Created Feb-10-2010
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS OR GENETICALLY ENGINEERED
Action Alert: FDA Moves to Force-Feed American Consumers Cloned Animals--- Alert Update
What next? Synthetic honey and GMO bees?--- Where Have all the Honey Bees Gone?
GMO Soy Growers commit Massacre in Paraguay
GMOs potential threat to fertility
Study shows GMO Bt corn affects reproductive health
November 12, 2008
Manila, PHILIPPINES — A study published today by the Austrian government identified that genetically modified (GMO) crops pose serious threats to reproductive health. In one of the very few long-term feeding studies ever conducted with GMO crops, the fertility of mice fed with a variety of Bt corn, a genetically-modified organism (GMO) was found to be severely impaired, with fewer offspring being produced than by mice fed on natural crops. Considering the severity of the potential threat to human health and reproduction, Greenpeace is demanding a recall of all GMO food and crops from the market, worldwide. The GMO crop used in the study is NK 603 x MON 810, a variety of Bt corn owned by GMO seed company Monsanto. The crop, marketed in the Philippines under the name 'DEKALB Roundup Ready Corn 2' or 'DK818YG(RRC2),' has been approved for food use since 2004 and planting since 2005, despite concerns by sustainable agriculture groups. The corn contains a built-in insect-killer, as well as tolerance to a powerful herbicide, glyphosate, meant to be used with the crop. The study, sponsored by the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health, was presented on last week at a scientific seminar in Vienna, Austria. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Zentek, Professor for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Vienna and lead author of the study, summarized the findings: mice fed with GMO corn had less offspring in the third and fourth generations, and these differences were statistically significant. Mice fed with non-GMO corn reproduced more efficiently. This effect can be attributed to the difference in the food source. The Austrian scientists performed several long-term feeding trials with laboratory mice over a course of 20 weeks. One of the studies was a so-called reproductive assessment by continuous breeding (RACB) trial, in which the same parent generation gave birth to several litters of baby mice. The parents were fed either with a diet containing 33% of the GMO corn variety, or a closely related non-GMO variety. A decrease in litter size and weight was found to be statistically significant in the third and fourth litters in the GMO-fed mice compared to the control group. "This study clearly demonstrates that GMOs have a lot of unknown environmental and health risks and that the safety of GMO crops can not be guaranteed. This is not the first GMO to have been discovered to pose serious health risks, and it will not be the last. Unfortunately, because the approval process for GMOs are extremely lax, particularly in our country, we are only finding out about the health risks after the GMO has been approved, planted and eaten by the public," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Genetic Engineering Campaigner Daniel Ocampo. "The Philippine government should heed these warnings and recall the approval of all GMOs in the country." "GMO food appears to be acting as a birth control agent, potentially leading to infertility--if this is not reason enough to close down the whole biotech industry once and for all, I am not sure what kind of disaster we are waiting for," said Dr. Jan van Aken, GE expert at Greenpeace International. "The reproductive toxicity of this GMO corn was a totally unexpected result, but regulators around the world had considered this GMO corn variety as safe as non-GMO varieties--a potentially devastating error. Playing genetic roulette with our food crops is like playing Russian roulette with consumers and public health."
