Do You Eat Foods Containing GMOs?

GMOs are bad for you. Try to avoid eating them. Tough, you say? You'd be right. Because, at the present time, it's impossible to know which foods contain GMOs. You can be sure processed foods probably do. One way to avoid GMOs is to eat organic and local, because organic foods are not supposed to contain GMOs.

The good news is the huge number of Americans who signed the Just Label It petition have reason to hope: Just Label It organizers claim a new survey indicates 91% of the voters in American are in favor of labeling food that is genetically modified. The bad news? Read the whole truth on GMOs and weep.

Contribute to the "coming tipping point of consumer rejection." Follow these simple rules when you shop. Say NO to GMOs.

While in Cambridge, I found an organic granola that was new to me. What's more, it's local, made in Massachusetts and tastes yummy. Check out New England Natural Bakers. If your favorite food store does not carry this brand, ask the owner to order some. I'm taking the bag in to Wellfleet Marketplace and will report back what reaction I get.

Seeking Gluten-free, Minimal GMO Bed and Breakfast?

If you're seeking a gluten-free, minimal GMO breakfast on Cape Cod, that would be Chez Sven. We even joined the Gluten Free Registry, which provides options to those on a gluten-free diet. I believe innkeepers should stay abreast of these things.

Last week France reiterated its choice to refuse GMOs. How I wish the American government were showing the same good sense. Monsanto intends to force-feed us all genetically-modified foods, whether we like it or not. Indeed, this giant corporation is doing its best to prevent the labeling of Franken-foods. What’s more, last month farmers and seed savers lost big when a judge refused protection from lawsuits if GMO seeds stray from one field to the next – organic – as seeds are wont to do. In February, the New York Times published a comprehensive article on the controversy. Last year Dr. Oz did a show on GMOs, during which 80% of audience members said they would avoid if given the choice. We have no choice. Did you know 85% of the products at your supermarket are already genetically-modified and those numbers are rising? As Dr. Oz said, all we can do is “vote” with our pocketbooks.

Are GMOs safe? From what I have read, I have serious doubts. We need to be careful what we put in our bodies. That’s why I serve our guests as much organic food as possible. We also try to buy local and offer gluten-free breakfast on request since more and more guests are gluten-intolerant.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s, the only person I knew on a gluten-free diet was my brother, and that was because he had full-blown celiac. Now many people feel ill when they eat foods containing gluten. This phenomenon has created an industry shift, with cereal makers like General Mills offering GF Rice Chex. What’s going on?

Last fall the New York Times reported the number of people with celiac has dramatically increased. Comparing blood samples from the 1950s to the 1990s, Dr. Joseph Murray of the Mayo Clinic found “young people today are nearly five times as likely to have celiac disease, for reasons he and others researchers cannot explain. And it’s on the rise not only in the U.S. but also in other places where the disease was once considered rare, like Mexico and India.”

Note, gluten-free does not mean GMO-free, but I think it’s fair to draw a parallel of sorts. For some reason, our intestines are protesting vociferously, and GMOs are more prevalent in the American diet than ever before ...

What else has changed? Food has lost nutritional value.

Are there GMOs in foods served in Wellfleet restaurants? You bet!

The least the FDA could do is require labeling so that those of us who care can avoid genetically-modified foods.

Did you know there’s a movement afoot in California to put a proposition on the November ballot to require that food companies that sell in the state put labels on their products if “produced with genetic engineering”? We can only hope this proposition will pass and create a ripple effect across the country.

While in Cambridge, I shop at Harvest Co-op, a store where the managers understand food allergies. Check out the incredible array of gluten-free products available above. Yesterday I spoke with Chris Durkin, Director of Membership and Community Relations. He used to work at Bread and Circus, on Prospect Street, and remembers stricter standards before Bread and Circus became part of the Whole Foods chain. I noticed a 2007 Harvest newsletter explained the GMO issue and asked him about it.

“Ideally GMOs would not be allowed in the environment until they had been tested, but that’s not going to happen,” Chris said. “The only tests were done by Monsanto and other such corporations, and they’ve been very selective in what they reveal.” Chris added that GMOs are not allowed in organic foods, so one way to avoid GMOs, for the time being, is to only eat organic, don’t buy prepared foods. Chris also mentioned that Harvest has joined the Just Label It campaign. (If you have not yet voiced your opinion on labeling GMOs known, please do so today.)

