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The Shocking Truth about Genetically Modified Foods!People around the world pro-actively reject Genetically Modified (GM) products and crops. But in the United States, few people are even aware of what GM foods are -- and labeling is not required.
Yet some 70% of the foods in your grocery store contain GM foods.
I'm so concerned about the grave risks in GM foods that I decided to present you with a series of articles originating from the Institute for Responsible Technology (IRT). Jeffrey Smith, leading spokesperson on the dangers of GM foods, founded the IRT in 2003 to warn the American public about this menace.
1. Genetically Engineered Foods - A Source of Rising Food Allergies?
The huge jump in childhood food allergies in the US is in the news often1. But most reports fail to consider a link to a recent radical change in America's diet.
Beginning in 1996, bacteria, virus and other genes have been artificially inserted to the DNA of soy, corn, cottonseed and canola plants.
These unlabeled genetically modified (GM) foods carry a risk of triggering life-threatening allergic reactions.
Evidence collected over the past decade now suggests that they are contributing to higher allergy rates. Scientists have long known that GM crops might cause allergies, but there are no tests to prove in advance that a GM crop is safe.2 That's because people aren't usually allergic to a food until they have eaten it several times.
"The only definitive test for allergies," according to former FDA microbiologist Louis Pribyl, "is human consumption by affected peoples, which can have ethical considerations."3 And it is the ethical considerations of feeding unlabeled, high-risk GM crops to unknowing consumers that have many people up in arms.
2. UK Experiences Alarming Rise in Soy-Related Food Allergies
The UK is one of the few countries conducting a yearly evaluation of food allergies. In March 1999, researchers at the York Laboratory were alarmed to discover that reactions to soy have skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year.
Genetically modified soy had recently entered the UK from U.S. imports. So the soy used in the study was largely GM. John Graham, spokesman for the York laboratory, said, "We believe this raises serious new questions about the safety of GM foods."
Critics of GM foods often say that the U.S. population is being used as guinea pigs in an experiment. But experiments have the benefit of controls and measurement. In this case, there is neither.
GM food safety experts point out that even if someone tried to collect data about allergic reactions to GM foods, they would likely be unsuccessful. "The potential allergen is rarely identified. The number of allergy-related medical visits is not tabulated. Even repeated visits due to well-known allergens are not counted as part of any established surveillance system."
Indeed, the Canadian government announced in 2002 that they would "keep a careful eye on the health of Canadians"6 to see if GM foods had any adverse reactions. They abandoned their plans within a year, saying that such a study was too difficult.
Sent: 02/08/2007
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