Organic Consumer
Action Alert: FDA Moves to Force-Feed American Consumers Cloned Animals
Despite a September survey, which found that
64% of Americans are repulsed by the idea of eating food from cloned animals, the FDA announced this week that milk, eggs and meat from cloned animals will soon be allowed on the market. Ignoring a number of disturbing studies suggesting potential human health hazards, Stephen F. Sundlof, director of the FDACenter for Veterinary Medicine said "that meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones is as safe to eat as the food we eat every day." Consumer, food safety, and animal welfare groups have condemned the announcement, pointing out that animal cloning is inherently unpredictable and hazardous, and that the practice of cloning has led to a high number of cruel and painful deformities in the experimental animals’ offspring. Recognizing that requiring labels on cloned food would lead to a massive boycott by consumers, FDA bowed to industry lobbyists by stating that there likely will be no required labeling of food products containing ingredients from cloned animals. The FDA’s controversial proposed regulations in the Federal Register will now be followed by a three-month public comment period. The OCA is calling on health and humane-minded consumers across the nation to stop this outrageous and hazardous regulation from coming into force as federal law. Take action here: www.organicconsumers.org/rd/clones.htm
USDA Stacks Government Organic Panel With Industry Reps In the last issue of Organic Bytes, OCA blew the whistle on the
USDA’s appointment of four new representatives to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) with strong ties to corporate agribusiness. The NOSB is the organic community’s traditional watchdog over organic standards. According to the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990, the USDA is supposed to appoint an NOSB that is broadly representative of the organic community, including environmentalists, consumer representatives and scientists. But the USDA has begun to arbitrarily fill vacant seats with industry representatives from companies such as General Mills and Campbell’s, companies whose profts are almost entirely based on nonorganic crops grown with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Thousands of organic consumers have responded to this outrage by sending emails to the USDA demanding the removal of these appointees. Te USDA’s stonewalling so far indicates the agency feels that its appointees are as "diverse" as federal law requires. In a letter to the Syracuse New Times Standard, the agency points out that diversity is truly present in the current industry appointees, pointing out that they all work in diferent parts of the US. Now that’s diversity! Please contact the USDA and demand that true organic advocates be appointed to the NOSB: www.organicconsumers.org/rd/nosb.cfm
Breyer’s and Good Humor
Breyer’s Ice Cream is beginning to utilize what it calls an "antifreeze" technology, derived by utilizing genetically modifed fsh proteins from the blood of the ocean pout (a polar ocean species). Te experimental biotech substance, which is supposed to help the ice cream re-crystallize if it warms above freezing,
has undergone little, if any, safety testing. In fact, the FDA approved the ingredient as "safe" based on human safety protocols conducted on codfish blood proteins, not on blood proteins from the ocean pout. Codfsh and the ocean pout do not even belong to the same sub-class, in the "Order of Species," thereby making the studies worthless. The "antifreeze"ingredient is currently used in Breyer’s Light Double- Churned, Extra Creamy Creamy Chocolate ice cream, as well as a Good Humor ice cream novelty bar. The ingredient is referred to as "ice structuring protein" (ISP) on the products’ingredient panels.www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3637.cfm
ASSOCIATION ORGANIC CONSUMERS
Food and Consumer News Tidbits with an Edge… From the Organic Consumers Association Please forward this publication to family and friends, websites, print it, & post it. Knowledge is power! December 29, 2006 · Issue 99 www.organicconsumers.org
Written and edited by
Craig Minowa & Ronnie Cummins
Monsanto’s Pesticide Breeding Giant Superweeds
Te discovery of a pesticide-resistant weed that can grow up to 10 feet tall has cotton farmers in the US worried. "It is potentially the worst threat since the boll weevil," said Alan York, a weed scientist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Te boll weevil destroyed cotton crops in the early 1900s and caused farmers to switch to alternatives such as peanuts, until the beetle was eradicated in some states 70 years later. Now a new adversary has arrived: a pesticide- Resistant pigweed, known as Palmer amaranth, which has been confrmed in ten North Carolina counties, four Georgia counties and is suspected in Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas. In Georgia, amaranth literally took over some felds and the cotton had to be cut down, rather than harvested.
Scientist blame the pesticide resistance on the overuse of Monsanto’s Roundup (glyphosate). "This is something we do look at very seriously," saidMonsanto representative Michelle Starke.
www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3639.cfm
E. Coli, Food Safety and Your Food Source
80 percent of non-organic beef in the US is slaughtered by four companies.
75 percent of non-organic pre-cut salad mixes are processed by two companies.
30 percent of non-organic milk is processed by one company.
Depending on the time of year, up to 70 percent of the produce sold in the US comes from other countries. The solution to this problem can be found at www.localharvest. New Year’s Resolutions and Local Harvest---Local Harvest lists almost 10,000 farmers’ markets, cooperative--grocery stores, restaurants and retailers that provide locally-grown, organic produce to consumers. It’s one of the best tools online for helping you fnd these important resources near you. Buying your food locally or regionally cuts down on the amount of energy consumed to transport your food, supports your local economy, and can provide-you and your family with safer, fresher foods. Make a New Year’s resolution for 2007 to put a special efort towards buying local. www.localharvest.org
Family Farmer Protection Law Deemed "Illegal"
Afer 24 years of successfully protecting family farmers, a Nebraska law, which bans corporate farms, has been struck down by a US District Judge. Its demise could also mark the end to corporate farming bans in fve other states. Nebraska’s Farmer Union president, John Hanson, said of the court’s decision, "This is not a good day."
