Tag Archives: Genetically modified food

~ my 2cents ...

it was blowin in the wind : GMO

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These salmon are the same age, but one is genetically engineered to grow twice as fast.

a repost: a story & issue that needs more research and repeal the rider 

AquaBounty …

 is a biotechnology company dedicated to the improvement and productivity in aqua culture.

Our mission is to play a significant part in “The Blue Revolution” – bringing together biological sciences and molecular technology to enable an aquaculture industry capable of large-scale, efficient, and environmentally sustainable production of high quality seafood. Increased growth rates, enhanced resistance to disease, better food-conversion rates, manageable breeding cycles, and more efficient use of aquatic production systems are all important components of a sustainable aquaculture industry of the future.

Unless you have been resting … under a rock, you heard about the GE Wheat found in an Oregon Field, though folks keep looking left and right stating uh  how did that happen; just remind them using that great song by Bob Dylan because it fits our predicament . “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,” a protest song, that has been described as “impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind”. [2

I think the answer is so obvious and now it is time to stop sitting on the sidelines and go call your member of Congress ~~ Call the White House and tell them 64 countries – including China, Australia and the entire European Union – already require GE/GM foods be labeled.

I hear that HR933 had among other things, something called the Monsanto Protection Act. Reports from various news sources are that the rider was quietly tucked into the House bill without a proper hearing that is currently chaired by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). I do not know about you but that sadden me considering all that we know about GMOs/GM and even more important, do we know what high consumptions will do to humans in the long term…

Anyway, unless you live in a completely sustainable environment you know that we already eat GMO; you can find out by reading about Monsanto, Cargill, DuPont or Dow Chemical and the best possible way to fight back is by buying local, free-range to avoid some if not all GMOs  and synthetic chemicals. Currently, Salmon farming in open net-cages is a reality in Canada, though in March of 2013, “CAAR congratulated the BC government for ceasing issuance of new open net-cage aquaculture tenures.”  Yet, their federal government has not acted, making the threat or risk to consumers more likely if the number of plants increase while inspections are far and few, giving some GMO’s an opportunity escape or muscle their way into the wild or even worse the pens are so cramed the environment becomes even more unsanitary. FYI: most if not all GMO salmon will be bigger … above average in all it’s GMO self … which means frankenfish …right?!!! ewww

I ask, do you ask your grocer or the restaurants you eat at if your food of choice is farmed, if not, it is time to demand proper labels wherever aquaculture products are sold. Now, you need to say GM and though we all know something not much sunlight has been shed on GM’s … farmed raised fish are GM’s in my opinion.  AquaBounty stated that “If the company is successful, the salmon would be the first genetically modified food animal on the market.”  I have to say the notion that GM Salmon would be the first GM food is one thing but to say it is safe has yet to be proven and beyond offensive

One problem among many I have with GM salmon and the company the FDA is doing business with is: Is AquaBounty really a US company as portrayed or was it certified in Canada, given special treatment and relocated in the U.S. The story I heard was that the eggs will come from Canada be hatched and raised in Panama, not Panama Florida, then sold to the U.S.   I don’t know about you but I prefer to know where my food comes from, what I am eating and that it is properly labeled giving me the option a CHOICE to say no thanks.  Labeling, it is not lost on me that labeling food might not be cost effective or lucrative for restaurants or grocers yet I cannot imagine anyone working for those places or the owners actually eating GM products at home by choice without knowing where ” It” came from .

Choice, my word of the day lately, which covers so many things going on today and the lack of it, pisses me off.

In 2010, 6500 folks chose to take a survey asking if you would eat GMs, 643 said sure, 177 maybe, 5466 No Way, and 147 said I am not sure. Yes, I would have voted No Way.  I can hear my dad warning us, who first thought farmed fish, would help sustain the wild; talk about the whispers of ill-equipped , lack of technology or knowledge resulting in nasty bacteria and the possibility of cross contamination. There are reports that marine mammals, such as seals, sea lions and porpoises, may have been killed as the result of the production of the farmed fish not to mention them selling GM without telling you that what you are eating has a little something extra in it.  Some environmentalists worry about the possibility of GM salmon breeding with wild salmon. AquaBounty says, “All its salmon are female, most are sterile, and they would be raised in land-based facilities.”   This is supposed to make us feel better after reported incidences in Panama.  I admit to laughing about these GM Salmon being female… and mostly sterile. There are far too many jokes to be sure, but the joke is the number folks are talking about ~~ 95% … sound familiar to you. Okay, I will say it, you only need one sperm deposit to break through to fertilize a possible 7000 eggs – or roe as my family calls it that wild female salmon lay; maybe 10% of those survive but that 5% margin is silly and suffice it to say cross contamination with GMs could eliminate wild salmon, alter all that salmon do organically for the eco-system like support wildlife at least in the NW – Healthy Salmon runs mean a healthy eco-system.

