Good gut news, but then the bad news...

While scientists are unravelling the profound benefits of healthy gut bacteria, much damage is being done courtesy of GMO produce. In the US, an up-coming debate will determine whether GMO-containing produce will require mandatory labeling across the country. Let’s hope common sense prevails and that public sentiment isn’t swayed by the very powerful and extremely well-funded GMO lobby, who insist on the safety of their produce despite all the findings to the contrary.

Dr. Don Huber, leading GMO expert in the world says there are several key factors we must be aware of. Huber is an award-winning, internationally recognized scientist, and professor of plant pathology at Purdue University for over 35 years. His concerns about GMO rest on the following issues.

1. There are NO peer-reviewed scientific studies establishing the long-term safety of GMO crops. They simply do not exist.
2. There is an identical rise in over 30 human diseases, correlating exactly with increasing use of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup Ready - herbicide for GM and other crops) and the increased prevalence of genetically engineered proteins in foods.
3. Foods heavily sprayed with glyphosate have a lower nutrient density than conventional crops, they contain higher levels of pesticides, along with novel, highly allergenic proteins.
4. As well as chelating minerals, glyphosate is an antibiotic - destroying not only beneficial soil bacteria, but also the all-important gut bacteria that are the foundation of both physical and mental human health.
5. Not only do GMOs alter your intestinal microflora, research shows that human cells are able to transfer those novel genes, thereby affecting the human genome.
6. Glyphosate may also be responsible for the collapse of bee colonies.

In other words, the potential damage to human and plant systems from GMO crops is incalculable and ongoing. Therefore take whatever steps you can to legislate for mandatory labeling, better still campaign for complete non-use of GMO seeds and associated herbicides/pesticides. And vote with your dollars - BUY ORGANIC!

GM - a threat to wheat exports?

If you’ve been following the GM vs non-GM debate, you’ll be well aware that those espousing the benefits of GM-produce trot out arguments along the lines of ... “in every respect equivalent to conventional produce”, “no harm to human health”, “the only way we can hope to feed the burgeoning human population” and so on.

But in addition to the spin trotted out by Big Farming (e.g. Monsanto and its like), another story is beginning to emerge. The natural wariness with which Europeans (in particular) have approached GM-produce, is proving to be well-founded. For example, in 2006 the presence of GM-strains of rice earmarked for export from the US resulted in BayerCropScience paying out $750 million to 11,000 rice farmers who mounted a class action for loss of income. Now non-approved GM strains of wheat have been identified in fields in Oregon (US), a decade after the trials were halted. The potential damages claim for lost export earnings could dwarf that to the rice farmers, but more to the point, the loss of the wheat export dollar could seriously damage the already fragile US economy.

Then there’s evidence that the Monsanto herbicide “Roundup Ready” developed specifically for use with GM crops is not as benign as we were told. Rather the glyphosate and its metabolites inhibit the major detoxification enzymes in the body and now, adding insult to a lot of injury, the nutritional content of GM produce is demonstrated to be a mere fraction of conventionally farmed produce. 

• Calcium: GMO corn = 14 ppm / Non-GMO corn = 6,130 ppm (437 times more)
• Magnesium: GMO corn = 2 ppm / Non-GMO corn = 113 ppm (56 times more)
• Manganese: GMO corn = 2 ppm / Non-GMO corn = 14 ppm (7 times more)

In short, GM produce needs mandatory labeling immediately and governments need to do a serious rethink over the wisdom of allowing any more GM seeds to be patented or crops to be planted. How likely that is remains open for debate - Big Farming, like Big Pharma donates Big Dollars to politicians, scientists and opinion leaders of all creeds and colours.