www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3612.cfm
EU Begins to Remove Thousands of Toxic Chemicals from Consumer Products
The European Union has passed one of the most far-reaching consumer and environmental protection regulations ever. EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) law, based upon the "Precautionary Principle," will force chemical companies and consumer product manufacturers to prove that all of the synthetic ingredients in their products are safe, or else replace those chemicals with safe alternatives. Te rules will take efect in mid-2007, at which time companies will be required to lay out plans to gradually replace the most high-risk chemicals. Some 13,000 substances, deemed of high concern, face automatic testing and possible removal from the market. A number of US cities and counties, including San Francisco, have recently passed laws based upon the precautionary principle
www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_3639.cfm
Feel free to print Organic Bytes for posting on bulletin boards and staf break tables. You are welcome to use this material for your newsletters. Subscribe to Organic Bytes:
www.organicconsumers.org/organicbytes.htm
France - 2 July 2003
In a harrowing article, Michel Dogna, health journalist from France, sounds the alarm about what may be one of the biggest ecological catastrophes developing right under our own eyes - and no one seems to be watching.
Image credit: Sepp 5 July 2003
As the bees are being decimated by a toxic seed coating agent, our entire food supply is threatened
. Plants need bees for pollination, especially the plants we grow for food. Obviously, our busy friends are not part of the equation of the global chemical and food cartels.--What a pity - good bye bees - good bye humanity!The Bees Die...The Planet Dies
The bees die... and the planet too!
The planet is the common good of humanity. Taking care of it gives life a meaning.--It is necessary to make the farmers understand what their responsibility is, but they seldom have Internet. The bees are the second factor of life on our planet. There is nothing left but our awareness which can act on the totalitarian power of money. It is necessary to react, to transmit this important message to all and to find solutions because it is as serious as the war of Iraq.
This poisining is a planetary genocide. The scandals that are appearing everywhere are nothing compared to the untold catastrophes which are being prepared because of the criminal unawareness of some world lobbies specialized in the massive poisoning of nature. The extermination of the bees by products officially declared as being non toxic is another example of this lack of responsibility.--I am speaking about the extermination of the bees - on which depends 80 % of the pollination of cultivated plants - by Imidaclopride which Bayer sells under the name of Gaucho to the farmers to coat seeds and to protect them from certain diseases... This product paralyses insects such as bees which cannot return to the hive and they therefore die. When they do succeed, the honey which results from it is toxic (because it's poisoned). In less than three years, 450 000 hives were thus lost and production of honey fell from 45 000 tons to 25 000 tons in France. In Alsace, bee-keepers are regarded as disaster victims because of the Bayer products. In addition, it should be known that in Europe, approximately 4 000 vegetable species have their life assured thanks to pollination by bees.---Meanwhile, Bayer remains indifferent to complaints, and does not hesitate, in it's arrogance, to deny the facts and to claim biodeterioration (biodegradability) of its product within one year, but this one contaminates several successive harvests.----Recently, the Aventis group decided to take a share of the devil's profits with Bayer putting on the market a similar product, Fipronil sold under the trade name Regent. Obviously, in spite of the imminent ecological catastrophe which these products are undoubtedly producing, no government refused to give them the necessary legal authorizations.----Is there a responsible organization somewhere able to demand, in the name of reason and for our children and of the planet, an injunction for the immediate prohibition of the use of these poisons?---Warning: Gaucho and Regent are also sold in the supermarket for gardens. Look at the composition of the products and do not contribute to this catastrophy.---Let us remember the words of Albert Einstein: "No bees, no food for mankind. The bee is the basis of life on this earth ".----The farmers must become aware that with Gaucho, they cut off the branch on which they are sitting. Other solutions exist. In the meantime, the thousands of decimated hives do not give their owners a right to receive any compensation. Due to this, only in the Low-Rhine area, more than 100 new bee-keepers cease their activity each year.What next? Synthetic honey and GMO bees?
Michel Dogna
Translation and transmission :
www.sens-de-la-vie.com/
meaning-of-life@sens-de-la-vie.com
See also:
Article on bees and pesticide sprays
France bans use of six Fipronil insecticides
PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - France said on Monday it would ban the use of six insecticides containing Fipronil, an active ingredient notably used in the Regent TS insecticide produced by BASF Agro , because it is suspected of killing bees. Fipronil was marketed under the trade name Regent for use against major pests on a wide range of field and horticultural crops but it is also marketed under other names for insecticides against fleas, ticks or mites (Reuters AlertNet, UK).Bayer shares fall on insecticide, Roche bid worries
Pesticide accused of killing 90bn bees
February 2007: Mystery killer silencing honeybees
Something is killing the nation's honeybees. Dave Hackenberg of central
Pennsylvania had 3,000 hives and figures he has lost all but about 800 of them.
