Will The FDA Label Genetically Engineered Fish In Foods? (Zombie Food)

The groups Earthjustice, the Ocean Conservancy, Friends of the Earth, the Center for Food Safety, and Food & Water Watch have sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for a response to a petition they filed a year ago. The petition asked the FDA to complete an environmental impact statement on the risks associated with genetically engineered (GE) fish. The petition was sent to the agency a year ago in response to an application filed in 2010 by AquaBounty Technologies, which wants to sell GE salmon. 

The FDA received more than 400,000 comments in opposition to this plan. The groups want the FDA to reach a decision on GE fish and to be more transparent in their decision-making process.

Last month, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) proposed an amendment to the United States Senate asking that the FDA conduct “environment and economic impact studies of the first genetically engineered animal in the human food supply.” It failed by a vote of 46 to 50. Many genetically engineered or genetically modified plants have been approved since 1996, including canola (rapeseed), corn, sugar beets, rice, tomatoes, squash, and bell peppers. Many of these plants are modified to increase resistance to insecticides and herbicides.

Critics of these organisms say that there are several issues about genetic engineering that are not being addressed:

Human health issues. There are no long term studies on the potential impact on human health these organisms could cause.  In addition, if a food that is not allergenic has a gene from an allergenic food put in it, that food could cause allergic reactions. For instance, soybeans were engineered with a gene from a Brazil nut, which caused allergic reactions. And StarLink corn, which was approved only for animal consumption because of allergen concerns, has been found in taco shells. Some experts are also concerned that antibiotic resistant genes could transfer from plants to people.

Ecological worries. A study was published in Nature in 1999 that showed pollen from GE corn was killing monarch butterfly caterpillars. When plants are bred to be resistant to herbicides (such as Roundup Ready soybeans), that gene escaped the engineered plants and moved to noxious weeds, meaning more toxic herbicides need to be used. It’s impossible to contain these genes once they have escaped into the plant population.

Economic concerns.  GM seeds are subject to intellectual property law, which forces farmers to buy seeds from the companies who own the patents. There are high technology fee costs for these seeds, and farmers need to use more herbicides on GM crops.

Corporations are not required to prove that GE foods are safe before they are put on the market. And GE foods are not labeled, although that may change after the fall elections, when California votes on this issue, thanks to the Right to Know Campaign. Earthjustice wants the FDA to conduct a “careful, comprehensive, and open review of the many significant environmental risk questions raised by this first-of-its-kind application,” Khushi Desai told Food Poisoning Bulletin. “It is unacceptable that a full year has passed and we still have no answers and absolutely no insight into the agency’s consideration of these risks.”

Another petition filed with the FDA by Consumers Union and other organizations asks the FDA to classified genetically engineered salmon as a food additive, which would require toxicology testing to determine if the food is safe for human consumption. Those groups are concerned that the GE salmon may contain higher levels of IGF-1, a hormone that makes the fish grow faster. This hormone is linked to breast, prostate, colon, and lung cancer. - Linda Larsonm, Food Poisoning Bulletin 

Are Nations Who Reject GMO Crops Being Penalized? (Zombie Food)

Coming soon after France bans GMO maize, WikiLeaks cables expose details of 'military-style trade wars' against countries who reject Monsanto GMOs. France banned the Monsanto MON 810 "Yieldgard" maize due to environmental and health concerns. And now the European Union is stepping in to re-secure Monsanto's presence in that country, against the will of the nation itself.

Back in 2007, the U.S. ambassador to France, Craig Stapleton, who is a business partner of George W. Bush, stated that nationals who do not accept Monsanto's GMO crops will be "penalized". He stated that the nations should be threatened with "military-styled trade wars". So it is no surprise that the move to maintain Monsanto's grip on France is all about the fact that the U.S. and other nations are continually pushing Monsanto's agenda. Monsanto has major (and most likely financial) connections with political heads that have actually threatened to use these trade wars. In January, WikiLeaks cables came to light revealing the information concerning the deep involvement of Monsanto in political circles.

In this cable, is a statement made by Craig Stapleton:
“Country team Paris recommends that we calibrate a target retaliation list that causes some pain across the EU since this is a collective responsibility, but that also focuses in part on the worst culprits. The list should be measured rather than vicious and must be sustainable over the long term, since we should not expect an early victory. Moving to retaliation will make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices.”

On top of this the WikiLeaks cables state that U.S. diplomats work directly for Monsanto, which furthers the agenda of the agro-giant right across the world. WikiLeaks cables from the U.S. Embassy in the Vatican show that after sustained lobbying of senior Holy See Advisers, the Pope is supportive of Monsanto crops. However they regret that the Pope has not yet stated his support. One cable from 2008 contains,

"… met with [US monsignor] Fr Michael Osborn of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, offering a chance to push the Vatican on biotech issues, and an opportunity for post to analyse the current state of play on biotech in the Vatican generally."

Another cable states, "Opportunities exist to press the issue with the Vatican, and in turn to influence a wide segment of the population in Europe and the developing world."

Back to the subject of France attempting to block GMO maize, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) apparently rejected the ban on the grounds that "there is no scientific evidence" showing "risk to human and animal health of the environment." However, an overwhelming amount of research shows that Monsanto's GMOs do in fact not only threaten human health but the eco-system of the world as a whole. Even the Environmental Protection Society (EPA) has warned that Monsanto's GMO crops are spawning "mutant" resistant insects and subsequently require yet more pesticides to be applied.

With all Monsanto's power, however, consumers are waking up to their agenda and the dangers associated with their genetically modified crops. Back in January, over 45,000 comments were submitted on the USDA website in opposition to Monsanto's new GM strain, and only 23 were in favor. While the corruption of the company is now well out in the open, the fact that the crop was approved shows how deeply rooted Monsanto is within the U.S. government, especially with a major head of the FDA being a leading Monsanto employee. - Anne Sewell, Digital Journal