And, as Dr. Oz suggested, vote with your pocketbook.

Before shopping for food, consult the Seeds of Deception Non-GMO Shopping Guide.

Do you eat gluten-free? Does anyone in your family? How do you feel about GMOs? Do you think GMO foods should be labeled?

What Makes Me Angry ...

Every so often I get really, really angry. If I stood in front of a mirror, steam would probably be coming out of my nostrils, and my face would have already turned purple. The signs above, at Ballston Beach in Truro, indicate danger. There are no signs to warn us of the toxic chemicals that have infiltrated our lives. We need to turn this situation around, but how?

I get angry when I read the umpteenth article on endocrine disruption and realize that life will go on as desired by the chemical industry with no change. Ignorant human beings will gain weight and develop diabetes, despite today’s news of a new study linking phthalates to childhood obesity. This morning also brought an ABC report on 300 chemicals detected in a nursery. (Express your approval of this type of investigation here.)

Yes, it’s true that enlightenment comes slowly ...

Recently there have been more articles on how to avoid toxic chemicals in food. Here's another. Food bloggers are big on the Internet, but, so far, they have not tackled toxins in food.

I only started studying these issues two and a half years ago, in my effort to prevent NStar from spraying Monsanto’s glyphosate, and four other nasty chemicals, under Cape Cod’s power lines to kill vegetation. One thing led to another and soon I realized Monsanto is an evil empire here on earth. The corporation has infiltrated our government and has been twisting arms to impose GMOs on Europe, for instance.

And, the USA? We’re already doomed unless someone does something fast. Monsanto has managed to bypass rigorous testing and sneak unlabeled GMOs into 80% of the food found on American grocery shelves. Last month NPR's Diane Rehm did a whole show on why GMOs should be labeled. Corn and HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) remain the major offenders. Food Inc. explained how HFCS also makes us fat. It’s still possible to eat local and avoid GMOs, but for how long? Monsanto is buying up seed companies. Argh!!! (Read the latest on this dreadful corporation on the Organic Consumers Web site.)

Meanwhile, here on Cape Cod, NStar has not abandoned its plan to poison our sole-source aquifer with five toxic chemicals. One of them, glyphosate, has been shown to increase risk of birth defects in the unborn. The utility company will put their plan into action in the spring. If you are a pregnant woman on the Outer Cape, you do not want to be drinking unfiltered well water, since NStar already tested its spraying plan in certain areas. These toxic chemicals do not dissolve. They are not absorbed by the soil. In fact, they flow right through our sandbar-of-a-beautiful-tourist-destination into the aquifer. Activists proposed goats early on and NStar scoffed. Google uses goats at its headquarters in California. Why shouldn’t we have them here? Now Eastham has its own herd. Today’s New York Times reports goats are a great way to avoid herbicides, something we already knew, but, hey, it’s refreshing to see people are beginning to talk about it ...

10 Suggestions for Anti-GMO Signs

Today, a simple request. Please read an excellent post at Lentil Breakdown and think about how it applies to Wellfleetians. Adair Seldon explains How to Be a Bad-Ass Anti-GMO Activist. More, tomorrow ...

More on OWS and GMOs

I just took the bus home after spending two days in Boston. I know, I know. I wasn't present at Town Meeting. Unfortunately, schedule conflicts would not allow me to be. I'm eager to read summaries in the local newspapers. I have two things to report this afternoon.

The first is a very comprehensive examination of why we must demand the labeling of GMOs, published by East Bay Express, an online journal from the San Francisco Bay area, where food seems to matter more than any place else in the country. Please do check out this report. (I wrote about the same topic last week.)

The second is an email from Nick Macdonald, who summers in Wellfleet and lives in Brooklyn. Nick, above with wife Elspeth and Sven, writes, "I have been e-mailing my sons some daily impressions of Occupy Wall Street (OWS). I think it gives a flavor, and decided to share it with you (all). Edited appropriately. So here (attached) are my impressions of OWS so far.