In labs at Pennsylvania State University, the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture, and elsewhere in the nation, researchers have been stunned by the
number of calls about the mysterious losses.---Mystery ailment strikes honeybees
---A mysterious illness is killing tens of thousands of honeybee colonies across
the country, threatening honey production, the livelihood of beekeepers and
possibly crops that need bees for pollination. Researchers are scrambling to
find the cause of the ailment, called Colony Collapse Disorder. Reports of
unusual colony deaths have come from at least 22 states.
Update May 2004:
26 May 2004 - France suspends use of Gaucho insecticide for corn
"Within a few years honey production in south-west France fell by 60%.
According to the chairman of the national beekeepers' association, Jean-Marie Sirvins, a third of the country's 1.5 million registered hives disappeared. "As a result, France has had to import up to 24,000 tons of honey annually." The pesticide companies say their products are not responsible for killing the bees.----There are no reports of any ill effects from applications of imidacloprid in the UK, where it is licensed for use on beet. There are restrictions on its use when the plants are in flower, or for spraying the foliage. But Richard Jones, the director of the International Bee Research Association, told BBC News Online: "Beekeepers here have to be on the alert."The verroa mite, which feeds on the bees' blood, arrived from mainland Europe, and we know that bees' nests can travel a long way on container ships.----"People hear about bees and think only about honey, but it's the other side of the problem that's worrying. "They add billions of pounds to the value of the agricultural economy every year because of their work in pollinating crops like apples.----"We don't have enough bees in the UK, and we have very few feral bees. Every time a hedgerow is destroyed, that means the loss of nesting places for bumblebees."
By Alex Kirby, 1 March 2004
BBC News Online environment correspondent
From: Coalition against BAYER-dangers
CBGnetwork@aol.com
Fax: (+49) 211-333 940 Tel: (+49) 211-333 911
- - -
Where Have all the Honey
Bees Gone?
by Robert Cohen
"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live
." - Albert EinsteinThis from the Penn State Agriculture Magazine, Spring 1998: "In the spring of 1993, entomologist Maryann Frazier encountered a mystery. 'Beekeepers began calling to report that they had no bees in their colonies,' she recalls...They had seen bees making flights in February, but by April, there were no bees. What happened to them?' ---Frazier's investigation into the reasons the bees disappeared continues today. If she and her colleagues can't unravel the mystery of why bee colonies are dying, beekeepers, fruit and vegetable growers, and consumers all are likely to feel the consequences." ---I live in New Jersey, America's Garden State. Believe it or not, we have a state insect, the honey bee. Honey bees pollinate crops. It's actually a big business. Pollinators travel America, leasing their bees to crop growers. Beekeepers keep the honey. During World War II, there were over 6 million commercial beehives in America. By the mid-1980s, that number had dropped to 4 million. Today, there are 2.5 million remaining. America's honey bees are disappearing, and those who best know bees have a number of theories, but no one conclusive reason. The one universally accepted fact is that bees are in trouble. Could an aspirin manufacturer be the cause of the bee's demise?
The Bayer Aspirin Company may be giving our environment an incurable migraine headache. --My first hint came from an ad in the April 10, 2006 issue of Hoard's Dairyman. There, on page 270, a full color advertisement proclaims: ---Bayer supplies the technology to fix the milking machine on the right."On the right side of the ad is an enlarged photo of a most grotesque fly with large red eyes and appendages containing end-to-end cactus-like spurs. In smaller text, Bayer informs prospective customers: --"Bayer understands how much profit flies suck out of your entire operation. That's why we developed QuickBayt Pour-On insecticide...put the high-tech tools from Bayer to work." (Bayer was part of the IG Farben Conglomerate. I began to search the Internet for the secret ingredients to Bayer's miracle fly solution. Gobs and gobs of this high-tech gunk are slathered onto dairy cow's bodies. What's in QuickBayt that makes life so very dangerous for the honey bee? Imidacloprid. --Imidacloprid is a widely used insecticide that has environmentalists extremely concerned. Apparently, scientists have known for many years the impact that imidacloprid has on wildlife. Here are some of the recognized hazards of using imidacloprid:Imidacloprid has raised concerns because of its possible impact on bee populations...it is also acutely toxic to earthworms...
