At the request of Congress, the FDA’s and USDA’s review process for genetically engineered products is finally coming under scrutiny by the GAO. In 2013, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) wrote to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and asked them to look into the review system being used to regulate genetically modified crops—specifically, “to ensure that […]
The USDA’s response is to talk out of both sides of their mouth. In a single press release, the USDA closes its investigation of the contamination of wheat fields in Oregon, calling it an “isolated incident,” then immediately contradicts itself by opening another investigation into contamination from genetically engineered wheat. The contamination was found at […]
Recently the Wall Street Journal published a story that was a thinly veiled promotional piece for GMO technology. Here is our response: Regarding your August 22 article, “Meet Mr. Frankenfoods:” This piece—little more than a GMO promotion; let’s be generous and call it an “advertorial”—starts with erroneous definitions and ends with woefully inaccurate information. For […]
GMO products aren’t as remarkable as biotech companies would have you believe: Biotech companies Monsanto and DuPont sell “trans fat-free” soybeans, an entirely superfluous invention with a “healthy” veneer. GMO Golden Rice is genetically engineered to contain beta-carotene, and is marketed as a way to save malnourished children in developing countries. However, beta-carotene needs to […]
It is often claimed that the presence of GMOs in our food chain decrease costs for citizens and help to alleviate the effects of poverty—that GMOs will feed the world. This is simply not true. • In 2009, the World Bank and the United Nations published a 590- page report concluding that GMOs have no […]
While purveyors of this technology, like Monsanto, reap incredible financial rewards, studies indicate that small farmers are being squeezed out of the industry or are forced to be little more than sharecroppers, perpetually in debt to the large companies that hold their crops hostage: • In 2013, Monsanto sued 500 farmers for patent violations. Farmers […]
GMOs are not environmentally friendly, and have not lessened the use of toxic chemicals—in fact, they’ve increased it. Many crops are genetically modified to withstand the use of extremely toxic herbicides like Roundup. However, weeds are becoming increasingly tolerant of Roundup, creating “superweeds;” so much so that a new generation of crops is being engineered […]
Invoking the risk of famine as a justification for GMOs is “a deceitful strategy, no different from…Russian roulette,” according to the report. Action Alert! Nassim Nicholas Taleb is a scholar, statistician, Wall Street analyst and advisor, professor at New York University, and the bestselling author of Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan: The Impact […]
Invoking the risk of famine as a justification for GMOs is “a deceitful strategy, no different from…Russian roulette,” according to the report. Action Alert!
We should look deeply into the mirror that the GSK/China scandal has provided for the US—what we see isn’t very pretty.