Also, there are some ways to get involved, if you are interested:
1. Visit OWS.
2. Go to AVAAZ (register your support)
3. Follow the occupation: OccupyWallStreet, New York City General Assembly, Take the Square, OccupyTogether.
4. Donate food, warm clothes: in person, or by mail: UPS Store/118A Fulton St. #205/ New York, NY 10038.
5. Donate money: in person, or through NYCGA or by check to: Alliance for Global Justice/1247 E Street, SE/Washington, DC 20003. Indicate 'Occupy Wall Street' on the memo line. Or call: (202) 544-9355

Finally, as an introduction, what inspires me so much is that OWS seems like democracy in action --- without leaders, without politicians, without celebrities or egos (mostly). Grass-roots, from the bottom up. It is peaceful, transparent, uncompetitive, communal. In short, anarchistic. Or “horizontal democracy” as OWS puts it. And it naturally leads one to think more about what you can do, or suggest. Becomes truly a participatory democracy. Without anyone getting credit for anything. An idea is simply in the pool of ideas."

Nick attaches his blog, which is not yet online, unfortunately, but I can share the first few lines:

October 5, 2011 (Wed.)

Day 19 at Occupy Wall Street. My first day (Elspeth started yesterday). Back from the rally and march (and occupation). Very inspiring. Got my juices going in a way similar to the Vietnam days. And what is even better, it’s a real grass-roots, as-of-now, inchoate outpouring. Anarchistic, no leaders, no politicians ..."

Do You Eat Foods Containing GMOs?

It’s Blog Action Day and the topic for 2011 is FOOD. Above, visitors arriving at Oysterfest yesterday morning. How appropriate for this post to have, as a backdrop, Wellfleet Marketplace where Wellfleetians buy food. At Oysterfest, we celebrate the oyster, a food consumed by Native Americans, then Cape Cod settlers, who threw the shells out their windows. Winslow’s Tavern gives a good description of why Wellfleet oysters are the best on Winslow’s Blog. Food is important. It nourishes us. Or, should. Many of us start the day with a bowl of cereal. (Check which brands provide true nourishment here.) Did you know that 80% of the food sold at stores, therefore technically at Wellfleet Marketplace, half of the food, available in the USA today, now contains GMOs?

Most Americans, when polled, say they do not want to consume GMOs. Do you?

GMO means genetically-modified organism. Anything not organically grown or certified non-GMO that has any corn, soy, canola oil or cottonseed oil, or products made from them, such as lecithin, and high fructose corn syrup, are very likely to be GMO.

I believe sufficient testing has not been done on GMOs and that they are not “good” for us to eat. “Good” is a euphemism, according to this short video:

DOUBLE DIPPING DANGER from NO GMO on Vimeo.

I do not want to serve GMOs at my bed & breakfast, so I have been writing manufacturers of certain products to inquire. For instance …

“I plan to blog about GMOs on Blog Action Day, when the subject will be food, Oct. 16. I would like to know whether Nonni’s biscotti contain GMOs. I no longer plan to serve products with GMO ingredients at my B&B. I looked on your site and could not find this information. Since your biscotti are a personal favorite of mine, I hope you will respond that they are all natural, no GMOs. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.”

And,

“Please stop using GMOs in your muffins. I love them. I just checked to see if you use GMOs and, with regret, have decided to stop buying. GMOs are not safe for health, no matter what the FDA claims. These ingredients should be avoided. I plan to mention Thomas English Muffins in the list of foods served at my B&B for Blog Action Day, but add that I am no longer buying until all ingredients containing GMOs are removed.”

I also wrote to my favorite pasta manufacturer. A Ronzoni rep actually wrote back:

“Dear Alexandra:

Thank you for your kind comments. They are greatly appreciated.

We are proud of our commitment to excellence in manufacturing quality products. We are always pleased to hear from consumers who appreciate our efforts. Our company has built its reputation on this tradition, and we will continue to manufacture the superior quality products you enjoy.

GMOs are not currently available in Durum Wheat, our major raw material. Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor developments in this area to ensure that the quality and safety of our products remains above reproach.

If we may be of further service to you, call us toll-free at 1-800-730-5957, weekdays 9-5 Eastern Standard Time …”

Note, the rep avoids saying whether Ronzoni will use GMOs in the future.

Anyone who cares about nutrition should be writing letters like these. The Internet makes it easy. Manufacturers do pay attention to public opinion. If they receive enough letters against GMOs, they will make an effort to buy non-GMO ingredients.

As of today, it is still hard to tell what is GMO and what is not. That is because BigAg has succeeded in lobbying against labels. This decision, at least, can still be reversed. Sign the petitions to demand the labeling of GMOs here and here and here.

Read a summary of the situation in yesterday's Daily Beast.