Folklore has it that Salmon return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn; tracking studies have shown this to be true, and this homing behavior has been shown to depend on olfactory memory …   Yet another thing no GM probably can do.

Americans need to demand labels

Salmon Farm Facts

from   www.farmedanddangerous.org

  • A salmon farm is likely to hold 500,000 to 750,000 fish in an area the size of four football fields.
  • The biomass of farmed salmon at one farm site can equal 480 Indian bull elephants – that is 2,400 tonnes of eating, excreting livestock.
  • Salmon are carnivores. On average it takes two to five kilograms of wild fish (used in feed) to produce one kilogram of farmed salmon.
  • In one study, over a billion sea lice eggs were produced by just twelve farms in a two week period. preceding the out-migration of wild juvenile salmon.1
  • Infection with one to three sea lice can kill a wild juvenile pink salmon.2
  • In British Columbia alone there are approximately 136 salmon farm licenses with over 85 farms active at any given time.
  • Canada and Chile are the two primary sources of farmed salmon for American consumers.3
  • Two-thirds of the salmon consumed by Americans is farm-raised.3
  • The government and industry would like to see BC farmed salmon production double within the next 10 years — that means twice the toll on our oceans, wild fish and coastal livelihoods.

On March 18, 2013

AquaBounty Technologies, Inc.

(“AquaBounty” or “the Company”)

Result of General Meeting

Further to the announcement of 15 February 2013, the Board of AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. (AIM: ABTX), a biotechnology company focused on enhancing productivity in the aquaculture market, announces that at the General Meeting of shareholders held on 15 March, all resolutions were duly passed.

The Company will proceed to complete the transaction to raise $6.0 million (£3.9 million) before expenses by means of a subscription of 22,883,295 new Common Shares (the “Subscription Shares”) by Intrexon Corporation (“Intrexon”) and certain other existing shareholders of the Company. Admission to AIM and commencement of trading of the Subscription Shares is scheduled to occur on 19 March 2013. Total shares outstanding upon admission will be 125,138,983, of which Intrexon will hold 67,346,258 shares or 53.8 percent.

For further information, please contact:

AquaBounty Technologies +1 781 899 7755

David Frank, Chief Financial Officer

Nomura Code Securities +44(0)20 7776 1200

Giles Balleny

Luther Pendragon

Resources:

consumersunion.org

cbc.ca/news  …

naturalnews.com …

wiki

Be a Seed for Change -me

AquaBounty, is also just one of probably many companies in the “aquaculture” industry … I just chose to write about their upcoming or direct association with the US Government and some say they are based in Massachusetts

Written in 2013

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

GMO Free Oregon


About GMOs www.gmofreeoregon.org

What is GMO food?

“Genetically modified organisms” (GMOs), “genetically engineered” (GE)  and “genetically modified” (GM) food are plants or animals whose genes have been artificially tampered with in a laboratory. The science is collectively called “transgenics”.  Genes from bacteria, insects, unrelated plants or animals – even humans – are used to make new plants or animals.   Depending on the purpose, these new organisms may produce pesticides, drugs, or other substances, such as cows being genetically engineered to produce human breast milk.  Currently, the most common GM trait is to create a plant that can survive being sprayed with large amounts of herbicides, such as the “RoundUp Ready” line of soybeans, sugar beets, and cotton.

Many of these GMOs are currently in our food supply, even though the American public has demonstrated reluctance to eat them when given the choice.

Is genetic engineering different from plant or animal breeding?

Genetic engineering is a completely different process than plant or animal breeding.  Any home gardener can develop new plant varieties through the age old practice of selection and pollination.  Plant and animal breeding has been performed in the same way by farmers all over the world throughout time.  Our several thousand-year history of plant breeding has created an amazing selection of fruits, nuts, vegetables and animals for every climate and human need – genetically diverse plants and livestock that feed and clothe the world.