Imidacloprid has raised concerns because it causes eggshell thinning in endangered bird species...it is highly toxic to sparrows, quails, canaries, and pigeons...
Imidacloprid can be toxic to humans,
causing epileptic seizures, diarrhea, and lack of coordination...Imidacloprid is
extremely toxic at low concentrations to some species of aquatic fish and crustaceans...Can food be contaminated with imidacloprid? You tell me whether this is comedy or tragedy at work. Neither the United States Department of Agriculture nor the Food and Drug Administration includes imidacloprid in their food monitoring programs. ---Two European studies have shown that vegetables tested with imidacloprid were contaminated, one week after exposure. --It seems clear that imidacloprid use on dairy farms should be closely monitored by regulatory agencies. The Bayer Company is making lots of money on this drug, but the true cost might become America's newest headache.--"Even bees, the little almsmen of spring bowers, know there is richest juice in poison-flowers." - John KeatsRobert Cohen --http://www.notmilk.com
April 2007: When Bees Disappear, Will Man Soon Follow?
On a recent conference call, Dr. Carlo laid the blame for the sudden demise
(often within 72 hours) of entire bee colonies on the recent proliferation of
electromagnetic waves (EMF). He cited the startling statistic that, at present,
there are some 2.5 billion cell phone users around the world. While this (plus
the explosive growth of cell phone towers) used to be the major concern, the
problem has been significantly exacerbated by the recent introduction of
satellite radio. Dr. Carlo commented that the constant electromagnetic
background noise seems to disrupt intercellular communication within individual
bees, such that many of them cannot find their way back to the hive.---The
problem could well be in our unbridled use of electromagnetic radiation in
communications, which is one of the great unacknowledged health threats
not only for humans, but it may be killing the bees as well.
posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Wednesday July 2 2003---updated
on Sunday April 15 2007
URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2003/07/02/synthetic_honey_and_gmo_bees.htm
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GMO for profit - not a runner
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This guide will help you determine which products are made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) so you can make healthier non-GMO brand buying choices. GMOs are made by transferring genes from one species, such as bacteria, viruses, or animals, into the DNA of other species, such as corn. Though most industrialized countries require labeling of GMOs, the U.S. does not. 9 out of 10 Americans want genetically modified (GM) foods to be labeled.--Most people say they would avoid brands if labeled as GM
.--This guide is produced by The Institute For Responsible Technology, your consumer safety partner and a world leader in exposing the health risks of GMOs. Look for our Non-GMO Shopping Guide coming in mid-2008. please go to www.responsibletechnology.org.GMO Defensive Shopping List
HOW TO MAKE SAFER BUYING CHOICES
What crops are most often GMOs? Examples of products commonly containing GMOs
SOY
(89%)* Chocolates use soy lecithin; Breads use soy flour; Shakes use soy protein concentrate; Baby formulas use soy milkCORN
(61%)* High fructose corn syrup is found in sodas, cereals, cookies, candy, salad dressings, spaghetti sauces, and 1,000 otherproducts. Baked goods use cornstarch; Vegetable oils use corn
oil; Breads use corn flour
CANOLA
(80%)* Fried products use canola oil; Baked goods use canola oil; Many health products use canola oilCOTTON
(83%)* Chips use cottonseed oil; Fried snacks use cottonseed oil* Percentage of GM cotton, corn, and soy in the US and GM canola grown in Canada.
TIP #2: LOOK FOR "NON-GMO" LABELS
Companies may voluntarily label products as "non-GMO". Some labels state "non-GMO" while others spell out "MADE WITHOUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED INGREDIENTS".
Some products limit their claim to only one particular "AT-RISK" ingredient such as soy lecithin, listing it as "non-GMO".TIP #3: AVOID AT-RISK INGREDIENTS
The four major GM crops are soy, corn,
cottonseed, and canola.
Three minor crops are Hawaiian papaya, and a small amount of zucchini and yellow crook neck squash. These 7 cropsTIP #1: BUY ORGANIC
There are three types of organic labels:
• "100% ORGANIC" means all ingredients are organic.
• "ORGANIC" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are organic. The other 5%, however, still have to be non-GMO.
• "MADE WITH ORGANIC _________ (ingredient name, e.g. SOY)." This label means that at least 70% of the ingredients are organic, but the remaining 30% still have to be non-GMO.
