Do you know what's in your food?
At what point did grocery shopping start becoming more frightening than a Stephen King novel?
The most common conception of health conscious shopping is simply making sure to avoid foods that are high in fat, sugar, cholesterol or sodium. But what the average consumer doesn’t know is that the majority of the foods that populate your grocery store shelves these days are in actuality just plain unsafe.
If we disregard the petrochemical dyes, the overwhelming amount of sugar, the tongue-tying “monohexapoly whatevers”, and the “Fat Free” products that cause depression, we’re still left with ingredients that strike fear into the hearts of many: genetically modified (GM) products.
I use the word “products” here since it’s difficult to maintain the label of "food" once DNA has been sliced and diced more than an onion on the Food Network! Even more so when it’s been forcibly put back together using bacterial and viral DNA.
描述: MouseIs this still a mouse? No… because its DNA has been irrevocably altered (and let's face it, it looks downright scary!).
Why are these products still labeled as corn, soybeans, sugar beets, canola, alfalfa, etc? Is it because they look the same, taste the same? Some say that’s just not a good enough reason, especially since these genetically modified counterparts haven’t been tested to be safe for human or even animal consumption.
The unfortunate fact is that most of the foods we stroll past during our trip to the store contain one or more genetically modified ingredients. But what’s most important to note is that we as consumers have no way of knowing which products contain these ingredients, since current U.S. laws don’t require these foods to be labeled. Even a conscientious shopper attempting to gain this knowledge via corporation websites is more likely to find water in the desert.
Being one of those conscientious shoppers, I took it upon myself to contact Frito-Lay concerning the use of genetically modified ingredients in some of their products, after an unsuccessful attempt to gain the information on their website.
Here’s the response I got back :
“Since more of our ingredients are purchased on the open market, it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether the commodity has been developed through biotechnology. Frito-Lay relies on and supports the regulatory agencies charged with safeguarding America's food supply.”
In other words, Frito-Lay -- and companies just like them -- set the responsibility solely onto the regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and USDA, to ensure that the ingredients they’re using are safe. However, on the other side of the coin, if they truly believe that these products are safe, why are they hiding it? Why not label their products and let consumers have a choice?
If we follow their stated train of thought, then we can only assume that the FDA and the USDA have plenty of knowledge and research proving that these products are safe, right? Yet the FDA says that they rely on the in-house testing done by the corporations producing these items, not even bothering to require independent studies (or any studies at all, in this case).
This lack of checks and balances does little to help me sleep at night, and I can’t help but question our safety, if the regulatory agencies we rely upon aren’t fulfilling their assigned duties. According to their website, the FDA is responsible for:
“Protecting the public health by assuring that foods are safe, wholesome, sanitary and properly labeled.”
And according to Monsanto, the largest contributor of GMO crops:
"There is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans."
In fact, Monsanto’s website is riddled with deceptive language that attempts to convince the public that DNA is DNA is DNA… and no matter what, it’s perfectly safe! But to the scientific community such statements are downright absurd. The dangers of altering DNA structures and the potential to produce species not only dangerous to humans but incompatible with the web of life itself is clear and widely acknowledged.
Consider in 2000 the massive recall of snack products due to the contamination of these products with the harmful “StarLink corn” which caused illnesses nationwide due to allergic reactions. (http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/starlink10per.cfm) And you certainly don’t need to be a scientist to be concerned over the fact that viruses similar to HIV and Hepatitis are being used to customize these Frankenfoods offered up as “safe”.
In the meantime, while each of the parties involved continue pointing fingers at each other, claiming they're not responsible or that testing isn't required, consumers are purchasing products that have potentially harmful, if not deadly, side-effects, and continuing to feed their families and infants approved items with potentially long term repercussions.
This month is National Nutrition Month, and we here at LL's Magnetic Clay are supporting the Organic Consumer's Association’s push to organize one million people for their Truth In Labeling Campaign. After all, you can't have control of your nutrition if you don't know what is in your food!
(Source:magneticclay.com)
