to your door at up to 50% below retail. (And every purchase helps supports the Institute for Responsible Technology's campaign to end GMOs.) We often get comments that organic or non-GMO foods may be more expensive or harder to find. The new national distribution service called Green Polka Dot Box (GPDB) offers a creative solution for you and your family to maintain an affordable healthy diet. With food priced 30-50% below retail and shipped to your home for free (on orders of $150 or more) this new national distribution club may save you money and time. Visit www.greenpolkadotbox.com/irt to sign up. GPDB will begin distributing non-perishable goods, and offers three types of memberships. Later the buying club will also be offering frozen goods, and eventually fresh organic produce from regional warehouses. This program is also being supported by Organic Consumers Association, NaturalNews, and Citizens for Health. It is not for everyone, but can certainly help bring non-GMO foods to people otherwise unable to access them. IRT also encourages buying local and supporting local natural food stores.
Join Jeffrey Smith and Dr. Don Huber for a Special Webinar Presentation Join a 2-hour webinar with Roundup expert Dr. Don Huber, who will discuss the discovery of a new type of organism possibly linked to a rise in plant diseases in Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, and to infertility and spontaneous abortions in livestock. Dr. Huber will also describe how Roundup herbicide promotes plant diseases, causes nutrient deficiency, harms soil ecology, and creates profound and lasting damage to US agriculture.
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