Breeding is mating (aka, the “birds and the bees”).  In this completely natural process, only related varieties or species can cross-breed.  For example broccoli can be crossed with cabbage because they are closely related plants, but broccoli can’t be crossed with a tomato (an unrelated plant) or a pig (not a plant).

Genetically engineered organisms are created in high-tech laboratories by scientists performing a type of cell invasion – genetic surgery that artificially combines the DNA of unrelated organisms.  For example, genes from a toxic, pesticide-producing bacterium are inserted into corn to create the widely-grown BT Corn.  Human genes have been inserted into cows or pigs.  You can’t try this at home, folks.

Genetic engineers use a few different types of technology including expensive instruments called “gene guns” that shoot genes into cells, as well as E. coli bacteria and viruses that transmit the desired genes into cells.  As any health official knows, bacteria and viruses are almost impossible to control and can have serious public health consequences. They survive through rapid evolution, adding an additional risk and level of unpredictability to GE technology.

Could I be eating genetically modified foods (GMOs)?

Almost certainly.  If you eat corn, soy, canola, or sugar that isn’t specifically labeled as “cane sugar”, you are most likely eating GMOs.  Cottonseed oil is another genetically modified food and is commonly used in restaurants, fast food and processed pastries.

The Center for Food Safety states that “Currently, up to 85 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as are 91 percent of soybeans and 88 percent of cotton… According to industry, up to 95% of sugar beets are now GE. It has been estimated that upwards of 70 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves–from soda to soup, crackers to condiments–contain genetically engineered ingredients.”

Are GMOs safe to eat?

Unfortunately, GMOs have a sordid history.  In 1989, a form of tryptophan made from GE bacterium killed 37 people, disabled 1,500 people and sickened approximately 5,000 people.  To date, only one GMO feeding study has been completed on humans, and though it showed problems it was never thoroughly investigated.  Numerous studies involving mice and rats have been completed, demonstrating serious effects including liver and kidney damage and dysfunction, increased allergic reactions, changes to the gut lining, and reduced fertility.

A report by the US Center for Disease Control shows that food-related illnesses increased dramatically between 1994 (just before GM food entered into public consumption) and 1999. Is there a link to GMOs?  No one knows, because thorough studies on humans have not been done and GMO food is not labeled.  Without labeling, it is impossible for public health organizations and consumers to trace health concerns to GM food.

GM food also encourages the increased use of pesticides.  In fact, the most common GM crops are specifically designed to be tolerant of the herbicide RoundUp.  This has created a new farming practice of directly spraying food crops with herbicides – something previously impossible, since a regular (non-genetically engineer) plant could not survive these sprays.  Because of this practice, these chemicals are now permeating our food system.

For a detailed scientific look at the problems created by GMOs, read GM CROPS – JUST THE SCIENCE: research documenting the limitations, risks, and alternatives.

Is labeling of GMOs required anywhere?

Yes.  Many developed and developing nations have labeling laws, including 15 nations in the European Union, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Russia and even China!

What’s more, dozens of countries have banned or restricted the import, distribution, sale, utilization, field trials and commercial planting of GMOs including Brazil, Germany, Egypt, Algeria, China, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Peru and the European Union.

Why aren’t GMOs labeled in the U.S.?

Simply, because the American public has not demanded they be labeled.  Most people in the U.S. have not been told about the prevalence of GMOs, let alone the health concerns.  Shouldn’t it be our right to choose what we eat?  Right now, if you want to be absolutely sure you are not eating GM food, you would need to completely avoid soy, corn, canola, beets, wheat, flax, cotton, and many more foods!

How can I help get GMOs labeled?

Share this information with friends, family, and co-workers.  Sign our petition to support the Oregon GMO labeling measure, and vote for it this November!  Tell your elected officials to vote in support of the labeling initiatives. Use this link to find your state legislator. Check your county commissioner’s office to find your local commissioner.

And, very importantly, write your favorite food companies in support of GMO labeling.  When enough of us speak out, they will listen to their customers!

How do I learn more?

