Why are our supermarkets being flooded with genetically modified foods (GMOs) when a whole host of studies have shown that they are potentially dangerous to human health? "Frankenfoods" are increasingly appearing on supermarket shelves at a rapid rate. These foods are altered to withstand heavy applications of toxic chemicals, resist disease or contain more nutrients.
Currently, genetically modified (GM) corn and soy are available in several processed foods. A lot more GMOs are on the way and they probably won't be labeled. California recently lost a vote (very suspiciously at the final moment) to force companies to label GMO foods inside their state.
The Center for Food Safety estimates that over 70 percent of the processed food items in American food markets contain genetically modified corn or soy. why is canola oil banned in europe It won't be long until many more unprocessed foods will hit the markets containing genetic modification.
Listing of GMO Food Sources
- Most of the genetically modified corn products forced on American consumers today is hidden in processed food items in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn oil, corn starch, and some other corn-based additives. A landmark study has shown that GM corn consumption can cause the development of cancerous tumors and diabetes.
- The most typical genetically engineered food of is the soybean.Since 1996, scientists have been creating kinds of soybeans which can be resistant to both pests and herbicides, and they end up in places you'd least expect them, like candy bars.
- Peas which have been genetically modified have been found to cause immune responses in mice and possibly even in humans. A gene from kidney beans was inserted in to the peas making a protein that functions as a pesticide.
- Rice plants are often modified to be resistant to herbicides and pests to be able to increase grain size and generate nutrients that don't exist in the grain naturally.
- While you can find no genetically modified tomatoes on store shelves currently, they're still being used extensively by scientists to examine the event of genes which can be naturally present in the plants.
- We don't normally think of cotton as a food but we still wind up eating it. Cottonseed oil, which is present in products like mayonnaise and salad dressing, may be packed full of pesticides. It is one of the very frequently genetically modified crops in the world.
- Canola, a cultivated variety from rapeseed, produces one of the very commonly consumed food oils (Canola Oil) and is certainly one of America's biggest cash crops. A 2010 study in North Dakota found that the modified genes of the plants have spread to 80% of wild natural rapeseed plants.
- The USDA has announced that farmers may now plant Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beets.That is despite the fact a 2010 court order prohibited planting the GMO beets until a study was performed. Sugar beets provide about half America's sugar.
- Providing one other half America's precious sugar, sugar cane is set to debut on our shelves in genetically modified form sometime soon.
- Salmon may become the initial genetically modified animal to be approved for direct human consumption. The FDA has decided that a variety of GM salmon that grow two times as fast as their natural, un-modified peers is both safe to eat and safe for the environment. Who knows how these genetically modified organisms will affect the ecosystem if they somehow find their way in to the ocean?
- After the Ringspot Virus nearly destroyed most of Hawaii's papaya crops, a brand new variety was engineered to resist the condition, and it now represents nearly all the papayas grown in the United States. Papaya hasn't been adequately studied for its human health effects although there is some evidence of an adverse link with allergies in humans.
- The very first genetically modified food to be approved for cultivation in Europe in over a decade, Amflora potatoes are still being grown in Sweden. Just one in four potatoes grown in Europe actually gets eaten by people. Almost half end up being fed to livestock. The residual one quarter are utilized as raw material in the production of alcohol and starch.
- Modified genes in plants are causing changes within bees. They're also likely to cause changes to the honey that the bees produce. Could genetically modified crops have something related to the mysterious ailments which can be killing honeybee colonies by the billions? Some researchers believe so. A zoologist in Germany found that genes used to modify rapeseed crops had utilized in bacteria living inside bees. GMOs are still considered to be among the possible reasons for Colony Collapse Disorder.
- After banana crops in Uganda were suffering from a bacterial disease that caused the plants to rot, scientists developed a genetically modified variety that can help alleviate the $500 million annual loss. The ban on GM crops was waived to create way for the GM version of Uganda's staple food.
Effects
There are numerous discoveries being found concerning the undesireable effects of genetically modified foods on the human body. Contrary to industry claims, studies show transgenes aren't destroyed digestively in humans or animals. Foreign DNA can wander and even be transported by blood to internal organs possibly causing chronic diseases. Livestock farmers who use GMO grains to feed their livestock are reporting die-offs and increased stillbirths that threaten their animals.
These crops have been shown to improve environmental and other toxins that may accumulate through the entire food chain. Potential injury to adults is magnified for children. Another concern is that pregnant mothers eating GM foods may endanger their offspring by harming normal fetal development and altering gene expression that's then passed to future generations.
History
GM foods entered industry a long time before science could evaluate their safety and benefits. News from former research scientists that found negative unwanted effects connected with GMO was leaked to the news media in Europe. Europe reached the tipping point in April 1999 and within a single week, nearly all major manufacturers publicly committed to avoid using GM ingredients inside their European brands.
Once GMOs enter the meals chain, the "genie is from the bottle" for keeps. There's a long-lasting and widespread influence on many different organisms associated with one of these foods.
Robert Bradshaw is also a student of Biblical Research and has focused recently on crucial issues in our society today that people must be alert to so they don't stumble inside their path to success.
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