Do you worry about food containing GMOs or do you not care?

How Monsanto's Folly Will Affect Wellfleetians ...

Wellfleet restaurants serve GMOs: True, or False?

I wish the answer were False, but probably all our restaurants serve up a majority of genetically-engineered foods because, right now, around 75% of our processed food is genetically modified. Since there has been no labeling requirement for years, avoiding GMOs is a challenge. Genetically-modified soy, for instance, has won government approval and is taking over. (Next time you buy a soy drink, try to make it an organic one.)

What about farm fresh veggies? Depends on the seeds. I learned from Food Inc. how Monsanto has bought up many American seed companies. Whether we like it or not, most seeds are GMO. There are still some companies out there, taking the Safe Seed Pledge, like Johnny's. For information on how to recognize GMOs at the grocery store, go here. For now, buying organic still works but will it for long?

Yesterday I noticed news on Facebook that the European Union had voted 548 to 84, with 31 abstentions, that member countries should have the right to ban genetically-modified crops for environmental reasons. There was an immediate protest by EuropaBio, a lobbying group representing the likes of Monsanto, Bayer, Novartis, Monsanto Europe, Nestlé, Novo Nordisk, Rhône-Poulenc, and Unilever. These corporations do not approve of such bans because they affect the bottom line. I’m very proud of Europe for having resisted. (You can read more in this BBC report.)

In a cable released by Wikileaks, the world learned how the American ambassador to France attempted to force GMOs on France, threatening “retaliation” if the will of Monsanto was thwarted. Are you proud of shenanigans like this? Me neither.

What’s wrong with GMOs you may ask? Aren’t they the answer to feeding the world? The issue is that adequate testing has not been done. In the laboratory, serious problems have arisen after several generations. Animals fed GMOs develop sterility.

Pediatricians worry about the recent increase in food allergies in kids here and whether this increase may be due to stealth GMOs in the diet of children. Such news is enough to make me want to move back to France, knowing Monsanto has the USA in a death grip and does not intend to let go.

Recently there was a report that GMO crops are killing off monarch butterflies. You would think nature lovers would be out in force, but so far Monsanto, with its numerous lobbyists, has managed to persevere, even placing its own advocates in high-profile jobs in the Obama administration, case in point, Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture Secretary.

Thanks to activists, a push for GE salmon was recently defeated, but you can bet the Frankenfish will swim back into Congress next year.

Regulators from 100 countries had reason to celebrate last week when the USA finally agreed to support the labeling of GMOs. Perhaps this is because organic foods in our country are already compromised? From what I understand, a field of organic whatever will be invaded by alien seeds, floating on the wind. Hear it from the mouths of farmers in GM Crops Farmer to Farmer.

GMOs will take over no matter how many petitions we write. This fills me with regret. Great is Monsanto’s folly. But don't take my word for it. Read what Christopher Cook, author of "Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis," has to say on the subject.

If these corporate folks want to eat GMO food, that’s their business, but they should allow the rest of us to grow organic, don’t you think?

(How is this story related to toxic chemicals? GMO crops require more herbicides, including Glyphosate, not less as previously claimed by Monsanto.)

Remember to buy fresh, buy local. Lots of organic foods still
for sale at Hatch's, Wellfleet Marketplace, and our local farmers’ market, open today behind Preservation Hall from 8 to noon. Don’t miss out on meeting the growers who choose non-GMO seeds and the ladies who give their chickens non-GMO feed. We need to patronize this Preservation Hall-endorsed activity if we want it to continue, because there's already controversy in town, and it's not over GMOs. Not yet anyway.

Do you worry about GMOs, or am I alone in this?

Just Say No to GMOs ...

This amazing apricot tart came from PB Boulangerie Bistro. It reminded me of the excellent pastry we used to enjoy in France. In France, such pastry does not contain GMOs because the EU had the sense to ban them. Here, much harder to say. No doubt the PB chefs would avoid GMOs if that were possible, but GMOs have been slipped into the food system in the United States almost surreptitiously. From my reading, I am realizing what a grave error it was to allow this to happen. Monsanto has just bought Blackwater's clandestine intelligence services (renamed Xe Services). Monsanto is in the process of taking over our food supply. If you don't believe me, begin by watching the documentary Food Inc. We need to oppose GMOs en bloc. To that effect, please pass on this rap song by Mike Adams. He says it all. The song is simply brilliant.

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