Dr. Mangini
Enclish Comp 100
April 15, 2015
What Are We Really Eating?
How would you feel if I told you that in order to collect and inspect the corn that we eat the workers must wear a Hazmat suit? How is it possible that this corn is safe to eat, but you can’t even be around the corn without 100% protection from the chemicals they spray on them? More importantly, why do we the people not get the option of products with this corn in it labeled? This corn is called a genetically modified crop and is part of the GMO family that has taken over America. A GMO is a genetically modified organism. In simple terms a GMO is an organism, like a seed for a plant that has been altered with chemicals to grow a certain way. Now what if I told you that we don’t even have the option of knowing what products in stores have GMO’s in them? I’m not here to argue that GMO’s are evil or should be illegal, but instead argue that we deserve the right to have all GMO food labeled so we know what we are eating. It is only right for multiple reasons. America has always had a history with letting the consumer know what we are buying, GMO companies like Monsanto supported other places around the world to have their GMO products labeled, and finally if we don’t get them labeled it is just another way the one percent in this country has too much influence in what happens.
GMO’s have been around longer than most people realize. In fact not until just recently has the world of genetically engineered food received much attention. Since they were first brought to the public nearly 20 years ago genetically modified crops have seen a dramatic spike. GMO’s were introduced in hope that it would solve the hunger problems around the world, because they are quicker growing than natural crops. Well for one it definitely did not solve the hunger problem. Secondly, within the last couple of years there has been an ongoing battle between the GMO companies, such as Monsanto and DuPont, and the environmental, nutritional, and food health scientists debating if the effects are worth the convenience of genetically modified crops.
So who is behind all these GMO’s? Surely it has to be farmers in the country, right? That would be incorrect. In 1913 corn production was 100% farmer owned. 100 years later and corn is currently 95% corporation owned, and 90% GMO’s. Monsanto is the biggest GMO Company currently and has GMO’s all over the world. Monsanto was founded in 1901 and originally made saccharin (a chemical used as an artificial sweetener). Then in the 1940’s Monsanto started making plastic, and chemicals used for plastic up until around the late 80’s when Monsanto made Round-Up. Round-Up was a commercial weed killer that became very popular in the US in the late 1980’s. “Monsanto was one of the first firms to take advantage of biotechnology in commercial farming. (McClure) Genetically modified crops were introduced by Monsanto in 1995-96. (McClure) Information on the recall of Aventis’ genetically engineered corn is provided.”(McClure) Monsanto eventually found itself producing “enhanced tomatoes” in the early 2000’s. Currently Monsanto is under constant attack from people all around the world. So why is it that a company who spends millions to advertise themselves as agriculture heroes are also receiving so much hate from around the world?
One major reason answers this. “Recent studies have escalated public concern and renewed demands that GM foods be labeled. Studies have linked genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to cancer, deterioration of liver and kidney function, stomach inflammation, and impaired embryonic development.” (Mother) So my question is this: If Monsanto keeps claiming that its products are no different than its non GMO counterparts why is it that they are willing to spend 50 million dollars in advertisements to just prevent a simple little label saying “made with GMO’s”. People would obviously still buy them no matter what.
In America we have always expected and demanded that our food be labeled to let us know what is in it, even if it is unhealthy we still want to know what we are putting in our bodies. People will always buy the product no matter what. For example, in just about all diet soda we drink there is aspartame, but aspartame has been 100% confirmed to be a terrible toxin to the human body and is recognized as brain carcinogen. Every day though, you see people buying, drinking, and selling diet soda. We require that our orange juice reveal if it is made directly from oranges or “from concentrate.” “We require labels to tell us if salt, sugar, MSG, artificial flavors or colors, vitamins, or other ingredients have been added. We require meat labels to reveal when it has been pumped with up to a 12 percent saltwater “flavor solution.” And we require milk to indicate whether it is skim, 1 percent fat, 2 percent fat or whole.” (Mother) GM foods should be no different. If the people want it then the people should get it. That is what this country was founded on “for the people by the people of the people.” It’s not a matter of whether it is unhealthy for you or not, but the fact that we deserve to have the choice between the two. As it turns out some other places around the world are going through the same thing.
