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For the First Time Ever, Monsanto Will be Marketing its Products Directly to Consumers with Sweet Corn – Serious Implications

Very soon we are going to need to take extra precaution that the sweet corn we are buying is organic.

Even though genetically-modified corn is already for sale in the produce section, the entrance of Monsanto into the consumer market should raise serious red flags for organic advocates. Why?

THE PROBLEMS

1) The corn that Monsanto will be selling is Bt corn, which means that the seed/crop has an insecticidal toxin inserted into its genetic code and this insecticide gets released when insects ingest it.

While this toxin has been proclaimed to be safe for humans (the gut in the human body was supposed to destroy it), the gut is actually not destroying it. Hence, there are major questions about the validity of this claim.

Researchers from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada have detected the insecticidal protein, Cry1Ab, in the blood of pregnant as well as non-pregnant women.

They have also detected the toxin in fetal blood, meaning that it could be passed on to the next generation.

What are the long-term health implications of having a toxic protein in your body?

We don’t know for sure. However, because our government rushed to approve Bt corn without adequate food safety tests, nearly the entire U.S. population is unwillingly acting as guinea pigs right now.

2) It will mean more GM-corn on the shelves. Given Monsanto’s marketing prowess and muscle, they’ll make sure it is everywhere.

Additionally, Monsanto’s sweet corn will most likely not go under the Monsanto name. It will be a different brand, so consumers won’t know who the manufacturer is.

3) If Monsanto is successful with this sweet corn, it will probably mean that they’ll start to introduce other produce directly to consumers as well.

DO WE WANT FARM-TO-TABLE?

Right now, Monsanto controls roughly 60% of the corn market in the U.S. and about 86% of the corn grown here is genetically-modified. Almost all of this corn, however, does not go from the farm to the supermarket. It gets processed first and is used in a plethora of other food products.

Ironically, therein lies a real worry.

According to Bill Freese, Science Policy analyst at The Center for Food Safety, “There’s a concern with these GE crops that we eat with minimal processing. We’re exposed to a lot more of whatever is in it versus a processed corn product,” says Freese.

One can assume that the processing of GM-corn, in some small way, dilutes the negative attributes of GM-corn and that processed GM-corn may actually be better for you than than GM-food that came straight from the farm.

THE BENEFITS??????

As quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Consuelo Madere, Monsanto’s vice president of Monsanto’s global vegetable business, said that “we think it is a good product. It’s up to us to make sure we help tell people about the benefits.”

Benefits?

Do consumers benefit by eating a product that has been sprayed by synthetic pesticides?

Do consumers benefit by eating a product that has been inserted with a virus or bacteria in order to alter its genetic code?

Do consumers benefit by having an insecticidal protein in their blood stream?

While it may look pretty from the outside (here is a picture of the corn), consumers need to be very aware of what is going on in the inside.

Germany certainly understands what is going on in the inside of Monsanto’s corn as it has been banned from the country because it was deemed a threat to the environment.

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The above is clear example of how GMOs have completely infiltrated our food system. Even worse is that our government is promoting them.

If GMOs are a major concern to you, please get involved with the Right2Know March coming this October.

It is imperative that GMOs be labeled on foods that we buy in the supermarket, so the general public can easily know what foods to eat and what foods not to eat.

Europe, Japan, Australia and other countries require the labeling of GMOs but the U.S. does not. We must change this.

Thank so much for your support.

A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

livingmaxwell: a guide to organic food & drink