Visit our “Learn More” page for a list of valuable links to research, educational sites, and videos. Download a copy of the Non-GMO Shopping Guide, or the iPhone App. Watch the DVD The Future of Food.   Check out the book Genetically Engineered Foods by Laura Ticciati and Robin Ticciati, Ph.D.  For an in depth read, take a look at Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods by Jeffrey M. Smith, or Your Right to Know: Genetic Engineering and the Secret Changes in Your Food by Andrew Kimbrell.
News from www.gmofreeoregon.org

Statement from GMO Free Oregon on USDA GMO Wheat Investigation

Posted by Scott Bates · May 29, 2013  3:44 PM

Today’s news from the USDA that they are investigating non-authorized GMO wheat in Oregon is a major economic threat to Oregon wheat farmers who play a vital role in the state’s agricultural economy. Wheat is Oregon’s largest agricultural export and the crops’ main markets including Canada and Asia will not buy GMO wheat. This is exactly the type of crisis feared by GMO opponents and those who are advocating for more regulation of Monsanto.

This controversy over possible wrong doing by Monsanto comes on the heels of last Saturday’s March Against Monsanto that drew 6000 supporters in Portland. March Against Monsanto supporters say worse case scenario is that this incident would eventually threaten Oregon’s wheat export markets and the livelihoods of the state’s wheat farmers.

GMO opponents warn that cross contamination from GMO seed to non-GMO fields is likely to happen. Organic farmers are very concerned about cross pollination and their ability to continue farming organically.  If this incident proves to be a contamination of the seed supply, it wont just be organic farmers hurt, but all conventional wheat farmers in the northwest.

GMO opponents in Oregon will closely monitor the situation as it unfolds and provide additional comments as more information becomes available.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

more on Monsanto


SierraRise -- Why stand apart, when we can rise together?
Share this image and spread the word: Monsanto can’t buy us out! We deserve to know what’s in our food!
Share on Facebook!

Share on Facebook

Monsanto and their friends just broke a record.
But it’s not the New York marathon — it’s the record for most money spent on an initiative in Washington state’s history. [1] That’s how scared they are of labeling — not banning, just labeling — their GMO food. What are they hiding? 
Americans like outlaw star Willie Nelson are sick of it. Willie, a long-time friend to both family farmers and progressive causes, is just one of millions of citizens raising his voice.
That’s why the tide is turning. Just last month, you helped defeat the deceptive Monsanto Protection Act in Congress. And while Monsanto may have squeaked out a win in Washington state, an initiative is already planned for Oregon next.  States throughout the northeast, from New York to Maine, are also considering GMO legislation.  Folks across the country are learning about GMOs and they don’t like what they’re hearing.
Monsanto can’t buy us out. Together, we can get the truth out there and bring more support to the fight for our food!
Share this inspiring message from Willie Nelson and invite more people to join the fight for our food!
(Not on Facebook? No problem, click here to email this message to your friends.)
From great songs like “On the Road Again” to his pioneering work on behalf of family farmers with Farm Aid, everyone can agree that Willie is an American icon. With your help and an inspiring message from the Red Headed Stranger, we can get people’s attention and let them know the truth about GMOs. Together, we can grow the movement for a future where our food is grown by farmers, not in a laboratory!
Will you spread the word to your friends and family by sharing this great image? Monsanto might be able to drop millions, but we have something better — you.
In it together,
Ashley Allison SierraRise Senior Campaigner
P.S. Forward this email to your friends and together let’s build the movement to save our food.

References:
[1] Le, Phuong (2013 October 29). “Record-breaking sums of money pour into state’s food labeling fight.“KOMONews.com.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Walmart: Say no to GMO

4 Comments

Who wants genetically engineered (GE) sweet corn in our grocery stores?Surely Walmart doesn’t want it…right? Our friends at Food & Water Watch have waged a campaign to stop genetically engineered sweet corn from making it to the stores and your dinner table with tremendous success from a number of food suppliers, but Walmart has yet to reply.

Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and General Mills have all pledged to not use it, why hasn’t Walmart done the same?
Take action with our friends at Food & Water Watch and tell Walmart to reject GE sweet corn!
Thanks, your friends at Greenpeace _____________________________

Ask Walmart to Reject Genetically Engineered Sweet Corn
Sign the Petition to Tell Walmart You Won’t Buy GE Sweet Corn
                 Dear friend,
Genetically engineered Monsanto sweet corn is approved and could be on your plate this year. Monsanto’s sweet corn could be planted this spring, but Walmart can refuse to accept it, protecting consumers from this untested and unlabeled product. Can you sign our petition asking Walmart to reject genetically engineered sweet corn?              Why should you ask Walmart to reject Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered (GE) Sweet Corn?
1) Whether you shop at Walmart or not, they are the largest U.S. food retailer, and if they won’t sell genetically engineered sweet corn, it’s likely that farmers won’t plant it.
2) Genetically engineered sweet corn will not be labeled, so you won’t know what you’re buying.
3) Monsanto’s GE sweet corn hasn’t been tested for human safety, and it contains three different genetically engineered traits that haven’t been used in food eaten directly by people.
Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and General Mills have already agreed not to use GE sweet corn in any of their products, but we need other stores to follow their lead to end the market for this untested sweet corn.
As you already know, genetically engineered foods are not required to be   labeled, so we have no way of knowing if a food contains GE ingredients. We believe labeling should  be  required so that people can choose whether or not they want to eat GE   foods. Unfortunately GE sweet corn, will not be labeled, and doesn’t   look any different from regular sweet corn.
Help make sure GE Sweet Corn is not sold by signing our petition to Walmart.  We’ll be delivering this petition to Walmart next month in an attempt to stop GE Sweet Corn from reaching your  plate.
Thanks for taking action,
Wenonah Hauter
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

GMO labeling lies


AlterNet – I522 and Washington State

Zack Kaldveer, AlterNet

Here are the lies. And the facts. Please read, print, email, roll up and stuff into a bottle you launch into the sea . . . whatever it takes to spread the word that while $46 million may buy a lot of lies, it doesn’t change the facts.

1. Lie: Labeling genetically engineered foods (GMOs) will cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

Truth: Empirical  studies have concluded labeling would lead to no increases in prices. Since the European Union labeled GMOs in the 1990’s, there has been ” no resulting increase in grocery costs.”

Trader Joe’s, Clif Bar & Co. and Washington’s own PCC Natural Markets all  label their non-GMO product lines at no additional cost to consumers.

2. Lie: I-522 is full of arbitrary special interest exemptions that will just confuse consumers.

Truth: I-522 requires labeling for the GE foods that are most prevalent in the American diet – food on supermarket shelves. I-522’s exemptions are easy to explain and guided by common sense and the law:

  • Restaurants – Restaurants and bake sales are not required to list the ingredients in their products. Requiring labeling for GMOs would have required tracking all the ingredients in restaurant meals, and since no other laws require that, it didn’t make sense for this one to.
  • Meat, cheese, dairy and eggs from animals – These will be labeled if they come from genetically engineered animals. However, they are exempt if the animals ate genetically engineered feed but are not themselves genetically engineered. This exemption is common all around the world. It didn’t make sense for Washington’s law to be stricter than international standards.
  • Alcohol – Alcohol labeling is regulated under different laws than food at both the federal and state levels. Because of the single-subject law that requires initiatives to apply to only one subject, alcohol couldn’t be included.

3. Lie: Consumers don’t need labels to avoid GMOs. All they need to do is buy certified organic products.

Truth: Food companies routinely and intentionally mislead consumers by labeling products “natural” in order to attract health-conscious consumers. Because the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not prohibit the use of the word “natural” on products containing GMOs, most consumers are fooled by this label. According to a recent  poll by the Hartman group, 61 percent of respondents erroneously believed that the use of the word “natural” implies or suggests the absence of GMOs, versus 63 percent who correctly believed that the label “organic” means that a product is GMO-free. Food companies should be required, as they are in some 60 other countries, to clearly state that a product contains GMOs. If companies truly believe their GMO ingredients are perfectly safe, why spend millions to keep from having to label them?

4. Lie: Washington will be the only state in the nation to label GMOs, unfairly hurting farmers and the state’s multi-billion agricultural industry.  

Truth: Washington won’t be the only state labeling GE foods.  Connecticut, Maine and Alaska have passed labeling laws and dozens of other states are considering identical proposals. Besides, 64 countries already require labeling, so many farmers are already used to labeling for exports. In fact, many Washington farmers support labeling because they believe that growing GMO crops destroys healthy soil, and because they sell crops to overseas markets that either require labels on GMO crops, or have banned them completely. These countries are increasingly concerned about U.S. non-GMO crops, such as wheat, that could potentially be  contaminated by  cross-pollination with GMO crops.