At the end of May of 2014 it is estimated around 2 million protesters attended anti-Monsanto rallies in more than 50 countries around the world. There is one thing that doesn’t add up to me. About a decade ago in 2003, Monsanto had actually supported labeling GMO products in Europe. “This included an entire add campaign that cost millions of dollars to run. More than fifteen countries have implemented labeling requirements for genetically modified (GM) foods, including unlikely candidates such as Russia.”(Dr.Carter and Guillaume) So why is it that in America land of the free we are still fighting for this choice? If Monsanto just agreed to label their products then they wouldn’t even have a problem. In the other countries around the world people are still buying the products even though have GMO’s. This leaves another question. Why has this not already happened? Monsanto is just making things more difficult for themselves. People don’t want to trust a company that is acting suspiciously.
Monsanto clearly has too much influence in the decision of passing these bills. Besides the complete disregard for the consequences of their actions Monsanto has also been trying to hide information from the public about the health problems that could be caused from their products. Monsanto was even rumored to have bought Blackwater, the largest Mercenary Army in the World. Why would an agricultural company want an army full of mercenaries? “While the two seem to be a great match, as they both fail to consider the morality and consequence of their actions, it seems that Monsanto is only involved with Blackwater in infiltrating activist groups who are opposed to the biotech giant — an operation quite sinister enough.” (Planes)
There have been numerous bills that have been voted on about labeling GMO products. It seems like it would be common sense to let the citizens know what they are eating, but unfortunately nothing has been successful at the federal level just yet. There is hope though, In May of 2014, Vermont became the first state in the country to pass a bill requiring labeling of all foods produced that use these genetically modified organisms. There is a catch though, Obama signed the “Monsanto Protection Act”. The Monsanto Protection act was basically written by Monsanto and makes them immune to the federal courts. The bill was apparently written by Senator Roy Blunt in collusion with Monsanto, with them helping to decide the exact language of the document. As it turns out “The Center for Responsive Politics notes that Senator Blunt received $64,250 from Monsanto to go towards his campaign committee between 2008 and 2012. The Money Monocle website adds that Blunt has been the largest Republican Party recipient of Monsanto funding as of late.” So if that doesn’t make the average citizen stop and think I don’t know what will. The bill states that even if future research shows that GMOs or GE seeds cause significant health problems, cancer, etc., anything, that the federal courts no longer have any power to stop their spread, use, or sales. It gets even better though. President Obama at one point was a shining beacon of hope towards GMO labeled products “…We’ll let folks know whether their food has been genetically modified because Americans should know what they’re buying” Obama said this at the beginning of his second campaign run for office. Well it looks like he went and did the complete opposite of that. GMO’s need to be labeled for the American public, for our safety, our health, the health of children and for the sake of America still having the ability to do the right thing for once.
Between Monsanto paying the senators that wrote their own bill of protection, Obama lying to the American public, and the health studies that are surfacing about Monsanto I think it is time we finally come together as a whole and fight for what is right. This country was founded on the beliefs of freedom yet we don’t even have the freedom to choose what we put in our bodies. The day that people realize what is actually going on is the day change might finally occur, but until that day we can only do so much to stop it.
Works Cited
Joël Spiroux de Vendômois, et al. "Answers To Critics: Why There Is A Long Term Toxicity Due To A Roundup-Tolerant Genetically Modified Maize And To A Roundup Herbicide." Food & Chemical Toxicology 53.(2013)
Mclure, Jason. "Background." CQ Researcher 22.30 (2012): 726-732.
Beckrich, Amanda. "Genetically Modified Crops." Science Teacher 80.4 (2013)
"July 4Th March For GMO Labeling." Better Nutrition 75.7 (2013): 10. Why To Support Labeling GM Foods." Mother Earth News 259 (2013)
http://planetsave.com/2013/03/30/monsanto-protection-act-signed-by-obama-gmo-bill-written-by-monsanto-itself-signed-into-law/