If the term organic is ONLY in the list of ingredients and not found anywhere else on the package, then there is no required percentage for organic ingredients in the product, and any non-organic ingredient may be GMO.GMO SWEETENER ASPARTAME--Avoid the GMO derivative labeled as the sweetener aspartame. It is also referred to as NutraSweet
® and Equal® and is found in over 6,000 products, including soft drinks, gum, candy, desserts, mixes, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.AVOID GMOs IN RESTAURANTS
Try to go to restaurants that cook meals from scratch and do not use packaged, processed mixes and sauces which will likely have GM ingredients. At-risk ingredients include corn chips and tortillas, tofu, soy sauce, and sweet corn. Vegetable oil is usually made from GM soy, corn, cottonseed, or canola and is used by most restaurants. Find out if your restaurant uses vegetable oil, and if so, ask if they can cook YOUR meal without oil or with a non-GMO oil, such as olive, sunflower, or safflower.
Buy non-GMO. Help us stop the genetic engineering of our food supply.
Look just like their non-GMO counterparts. Novel products such as seedless watermelons, pear/apple combos, and tangelos are products of natural breeding and are NOT genetically engineered. Most GM ingredients are products made from corn and soybeans, used in processed foods.TIP #4: USE SHOPPING GUIDES
There are a few non-GMO shoppers’ guides available based on information directly from food producers.
The True Food Guide, available online at www.truefoodnow.org, has also been reproduced as an insert in the back of the informative book on GMOs, Your Right To Know by Andrew Kimbrell. Go to ww.seedsofdeception.com.OTHER WAYS TO AVOID GMOs
ANIMAL PRODUCTS
Meats, dairy products, farmed fish, and eggs are usually from animals fed GM feed. To avoid, buy "ORGANIC", "WILD CAUGHT", or meat or dairy from
"100% GRASS-FED" animals. Avoid dairy products from cows injected with GM
bovine growth hormone (called rbGH or rbST). See www.responsibletechnology.org for brands.
Honey and bee pollen may have been gathered from GM plants.
PRODUCTS FROM GM MICROORGANISMS
There are many additives, enzymes, flavorings, and processing agents used in foods which are produced by GM bacteria, yeast, or fungi. To avoid them,
either buy organic or stick to non-processed foods.
INVISIBLE GM INGREDIENTS
Processed foods often have hidden GM sources (unless they are organic or declared non-GMO). The following are ingredients that may be made from
GM soy, corn, cotton, or canola
.aspartame gluten modified starch
baking powder glycerides monosodium glutamate
bee pollen glycerin oleic acid
caramel color glycerol Phenylalanine
cellulose glycerol monooleate phytic acid
citric acid glycine sorbitol
cobalamin (Vitamin B12) hemicellulose soy flour
corn gluten high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) soy isolates
corn masa hydrogenated starch hydrolates soy lecithin
corn oil hydrolyzed vegetable protein soy protein
corn syrup inositol starch
cornmeal invert sugar (colorose or inversol) stearic acid
cornstarch inverse syrup tamari
cyclodextrin isoflavones tempeh
cystein lactic acid threonine
dextrin lecithin tocopherols (Vitamin E)
dextrose leucine tofu
diacetyl lysine trehalose
diglyceride malitol triglyceride
fructose maltodextrin vegetable fat
fructose (crystalline) maltose vegetable oil
glucose mannitol Vitamin B12
glutamate methylcellulose Vitamin E
glutamic acid milo starch xanthan gum
Ø Ø
Our understanding is that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), although usually derived from corn, is probably not GM because it is not made in North America. Honey and bee pollen may contain GMOs if the beehives are near GM crops. This list is continually being updated and refined. For the most recent version, see www.responsibletechnology.org.
Study shows GMO Bt corn affects reproductive health
November 12, 2008
Manila, PHILIPPINES — A study published today by the Austrian government identified that genetically modified (GMO) crops pose serious threats to reproductive health. In one of the very few long-term feeding studies ever conducted with GMO crops, the fertility of mice fed with a variety of Bt corn, a genetically-modified organism (GMO) was found to be severely impaired, with fewer offspring being produced than by mice fed on natural crops. Considering the severity of the potential threat to human health and reproduction, Greenpeace is demanding a recall of all GMO food and crops from the market, worldwide. The GMO crop used in the study is NK 603 x MON 810, a variety of Bt corn owned by GMO seed company Monsanto. The crop, marketed in the Philippines under the name 'DEKALB Roundup Ready Corn 2' or 'DK818YG(RRC2),' has been approved for food use since 2004 and planting since 2005, despite concerns by sustainable agriculture groups. The corn contains a built-in insect-killer, as well as tolerance to a powerful herbicide, glyphosate, meant to be used with the crop.
