Genetically modified (GM) foods are endangering the health of humans, animals and our environment. These are foods that have the genes or DNA of other species inserted into them.

Such tampering with DNA can and has resulted in unintended consequences leading to development of toxic and allergic reactions and creation of new microorganisms and diseases.

Just a few of the things I’ve learned:

1. The methodology has been called crude, unstable and unpredictable by many scientists.

2. If GM companies are not stopped, there is a very real and scary possibility that the world’s food and seed production could end up being controlled by only a handful of powerful corporations.

3. The two main traits currently engineered into our food are herbicide tolerance and the ability of a plant to produce its own pesticide. This allows crops to be massively sprayed with herbicides, killing everything except the specific food plant. The gene (Bt organism) producing the insecticidal toxin is imbedded into the plant itself, becoming part of the plant eaten by humans and animals.

4. The promises of the GM and chemical companies used to lure farmers in and engender public support have not materialized, i.e., increased yields, increased profits and ability to feed a hungry world, and less need for herbicides and pesticides.

In fact, the yields are signifi cantly less than conventional and organic farming; even more pesticides and herbicides are used due to the development of super weeds and super pests, and, once farmers have begun using the GM seeds they are trapped because their fields are irreversibly contaminated and the seeds and related requirements are much more expensive than non-GM or organic farming.

According to geneticist Mae- Wan Ho, Ph.D.: “Genetic engineering is inherently dangerous because it expands the scope for horizontal gene transfer and recombination, precisely the processes that create new viruses and bacteria that cause disease epidemics and trigger cancer in cells.”

Get involved. Volunteer or donate at www.LabelGMOs.com and be sure to sign the California Initiative between Feb. 18 and April 22 in your community.

Susan Stewart
Westlake Village