The study, sponsored by the Austrian Ministries for Agriculture and Health, was presented on last week at a scientific seminar in Vienna, Austria. Prof. Dr. Jürgen Zentek, Professor for Veterinary Medicine at the University of Vienna and lead author of the study, summarized the findings: mice fed with GMO corn had less offspring in the third and fourth generations, and these differences were statistically significant. Mice fed with non-GMO corn reproduced more efficiently. This effect can be attributed to the difference in the food source. The Austrian scientists performed several long-term feeding trials with laboratory mice over a course of 20 weeks. One of the studies was a so-called reproductive assessment by continuous breeding (RACB) trial, in which the same parent generation gave birth to several litters of baby mice. The parents were fed either with a diet containing 33% of the GMO corn variety, or a closely related non-GMO variety. A decrease in litter size and weight was found to be statistically significant in the third and fourth litters in the GMO-fed mice compared to the control group. "This study clearly demonstrates that GMOs have a lot of unknown environmental and health risks and that the safety of GMO crops can not be guaranteed. This is not the first GMO to have been discovered to pose serious health risks, and it will not be the last. Unfortunately, because the approval process for GMOs are extremely lax, particularly in our country, we are only finding out about the health risks after the GMO has been approved, planted and eaten by the public," said Greenpeace Southeast Asia Genetic Engineering Campaigner Daniel Ocampo. "The Philippine government should heed these warnings and recall the approval of all GMOs in the country." "GMO food appears to be acting as a birth control agent, potentially leading to infertility--if this is not reason enough to close down the whole biotech industry once and for all, I am not sure what kind of disaster we are waiting for," said Dr. Jan van Aken, GE expert at Greenpeace International. "The reproductive toxicity of this GMO corn was a totally unexpected result, but regulators around the world had considered this GMO corn variety as safe as non-GMO varieties--a potentially devastating error. Playing genetic roulette with our food crops is like playing Russian roulette with consumers and public health."GMO Soy Growers commit Massacre in Paraguay
Taken from http://www.activistmagazine.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=383&It
Javiera Rulli , 30.06.2005 02:53 PARAGUAY (24/06/2005) -
Brazilian growers of genetically modified (GMO) soy, under the protection of police and paramilitary forces, have attacked a peasant community, TEKOJOJA, in Caaguazu. They have evicted 270 people, arrested 130, burned their crops and bulldozed all 54 of their homes. Angel Cristaldo (20 years old) and Leopoldo Torres (49 years old) were both shot and killed by hired gunmen. --The peasant community of Tekojoja is a land settlement of 56 peasant families on 500 hectares, located 70 km from the city of Caaguazu in Paraguay. The Tekojoja community is part of the Organización Agraria y Popular, part of MCNOC (National coordination platform of peasant organisations) via Campesina Paraguay. They are also involved in the Frente por la Soberanía y la Vida (Front for Food Sovereignty and Life). ---Caauguazu together with San Pedro are the main regions where GM soy monocultures have been expanding in Paraguay in the last 5 years. There are 2 million hectares of GM soy monocultures in Paraguay and the government has plans to expand that by another 2 million hectares. In Paraguay less than 2% of the population owns 70% of the land causing the expulsion of the peasants from their historical territories. GM soy crops grown for export are a principal cause of this severe situation. The rate of land conflicts has multiplied in recent years. In 2004, 162 land conflicts and 118 land occupations took place. --Tekojoja is one of the peasant settlements that was recovered during Paraguay's land reforms, however many of these lands have gone back to the hands of large private land owners by illegal and corrupted manoeuvres or by tricking peasants. This is the case of the Tekojoja community which has been threatened by GM soy monoculture expansion since its beginning. ---Paramilitaries guarding GMO soy cropsAldemir Opperman is a Brazilian GM soy producer who wants to control the land of the Tekojoja community. He has begun a juridical trial against the peasants despite the fact that the settlement was legally recognised 3 years ago by the current government of Nicanor Duarte Frutos. Carlos González, a member of the Coordinación de la Organización Agraria y Popular states "the judge in charge of the juridical process has never taken into account that the land belonged to the state and was donated to the peasant organisations with the land reform program". In August 2004, the Tekojoja was attacked during an attempted eviction. Many people were injured and several were arrested. ---On Friday June, 25th at 5:30 in the morning, attorneys Pedro Torrales and Nelly Varela appeared with 150 policemen with the intention of evicting the whole community. During the eviction, and in the presence of the attorneys, people were brutally harassed and beaten. While the police were evicting and arresting the people, the paramilitary groups burned their homes and then levelled them with caterpillar tractors. ---In the eviction, Aldemir Opperman, joined by hired gunmen, entered the land with trucks and from these shot the peasants, killing Angel Cristaldo (20 years old) and Leopoldo Torres (49 years old) and severely injuring 5 more people in front of the policemen present in the settlement. One is still in critical condition in the Hospital La Candelaria (Caaguazu). Anibal Gonzalez underwent emergency surgery yesterday. The Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, the National Comission of Human Rights of Paragauy is covering the health care cost as the health and social services in the country have been privatized. -------In total, 130 people were arrested, 40 of them children, and they were taken to the local jail in Caaguazu. Jorge Galeano, a spoke person of the community, said that after the incident 29 men, 19 women and 40 children were released. Several peasants have been missing since Friday. --------Paramilitary trucks during the eviction ------Aldemir Opperman and several of his gunmen have been arrested because of the murders. During the arrest a whole arsenal of weapons were found: 2 12-gauge shotguns, 2 20-gauge shotguns, one 38-calibre revolver, and ammunition packages for the shotguns. All these were found in the trucks that entered the peasant community to destroy the houses and crops. The actions of these paramilitary groups have been widely denounced during the last years. It is with the help of these groups that the majority of the evictions take place, usually with the collaboration of military and police groups. The last time this was denounced was in January this year when Jorge Galeano publicly denounced Opperman for hiring armed groups to terrorize the peasant communities. ---Urgent help is required for the 270 people that have lost all their belongings - they have gone back to their land where nothing is left. The [disputed] landowner took away 3 trucks full of the peasants' belongings and only one has been found back and is in the hands of the police. The whole community is now facing the winter without clothes, food and shelter. --The peasant organizations have planned several demonstrations for the coming days. There will be demonstrations in Asuncion in front of the attorneys offices, denouncing the behaviour of the two attorneys that ordered the evictions. One of them, Nelly Varela, verbally ordered police to take children out of school and arrest them and take them to jail as they were criminals, stated Galeano. The peasant organization will also try to meet with the president of INDERT (Rural Development and Land Issue Institution) and demand the protection of their lands by this institute. "Ko yvyko oremba'e, ha roî roproba haguãicha upéva; roguerekopa la documento ome'eva'ekue oréve Indert ha upévare ndorosê mo'ai ko'águi" (this land belongs to us and we can show it, we have the documents from the government institution INDERT and we will not leave), stated Galeano. We ask international organizations to spread news of this situation, network for solidarity actions and to send human rights observers to Paraguay. Many land conflicts take place during the soy crop season (December-March) when peasants try to stop pesticide fumigations in the surroundings of their communities, confronting the police and military that guard the soy fields. ---The peasant communities need help in the form of support for legal advocacy and health care. They need to cover the costs of lawyers for the juridical processes defending their lands and to denounce the violation of their rights. The health care is privatized in Paraguay and the peasants do not have access to it. They are intensively poisoned by the fumigation of pesticides and the community members are suffering severe health problems and need to do tests and buy medicines. The coordination of women of peasant and indigenous women - CONAMURI - is currently maintaining the court case against two Brazilian soy producers accused of murdering an 11 year old boy, Silvino Talavera by their careless application of Monsanto's Round-Up Ready herbicide. ---This report provided to ACT for the Earth by Javiera Rulli (Grupo Reflexión Rural, Argentina). For more information, or to lend your support, contact: MCNOC (National coordination platform of peasant organisations),
mcnoc@conexion.com.py,
tel: 00595 21 550598 or CONAMURI (coordination of women of peasant and
indigenous women),
conamuri@rieder.net.py,
tel: 0595 21 490 203. 
http://www.ultimahora.com.py/template.asp?notic=200605
http://www.abc.com.py/articulos.php?fec=2005-06-26&pid=187691&sec=7
http://www.abc.com.py/articulos.php?fec=2005-06-25&pid=187491&sec=7
http://www.abc.com.py/articulos.php?fec=2005-06-27&pid=187921&sec=7
http://www.lanacion.com.py/noticias/2005/06/27/politica/107782.html